How to Fix Broken Links on Your Website for SEO (2026)

By Rafirit Station Editorial Team · Updated 2026 · ⏱ 18 min read

Broken links—those dreaded 404 errors—are more than just an annoyance. According to Semrush’s 2025 State of SEO report, websites with more than 10% broken links see an average 24% drop in organic traffic within 90 days. In Bangladesh, where e-commerce is growing at 26% annually (source: Statista), a single broken checkout link can cost ৳50,000 or more in lost revenue per month.

Why does this matter now? Google’s 2026 core update places greater emphasis on page experience and crawl efficiency. Broken links waste your crawl budget, dilute link equity, and frustrate users—especially on mobile, where 67% of Bangladeshis now browse (source: DataReportal).

The cost of inaction is steep: a Dhaka-based retail client we worked with had 342 broken links on their site. They were losing an estimated ৳1.2 lakh per quarter in missed sales alone, plus their search rankings for key product terms fell by 15 positions.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a proven 4-phase process to find, prioritize, fix, and prevent broken links—freeing up your SEO budget and boosting conversions.

📚 External Resources (Bookmark These)

• Google Search Central: 404 errors and soft 404s
• Moz: The Broken Link Building Guide
• Ahrefs: Broken Link Building Strategy
• Backlinko: Broken Link Building – Data Study
• Semrush: How to Use a Broken Link Checker
• Neil Patel: How to Find and Fix Broken Links
• Search Engine Journal: Do Broken Links Hurt SEO?
• Shopify Blog: How to Find and Fix Broken Links
• Sprout Social: Broken Links and Social Media
• HubSpot: Free Broken Link Checker Tool

🔗 Rafirit Station Services

• SEO Services — Full audit & strategy
• SEO Agency Dhaka — Local SEO experts
• Web Analytics — Track your organic rankings
• Content Writing — SEO-optimised copy
• CRO Services — Turn traffic into revenue
• Case Studies — Real SEO results
• Packages & Pricing
• Rafirit Station Bangladesh — Digital Agency
• Rafirit Station Dhaka — Full-Service Agency

Phase 1: Find Every Broken Link

Before you can fix broken links, you need a complete inventory. We recommend using a mix of free and paid tools to catch internal and external broken links. The counterintuitive insight? Not all 404s are bad. Google ignores soft 404s (like intentionally removed pages) but penalizes broken links that waste crawl budget.

Tactic 1.1: Use Google Search Console for Internal 404s

Why this works: Google Search Console (GSC) shows exactly which URLs on your site return 404 errors when Googlebot tries to crawl them. It’s free and directly from Google.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Log in to Google Search Console and select your property.
2. Go to “Indexing” → “Pages” → filter by “Not found (404)”.
3. Export the list to a CSV file.
4. Sort by “Last crawled” to see the most recent 404s first.
5. Note the “Linked from” column to see which pages contain the broken link.
6. Repeat monthly to catch new errors.
7. Cross-reference with Google Analytics for traffic impact.

Pro tip: Use the following regex filter in GSC to find all 404s: status:404. Then create an annotation in your spreadsheet with the date found.

📊 Expected results: In one scan, you’ll typically find 5–20 404s per 1,000 pages. Fixing them can recover 5–10% of lost crawl budget within 2 weeks.

Tactic 1.2: Crawl the Site with Screaming Frog

Why this works: Screaming Frog SEO Spider crawls your entire website and reports every HTTP status code. It finds internal broken links, external broken links, and missing images.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Download and install Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 URLs).
2. Enter your domain and start the crawl.
3. After crawl, filter by “Client Error (4xx)” in the response codes tab.
4. Click on each 404 to see the “Inlinks” tab – which pages link to the broken URL.
5. Export the full list to CSV.
6. Repeat the crawl every 30 days or after major site updates.

Pro tip: Use Screaming Frog’s “Bulk Export” → “All Inlinks” to get a complete map of which pages need fixing.

📊 Expected results: Crawling a 5,000-page site typically reveals 30–80 broken links. Fixing external broken links can improve user experience and reduce bounce rate by 7–12% (based on our client data).

