Broken link building is the process of finding a dead webpage that has backlinks, creating a relevant replacement on your website, and asking the sites linking to the dead page to update their links.

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A practical workflow has six stages:

  1. Find relevant broken pages with backlinks.
  2. Confirm that each page is genuinely unavailable and worth replacing.
  3. Study the original page using an archive.
  4. Publish an equivalent or better replacement.
  5. Contact the websites that linked to the dead page.
  6. Track link updates and remove poor prospects from your list.

Broken link building works when the replacement helps the publisher and its readers. It is not a shortcut for acquiring unrelated links or manipulating search rankings.

Stage What you do Main objective
Research Find dead pages with backlinks Identify link opportunities
Validation Check relevance, quality and context Avoid low-value prospects
Content Recreate or improve the missing resource Give site owners a credible replacement
Outreach Contact the publishers linking to it Earn link replacements
Tracking Monitor responses and new links Measure efficiency and results

Google says links help users and search engines discover pages, understand context and find supporting resources. Google also defines links created primarily to manipulate rankings as link spam.

A good opportunity usually has four characteristics:

  • The broken page was closely related to your topic.
  • The broken page has links from several relevant websites.
  • The referring pages are legitimate and useful to their audiences.
  • Your replacement page is at least as useful as the original resource.

A page with hundreds of irrelevant or low-quality backlinks is often less valuable than a page with fewer topical, editorial links.

You need two types of data:

  1. A list of pages that no longer work.
  2. A list of websites that still link to those pages.

The simplest method is to use a backlink analysis platform such as Ahrefs or Semrush. Search for broken pages on:

  • Competing websites
  • Industry publications
  • Resource pages
  • Research websites
  • Nonprofit or educational sites
  • Trade associations
  • Industry directories with editorial standards

Method 1: Check Competitors' Broken Pages

Enter a competing website into a backlink analysis tool and filter its pages by:

  • HTTP status code 404
  • Referring domains
  • Organic traffic history
  • Topical relevance
  • Number of backlinks

Ahrefs describes its broken pages and broken backlinks reports as ways to identify dead URLs, referring pages, anchor text and surrounding link context.

Prioritize pages that covered a topic you can serve better. For example, if a competitor's dead page explained "email deliverability best practices," a relevant replacement could be a detailed email deliverability guide. A generic marketing homepage would not meet the same need.

Method 2: Search for Broken Resource Pages

Resource pages often contain several external links, which makes them useful places to find dead references.

Try search operators such as:

topic intitle:resources
topic intitle:links
topic inurl:resources
topic inurl:links

For example:

content marketing intitle:resources
technical SEO inurl:links
project management intitle:links

Review the pages manually. Check whether any outbound links lead to missing, redirected or irrelevant destinations.

Method 3: Find Broken Pages by Topic

Some backlink tools let you search for pages containing a topic and then filter the results for broken pages. A practical process is:

  1. Enter a broad topic.
  2. Search in the page title or page content.
  3. Filter for broken pages.
  4. Sort by referring domains or estimated traffic.
  5. Open promising pages manually.

Do not rely on backlink count alone. A page may have many backlinks from scraped pages, irrelevant directories or low-quality sites.

You can also inspect important websites in your industry and look for broken outbound links. This approach can work well for:

  • University resource pages
  • Government information pages
  • Professional associations
  • Industry blogs
  • Curated tools and statistics pages

The opportunity is strongest when the broken link appears in a paragraph where your resource would help the reader.

Do not contact a publisher only because a backlink tool labels a URL as broken. Verify the page yourself.

Check whether:

  • The URL returns a 404 or 410 status.
  • The URL redirects to an unrelated page.
  • The page is temporarily unavailable.
  • The original site is blocking your browser or crawler.
  • The referring page contains an outdated URL, while the destination exists elsewhere.
  • The link points to a page that has moved to a new URL.

A temporary server error does not present the same opportunity as a permanently removed page. Avoid asking publishers to replace links that still work.

Step 3: Use an Archive to Understand the Original Page

Before creating a replacement, examine the dead page's previous content. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine lets you enter a URL, choose an available year and open an archived snapshot.

Look for:

  • The original page title
  • The main search intent
  • The content format
  • Key sections
  • Statistics or examples
  • Downloadable resources
  • Definitions and terminology
  • The reason other sites linked to the page

Use the archive to guide your research, not to copy the original page. Create an original resource with current information, clearer organization and more value for the reader.

Not every backlink to a broken page is worth pursuing. Score each prospect against these criteria:

Criterion Strong opportunity Weak opportunity
Topical relevance Same subject or closely related audience Unrelated industry
Link placement In useful editorial content Footer, sidebar or sitewide template
Page quality Maintained, trustworthy publication Thin, automated or spammy page
Context Link supports a specific claim or resource Link appears randomly
Audience value Readers would benefit from the replacement Readers have no reason to click
Replacement fit Your page covers the same need Your page only mentions the topic briefly

A relevant editorial link from a respected industry publication is usually more useful than a large number of unrelated links.

Check the Surrounding Text

The words around the broken link can show why the publisher included it. Ask:

  • What point was the link supporting?
  • Was it a guide, study, statistic, tool or definition?
  • Does your page satisfy the same need?
  • Would replacing the link improve the page for readers?

This context can shape both your replacement page and your outreach email.

Step 5: Create the Replacement Page

Your replacement page should serve the original resource's purpose while making the information more useful.

