Broken Backlinks: How to Find and Recover Lost Link Equity
TL;DR: Broken backlinks occur when external sites link to pages on your site that no longer exist, causing you to lose valuable link equity. Find them using backlink analysis tools, then recover the equity by implementing 301 redirects to relevant existing pages or recreating the content.
Every time another website links to one of your pages, they're passing authority and trust to your site. That link equity helps your pages rank higher in search results. But when the page they link to returns a 404 error, all that equity evaporates. The external site is still linking to you, but the SEO value goes nowhere.
Broken backlinks are one of the most overlooked sources of lost SEO value, especially for sites that have been around for a while. Content gets deleted, URL structures change during redesigns, and nobody thinks to check whether the old URLs had external links pointing to them. The result is link equity that's been earned but is being wasted.
What Are Broken Backlinks?
Broken backlinks are links from external websites that point to pages on your site which no longer exist. When someone follows one of these links, they get a 404 error instead of reaching your content.
These are different from internal broken links (which are links within your own site pointing to missing pages). Broken backlinks originate on someone else's website, so you can't simply edit the link. The linking site may not even know their link is broken.
Common causes include pages you deleted without setting up redirects, URL structure changes during a site redesign or CMS migration, domain changes where old URLs weren't properly redirected, and content that was temporarily published and then removed.
Why Broken Backlinks Matter More Than You Think
Lost Link Equity
Backlinks are one of the strongest ranking signals in search engine algorithms. Each backlink passes a portion of the linking site's authority to your page, helping it rank for relevant keywords. When the target page returns a 404, that authority transfer stops completely.
The loss is proportional to the quality of the linking site. A broken backlink from a high-authority domain like a major news site, popular blog, or industry publication represents a significant SEO loss. A broken link from a low-quality directory matters far less.
Over time, these losses compound. If you've accumulated dozens of broken backlinks from authoritative sources, you're leaving substantial ranking power on the table.
Wasted Referral Traffic
Backlinks don't just pass authority. They also send real visitors to your site. When someone reads an article that links to your content and clicks through, they become a potential customer, subscriber, or reader.
When that click leads to a 404 error, the visitor leaves immediately. They don't search for your content elsewhere on your site. They go back to the referring page or try a different result. Every broken backlink that still receives clicks is a missed opportunity for engagement and conversion.
Missed Ranking Opportunities
Pages with backlinks have a significant advantage in search rankings. If you deleted a page that had earned multiple quality backlinks, you've eliminated a page that had real ranking potential. Even if the original content is outdated, the URL itself has value because of those incoming links.
A 404 page can't rank for anything. All the keyword visibility that page had earned is gone.
How to Find Your Broken Backlinks
Method 1: Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides some backlink data, though it requires manual cross-referencing to identify broken backlinks.
- Go to "Links" in the left sidebar.
- Click "External links" to see pages on your site that receive the most backlinks.
- Export this list.
- Cross-reference these URLs with your site's 404 pages (found in the "Pages" report under "Not found (404)").
- Any URL that appears in both lists has broken backlinks.
This method is free but incomplete. Google Search Console doesn't directly show broken backlinks, so the cross-referencing step requires manual work. It also doesn't show all your backlinks, just a sample.
Method 2: Ahrefs or Semrush (Best)
Dedicated SEO tools provide the most complete picture of broken backlinks.
In Ahrefs, enter your domain and navigate to "Backlinks" then filter by "404 not found." This shows every external link pointing to a page that returns a 404 error, along with the linking domain's authority, the anchor text used, and when the link was first detected.
Semrush provides similar functionality through its Backlink Audit tool. Both tools require paid subscriptions (starting around $99/month).
This is the most thorough method and the only way to see the full scope of broken backlinks with authority metrics for prioritization.
Method 3: SecurityBot + Manual Check
If you don't have access to Ahrefs or Semrush, you can combine SecurityBot's Broken Link Checker with free backlink checking tools.
- Use SecurityBot to identify all 404 pages on your site through its automated crawl.
- Take the list of 404 URLs and check each one using free backlink checkers (Ahrefs has a free backlink checker with limited data, and there are various free tools that show basic backlink information).
- Prioritize the 404 pages that have external links pointing to them.
This approach takes more manual effort than using a dedicated SEO tool, but it's feasible when budget is a constraint.
How to Recover Broken Backlink Equity
Strategy 1: 301 Redirect to Relevant Page (Best Option)
If similar content exists on your site, redirect the broken URL to the most relevant existing page. This is the fastest and most effective recovery method.
# Apache .htaccess
Redirect 301 /deleted-popular-post /similar-existing-post
# Nginx
location = /deleted-popular-post {
return 301 /similar-existing-post;
}
The critical rule: Always redirect to the most relevant page with similar content. Redirecting broken backlink URLs to your homepage is considered poor practice. Google has indicated that homepage redirects from unrelated URLs may be treated as soft 404s, meaning you lose the link equity anyway.