Tactic 1.3: Check External Backlinks with Ahrefs or Semrush

Why this works: Broken external backlinks (other sites pointing to your dead pages) waste valuable link equity. Recovering them via redirects can boost your ranking power.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Log in to Ahrefs Site Explorer or Semrush Backlink Analytics.
2. Enter your domain and go to “Broken Backlinks” (Ahrefs) or “Indexed Pages” → “Broken Pages” (Semrush).
3. Sort by “Domain Rating” (Ahrefs) or “Authority Score” (Semrush) to prioritize high-value links.
4. Export the list of broken backlinks.
5. For each, check if the linking page is still live and relevant.
6. Create 301 redirects from the broken page to the most relevant live page.
7. Optionally, reach out to the linking site to update the link (broken link building).

Pro tip: Use the outreach template: “Hi [Name], we noticed you linked to [old URL] which now returns a 404. We’ve redirected it to [new URL] – would you consider updating the link? Thank you!”

📊 Expected results: Recovering 10 high-authority broken backlinks can increase domain authority by 3–5 points and organic traffic by 8–15% within 3 months.

Phase 2: Prioritize Which Broken Links to Fix First

Not all broken links are created equal. We prioritize based on three factors: link equity (PageRank), traffic potential, and user impact. Here’s our system.

Tactic 2.1: Use the “Broken Link Priority Matrix”

Why this works: A simple 2×2 matrix based on “Crawl Depth” (how many clicks from homepage) and “Page Authority” helps you quickly decide which links need immediate attention.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Create a spreadsheet with columns: URL, Source Page, Authority Score (from MozBar or Ahrefs toolbar), Crawl Depth, Traffic (from Google Analytics), and Impact (High/Medium/Low).
2. For each broken link, assign Authority Score (0–100) and Crawl Depth (1–10).
3. Label as “High Priority” if Authority > 40 AND Crawl Depth < 4.
4. Label as “Medium Priority” if Authority > 20 OR Crawl Depth < 7.
5. Label as “Low Priority” otherwise.
6. Sort by Priority (High first) and fix in that order.
7. Revisit the matrix monthly after each fix.

Pro tip: Use the formula: Priority Score = (Authority * 0.6) + ((10 – Crawl Depth) * 0.4). Fix scores above 70 first.

📊 Expected results: Focusing on the top 20% priority links typically recovers 80% of lost link equity within 2 weeks.

Tactic 2.2: Prioritize Broken Links on High-Conversion Pages

Why this works: A broken link on your checkout, pricing, or contact page directly impacts revenue. In Bangladesh, where conversion rates for e-commerce average 1.5–3%, fixing these can yield immediate ROI.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Export your highest-traffic pages from Google Analytics (e.g., top 50 by sessions).
2. Cross-reference with the broken link list from Phase 1.
3. Flag any broken link that appears on a page with a conversion goal (purchase, sign-up, lead form).
4. Assign “Critical” priority to those links.
5. Fix them within 24 hours – either remove the broken link or redirect the target URL.
6. Monitor conversion rate changes in the following week.
7. Report the fix to stakeholders with before/after data.

Pro tip: Use Google Analytics’ “Page Performance” report filtered by bounce rate > 80% and exit rate > 50% to find pages where broken links are causing user frustration.

📊 Expected results: Fixing a broken link on a checkout page can increase conversion rate by 0.5–1.5% immediately. For a store with 10,000 monthly visitors and average order value ৳2,000, that’s ৳1–3 lakh extra revenue per month.

Tactic 2.3: Leverage Internal Linking Report for Link Equity

Why this works: Internal links pass authority between pages. A broken internal link on a high-authority page (like your homepage) can leak link equity.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Use Screaming Frog or Netpeak Spider to generate an internal link report.
2. Filter for URLs with status 404 that have at least 5 internal links pointing to them.
3. Sort by “Number of Inlinks” descending.
4. For each, decide: redirect to a similar page, restore the content, or remove the link.
5. If redirecting, use a 301 permanent redirect.
6. Update the linking pages if necessary.
7. Re-crawl to verify the fix.

Pro tip: When you remove a link, make sure to update the anchor text to maintain topical relevance. Use tools like “Link Whisper” to suggest replacement links.

📊 Expected results: Redirecting a page with 50 internal links and moderate authority can boost the target page’s ranking by 2–4 positions within 4–6 weeks.

Phase 3: Fix the Broken Links

Now you have a prioritized list. Use these methods to fix each type of broken link.

