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Broken Link Building

Broken Link Building is the process of finding dead links on other websites and offering a live replacement, usually from your own content.

Level: IntermediateRead: 3 minUpdated: 27 Jul 2026By Vera Lindqvist

Key facts

  • The core workflow is to find a dead page or broken outbound link, create or choose a relevant replacement, and contact the site owner or linker with the suggestion.
  • The tactic works best when the replacement content closely matches the original topic and is genuinely useful to the linking page’s audience.
  • Success depends heavily on prospect quality: the linking page, the broken target, and the contact must all be a fit.
  • The process is labour-intensive and usually requires manual vetting and personalised outreach rather than bulk emailing.
  • It is not limited to your own site’s broken links; many SEOs also use competitors’ dead pages or expired content as opportunities.

Also called

dead link building, broken link replacement

Use it for

Earning relevant backlinks by fixing dead links for site owners

Applies to

all search engines

How to Find Broken Link Opportunities

You start by identifying sites that link to dead pages. Common tools include backlink checkers, site crawlers, and browser extensions that flag 404 errors.

I often use a Link Building tool like Ahrefs or Moz to pull a list of backlinks for a relevant page in my niche. Then I check each target URL for a 404 status.

Another method is to search for resource pages in your industry and look for broken outbound links. You can use search operators like "site:.edu resources" plus a keyword. This tactic is sometimes combined with article submission seo to build links.

Once you find a broken link, verify what the original page contained using the Wayback Machine. This helps you understand the intent and suggest a suitable replacement.

  • Use a backlink checker to find pages that link to 404s.
  • Search for resource pages with broken outbound links.
  • Check competitors' expired content for backlinks you could reclaim.

When to Suggest Your Own Content

The replacement should closely match the original dead page. If you do not have a suitable page, consider creating one specifically for the opportunity. This increases your chances of earning an inbound link.

A common variant targets pages that already have wikipedia backlinks. Those links can be repointed to your version if your content is authoritative.

You can also find broken outbound links on resource pages and recommend your page as a substitute. This works best when your page is a direct fit for the audience.

Avoid suggesting your page if it is only tangentially related. The site owner will likely ignore the request, and you may damage your relationship with them.

  • Your replacement must satisfy the same user intent as the dead link.
  • If the dead page had backlinks, those are especially valuable to reclaim.
  • Create new content only if the opportunity justifies the effort.

What Makes Outreach Work

Personalised, one-to-one emails get better results than templates. Mention the specific broken link and explain why your replacement is useful.

The contact should be the person who manages the page or site. Often this is a webmaster, editor, or content manager. SEO outreach guides recommend finding the right person via the site's team page or social media.

Your message should be helpful, not demanding. Frame it as a way to improve their site's user experience. Never ask for a link directly; let them decide if they want to update it.

Follow up once if you get no response, but avoid spamming. A single follow-up after a week is acceptable.

  • Personalise each email with the recipient's name and the broken link.
  • Explain why the replacement is a good fit for their audience.
  • Keep the email short and avoid any hard sell.

Risks and Limitations of the Tactic

Broken link building is labour-intensive. You may contact dozens of sites for one successful link. The time investment can be high compared to other acquisition methods like digital pr seo.

If you send generic bulk emails, you risk being flagged as spam. Google's spam policies consider manipulative link schemes, and excessive outreach could be seen as such. Some SEOs use automated tools like gsa search engine ranker for outreach, but this can lead to spam.

The tactic only works when the broken link has value. Targeting dead pages with no organic traffic or backlinks yields little return. Dead link checker tools help you assess value before reaching out.

Some site owners may not respond or may refuse to update the link. You have no control over their decision, so broken link building is unpredictable.

  • Low success rate – expect most emails to be ignored.
  • Outreach can be seen as spam if scaled poorly.
  • Requires manual effort and cannot be fully automated.

Common mistakes

  • Pitching irrelevant replacement content Lowers reply rates and can damage trust with the site owner.
  • Using generic bulk outreach Makes the message feel spammy and reduces the chance of a link being updated.
  • Targeting broken links with little or no backlink value Wastes time and produces few or no links.

Questions

what is broken link

A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page that no longer exists, usually returning a 404 error. It can also be a link to a resource that has moved or been deleted.

what is the main goal of broken link building

The main goal is to earn a backlink from a site that originally linked to a dead page. By offering a working replacement, you help the site owner fix a broken link and gain a new link for your own site.

how to find broken links for backlinks

You can use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to find broken backlinks pointing to your competitors. Alternatively, search for resource pages in your niche and check each outbound link for a 404 status.

See also

Sources

  1. Google Search Central developers.google.com
  2. Moz moz.com
  3. Ahrefs ahrefs.com
  4. Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google Web Search developers.google.com
  5. Broken Link Building — Backlinkor backlinkor.org

Outbound links are unpaid and nofollow. If one has gone stale, tell me.

Vera Lindqvist

Vera Lindqvist has worked in SEO since 2014 — first in-house at an ecommerce retailer, then freelance for small teams that could not afford an agency. She writes GrowthPedia in her own time and pays for the hosting herself.

Written and maintained by one person. No ads, no affiliates, nothing for sale. Found an error? Tell me and I will log the correction publicly.