If the deleted page was about "WordPress security plugins" and you have a page about "website security tools," that's a reasonable redirect target. If you don't have anything related, consider Strategy 2.
Strategy 2: Recreate the Content
If the original content was valuable and earned significant backlinks, recreating it at the same URL is often the best long-term approach.
- Check the Wayback Machine at archive.org for the original content to understand what earned those backlinks.
- Recreate the content, updated and improved for current relevance.
- Publish it at the original URL so no redirect is needed.
- Promote the updated content to the sites that linked to the original.
This approach recovers the link equity and gives the backlinks a live, valuable destination. It works best when the topic is still relevant and when the original content earned enough backlinks to justify the effort of recreating it.
Strategy 3: Reach Out for Link Updates (Time-Intensive)
For your highest-value broken backlinks, contacting the linking site and asking them to update the URL is worth the effort.
- Find contact information for the website (about page, contact page, social media).
- Send a polite, concise email explaining that their link to your content is broken.
- Provide the new correct URL where the content now lives.
- Thank them for linking to your content.
The success rate for outreach is typically low (10-20%), but even a few recovered high-authority links can meaningfully impact rankings. Focus outreach on links from high-authority domains where the potential SEO value justifies the time investment.
Strategy 4: Accept the Loss (Sometimes Necessary)
Not every broken backlink is worth recovering. In some cases, the pragmatic choice is to accept the loss and move on.
Accept the loss when the original content is outdated and irrelevant to your current business, when no suitable redirect target exists on your site, when the backlinks come from low-quality or unrelated sites, and when the time needed for recovery would be better spent creating new content that earns fresh backlinks.
Prioritizing Your Recovery Efforts
Highest Priority
Focus first on backlinks from high-authority domains. A single broken backlink from a major publication or well-known industry site can be worth more than dozens of links from obscure blogs. Also prioritize links from sites relevant to your industry (these carry the most topical authority) and links that were actively driving referral traffic before they broke.
Medium Priority
Broken backlinks from sites with moderate authority deserve attention during regular maintenance cycles. Also look for situations where multiple external sites link to the same 404 page on your site. Fixing one URL can recover equity from many backlinks simultaneously.
Lower Priority
Links from low-quality, spammy, or completely unrelated sites aren't worth the recovery effort. Very old links that are unlikely to be clicked have minimal referral traffic value, though they may still pass some authority. Evaluate whether the potential SEO benefit justifies the time required for each recovery action.
Preventing Future Broken Backlinks
Before Deleting Pages
- Check whether the page has external backlinks before deleting it. Google Search Console's Links report or any backlink checker can tell you this.
- Set up a 301 redirect to the most relevant existing page before removing the content.
- Update internal links that pointed to the page being deleted.
Making this a standard part of your content workflow prevents broken backlinks from accumulating.
During Site Migrations
Site migrations (new domain, new CMS, new URL structure) are the single largest source of broken backlinks. Protect your link equity during migrations by creating a comprehensive redirect map that covers every URL with known backlinks, testing all high-value URLs after the migration completes, and monitoring Google Search Console for new 404 errors in the weeks after migration.
A single poorly executed migration can undo years of link building effort. Plan redirects before the migration, not after.
Ongoing Maintenance
Never delete content without first checking for backlinks and setting up appropriate redirects. Monitor for new 404 errors weekly using SecurityBot or Google Search Console. Audit your backlink profile quarterly to catch any newly broken backlinks that might have appeared due to URL changes or content reorganization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between broken backlinks and broken internal links?
Broken backlinks are links from external websites pointing to your 404 pages. You can't edit these links directly because they live on someone else's site. The fix is usually a redirect on your end. Broken internal links are links within your own site pointing to pages that don't exist. You can fix these by editing the link directly or setting up a redirect. Both waste link equity, but broken backlinks represent lost external authority that was harder to earn.
How much link equity is lost from broken backlinks?
Potentially all of it. When a backlink points to a 404 page, the link equity that would have been passed simply doesn't transfer. The linking page is still spending its equity budget on the link, but your site receives none of it. For high-authority backlinks, this can represent a significant loss. The exact impact depends on the linking domain's authority, the anchor text relevance, and how many other links the page has.
Should I redirect all broken backlink URLs to my homepage?
No. Google treats redirects to unrelated pages (including blanket homepage redirects) as soft 404s, which means you may not recover the link equity anyway. Always redirect to the most relevant page with similar content. If no relevant page exists, consider recreating the content or accepting the loss rather than creating a misleading redirect.
How do I know which broken backlinks are worth recovering?
Use the linking domain's authority as your primary filter. Backlinks from high-authority, relevant sites are worth significant effort to recover. Backlinks from low-quality or unrelated sites aren't. If a broken backlink was driving measurable referral traffic, it's worth recovering regardless of SEO value. Focus your limited time on the links that will move the needle.
Broken backlinks start as broken internal links. Catch 404s early with SecurityBot's automated weekly scans before you lose valuable link equity. Start Free Trial.
Last updated: February 2026 | Written by Jason Gilmore, Founder of SecurityBot