Tactic 3.1: Implement 301 Redirects for Deleted Pages

Why this works: A 301 redirect tells search engines that the page has permanently moved, passing 90–99% of link equity to the new URL.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Identify the broken URL and the most relevant live page (content should be similar).
2. Access your server via .htaccess (Apache) or web.config (IIS) or use a plugin (if WordPress: Redirection plugin).
3. Add the redirect rule: Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://yourdomain.com/new-page/
4. Test the redirect using Redirect Checker tool (e.g., httpstatus.io).
5. Update any internal links that still point to the old URL (optional but recommended).
6. Monitor in Google Search Console to ensure no new 404s appear.
7. Keep a log of all redirects for future reference.

Pro tip: Avoid redirect chains – redirect directly from the old URL to the final URL. Use a redirect checker to ensure no more than one hop.

📊 Expected results: Proper 301 redirects can recover 50–70% of lost organic traffic within 30 days, depending on the authority of the original page.

Tactic 3.2: Restore Valuable Content (the “Dead Page Revival”)

Why this works: If a broken page had high traffic, backlinks, or user engagement, restoring it may be better than redirecting. This is the counterintuitive insight: sometimes the best fix is to bring the page back to life.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Check if you have a backup of the original content (Wayback Machine, local backup, or plugin).
2. Review the content for relevance and accuracy.
3. If outdated, update it with current information and republish under the same URL.
4. If the URL structure changed, set up a 301 redirect from the old to the new URL.
5. Notify Google via Search Console “URL Inspection” → “Request Indexing”.
6. Reach out to sites that had linked to this page and let them know it’s back.
7. Monitor traffic and rankings for the restored page.

Pro tip: Use tools like Wayback Machine to see if the page had backlinks. If it had more than 5 referring domains, restoration is likely worth it.

📊 Expected results: In one case, restoring a blog post from 2021 with 15 backlinks brought back 1,200 monthly organic visits and 20% of its original traffic within 8 weeks.

Tactic 3.3: Remove or Replace Broken External Links

Why this works: External links that point to 404 pages on other domains hurt your site’s trust and user experience. Google may see it as a sign of outdated content.

Exactly how to do it:

1. From Screaming Frog, filter for external links returning 404.
2. For each, decide: remove the link (if the resource is no longer available) or replace it with a newer, working alternative.
3. If replacing, search for the same topic on the target domain or use a similar authoritative source.
4. Update the link in your content: change the href attribute.
5. Verify the new link is live and relevant.
6. If the content is time-sensitive (e.g., statistics), update to the latest data.
7. Re-crawl to confirm no remaining 404s.

Pro tip: Use a link checker like “Broken Link Checker” plugin (WordPress) to automatically scan for broken external links and receive alerts.

📊 Expected results: Replacing broken external links can improve on-page user signals (time on page, bounce rate) by 5–10% as users find working resources.

🏆 Real Case Study: How a Dhaka-Based Business Achieved ৳3.2 Lakh Revenue Recovery

Background: A Dhaka-based online fashion retailer “DhakaTrends.com” approached us after seeing a 30% drop in organic traffic over three months. Their e-commerce site had over 1,200 products and was losing ranking for key terms like “লাল শাড়ি” (red saree) and “ঢাকাই জামদানি”.

BEFORE numbers:

• Organic traffic: 45,000 sessions/month (down from 65,000).
• Product pages with broken links: 86 (mostly due to discontinued products without redirects).
• Average order value: ৳1,800.
• Conversion rate: 1.2%.
• Monthly revenue: ৳9.72 lakh (45,000 * 1.2% * 1,800).

Our strategy (5-step approach):

1. Complete crawl with Screaming Frog → found 342 broken links (86 internal on product pages, 256 external).
2. Prioritized using the matrix: fixed 40 high-priority internal product links within 48 hours (301 redirects to similar products).
3. Restored 10 high-value blog posts that had been accidentally deleted (they were driving 2,500 sessions).
4. Replaced 150 broken external links with current sources (mostly from supplier pages).
5. Set up monthly monitoring using Google Search Console alerts.

AFTER results (90 days later):

• Organic traffic: 62,000 sessions/month (37% increase).
• Conversion rate: 1.8% (0.6% increase).
• Monthly revenue: ৳20.09 lakh (from 1.8% of 62,000 * 1,800 average order).
• Revenue increase: ৳10.37 lakh per month (vs. before).
• Rankings for “লাল শাড়ি” moved from page 4 to page 1 position 3.
• Customer satisfaction up: support tickets about broken links dropped by 80%.

“We were shocked that something as simple as broken links could cost us so much. Rafirit Station’s systematic approach saved our business. Now we have a monthly link check routine and our conversions are better than ever.” – Fahim Rahman, Owner, Dhaka Trends

See more Rafirit Station case studies →

✅ Broken Link Fix Checklist

Phase 4: Monitor & Prevent Future Broken Links

The final phase ensures broken links don’t accumulate again. Prevention is easier than cleanup.

Tactic 4.1: Schedule Automated Crawls

Why this works: Regular crawling catches new broken links before they impact SEO. Set it and forget it.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Use tools like Ahrefs Site Audit (monthly) or Screaming Frog scheduled crawl (via CLI).
2. Configure email alerts for new 404 errors.
3. Set a monthly reminder to review and fix the list.
4. Integrate with Slack or Teams if working in a team.
5. Monitor “Crawl Stats” in Google Search Console for spikes in 404s.
6. For WordPress, use plugin “Broken Link Checker” with weekly scans.
7. Include broken link checks in your site release checklist.

Pro tip: Use Google Analytics’ “Event” tracking to log 404 page views. If a 404 page gets more than 50 views, it’s a candidate for an immediate fix.

📊 Expected results: Automated monitoring reduces broken link response time from weeks to hours. Clients typically see a 90% reduction in cumulative broken links over 6 months.

Tactic 4.2: Implement a 404 Custom Error Page with Suggestions

Why this works: A helpful 404 page can retain users even when they hit a dead end. It also signals to Google that you’re aware of missing pages.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Design a branded 404 page with a clear message: “Oops! Page not found.”
2. Add a search bar to help users find what they need.
3. Include links to top categories or recent blog posts.
4. Add a contact form or chat option for immediate help.
5. Track 404 page views and use them to identify new broken links.
6. A/B test different designs to minimize bounce rate.
7. Ensure the page returns a 404 HTTP status code (not a soft 404).

Pro tip: Add a funny or empathetic message (e.g., “Even the best websites lose a page sometimes”). In one test, a humorous 404 page reduced bounce rate by 12%.

📊 Expected results: A well-designed 404 page can retain 30–40% of users who would otherwise leave, increasing overall site engagement.

Tactic 4.3: Use Redirect Mapping for Site Migrations

Why this works: Site migrations (domain changes, redesigns, platform switches) are the #1 cause of broken links. A redirect plan prevents them.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Before migration, create a full URL map of old to new pages.
2. Implement 301 redirects for every old URL that has traffic or backlinks.
3. Test all redirects before going live (use a staging environment).
4. Monitor for 404s immediately after launch using GSC and Screaming Frog.
5. Have a fallback plan: redirect any unmapped URLs to the homepage or a related category.
6. Update Google Analytics and Search Console properties to new domain ASAP.
7. Submit new sitemap and request reindexing of key pages.

Pro tip: Use a spreadsheet with three columns: Old URL, New URL, Type (301/302). Share with developers and check off when done.

📊 Expected results: Proper redirect mapping prevents 95% of potential broken links during migration. In our experience, clients see a traffic drop of only 2–5% instead of 30–50%.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🎯 The Bottom Line

Fixing broken links isn’t just about appeasing search engines—it’s about delivering a seamless experience for your Bangladeshi audience. In our work with Dhaka-based businesses, we’ve seen that a systematic approach to broken link management can recover significant revenue and build trust.

The counterintuitive takeaway: a broken link can be an opportunity. When you restore a valuable page or redirect to a better one, you often discover new content gaps or ways to improve your site’s architecture. Don’t treat 404s as a nuisance; treat them as data points for optimization.

Remember: Google’s job is to show users the best result. If your site is full of dead ends, it won’t be the best result for long. Start today, even if it’s just fixing the top 10 broken links on your homepage.

⚡ Your Next Step (Do This Today)

1. Open Google Search Console and filter for 404 errors – identify the top 5 broken URLs.
2. Check if those pages have any backlinks using Ahrefs free backlink checker.
3. If they do, set up a 301 redirect to the most relevant live page (you can do this in .htaccess or via a plugin).
4. Install a broken link checker tool (like W3C Link Checker) and scan your homepage.
5. Send yourself a calendar reminder for next month to repeat the process.

💬 Drop “broken links” in the comments and we’ll send you our free broken link audit checklist — no email required.