For example:

  • Replace an outdated statistics page with a current, sourced data guide.
  • Replace a removed tutorial with a clearer step-by-step guide.
  • Replace a discontinued tool page with a current comparison or methodology.
  • Replace a dead glossary page with a detailed explanation of the same concept.

A strong replacement page should have:

  • A clear, descriptive title
  • The same or closely related search intent
  • Accurate and current information
  • Readable headings
  • Original examples or analysis
  • Supporting sources where appropriate
  • A stable URL
  • No login requirement unless the original resource required one
  • No aggressive pop-ups that prevent access

Do not create a thin page solely to attract links. Google's spam policies identify low-value content created primarily to manipulate linking and ranking signals as link spam.

Step 6: Build a Focused Outreach List

Record the websites that link to the broken page. Useful fields include:

  • Referring website
  • Referring page
  • Contact name
  • Contact email or contact form
  • Broken URL
  • Anchor text
  • Suggested replacement URL
  • Outreach date
  • Follow-up date
  • Response
  • Link status

Prioritize the page owner or editor who can update the link. An editor, webmaster or named content manager is usually a better contact than a generic company inbox.

Step 7: Send Personalized Outreach

Tell the publisher what is wrong and provide a relevant alternative. Keep the email short.

Subject: Broken link on [page title]

Hi [Name],

I was reading your page about [topic] and noticed that this link appears to be broken:

[broken URL]

The link appears in the section about [specific section or topic].

I recently published a resource covering the same subject here:

[your URL]

It includes [one specific feature, such as updated research, examples or a step-by-step explanation]. It may be a useful replacement for your readers.

Thanks for maintaining the page.

Best, [Name]

Personalization matters more than length. Mention the exact page, identify the broken link and explain why your replacement fits.

Avoid:

  • Sending mass emails with no page details
  • Requesting a link to an unrelated commercial page
  • Claiming that a link is broken when it works
  • Offering payment for a followed link
  • Demanding a specific anchor text
  • Sending repeated follow-ups after the publisher declines

Google classifies paid links intended to pass ranking credit, excessive link exchanges, automated link creation and other manipulative practices as link spam.

Step 8: Follow Up Once or Twice

A publisher may miss the first email. A brief follow-up after several business days is reasonable.

Use a simple message:

Hi [Name], just following up on the broken link I mentioned on [page title]. The original URL still appears to be unavailable, and this page may be a relevant replacement: [your URL]. Thanks.

If there is no response after one or two follow-ups, stop contacting that publisher. Broken link building depends on editorial judgment, so the site owner does not have to make the change.

Step 9: Track the Results

Measure more than the number of emails sent. Track:

  • Qualified prospects found
  • Outreach emails delivered
  • Responses
  • Link replacements
  • New referring domains
  • Referral traffic
  • Assisted conversions
  • Time spent per acquired link

A simple success rate calculation is:

Link acquisition rate = confirmed replacement links ÷ qualified outreach prospects

For example, if 4 publishers add your link from 80 qualified prospects, the link acquisition rate is 5%.

The rate varies by industry, content quality, relationships and prospect relevance. Do not treat one campaign as a universal benchmark.

Which Tools Should You Use?

Task Suitable tools
Find competitor broken pages Ahrefs, Semrush
See referring pages and anchor text Ahrefs, Semrush
Recover old page context Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Check a page manually Browser, HTTP status checker
Find resource pages Google search operators
Organize prospects Google Sheets, Airtable or a CRM
Monitor acquired links Backlink monitoring software and Google Analytics

You do not need every tool to start. A low-cost workflow is:

  1. Use Google search operators to find relevant resource pages.
  2. Check dead URLs manually.
  3. Use the Wayback Machine to review the old content.
  4. Use a backlink checker to identify referring pages.
  5. Track outreach in a spreadsheet.

A paid backlink database becomes more useful when you need to process several competitors or identify pages with multiple referring domains.

Targeting Irrelevant Broken Pages

A broken page about accounting software is not a useful opportunity for a general business blog unless your replacement addresses the same subject.

Recreating the Page Without Improving It

A basic copy of an old resource gives publishers little reason to update their links. Add current information, better examples, clearer navigation or a fuller explanation.

Focusing Only on Domain Metrics

Third-party authority metrics can help prioritize research, but they do not prove that a link is valuable. Relevance, editorial placement and audience fit matter more than one score.

Some backlinks are duplicates, spam, no longer live or placed on pages that should not be contacted. Review the referring pages first.

Using Commercial Pages as Replacements

Publishers are usually more willing to link to a useful guide, study, tool or reference page than to a page designed mainly to sell a product.

Sending Generic Outreach

"Please replace this broken link with my website" provides no context. Identify the specific page, broken URL and reason your replacement helps.

Broken link building finds dead pages on other websites and suggests your resource as a replacement.

Link reclamation fixes links that once pointed to your own website but now lead to:

  • A 404 page
  • An incorrect URL
  • A redirect chain
  • A deleted page
  • A page with changed content

Reclamation is usually the faster first step because the publisher already intended to reference your website. Ahrefs also recommends restoring missing pages or redirecting them to relevant live pages when fixing broken backlinks to your own site.

Start with link reclamation, then use broken link building to find new opportunities.

Use this checklist for each campaign:

  1. Choose one narrow topic.
  2. Identify five to ten relevant competitors or resource sites.
  3. Export their broken pages with backlinks.
  4. Remove irrelevant and low-quality opportunities.
  5. Review the strongest pages in the Wayback Machine.
  6. Create one useful replacement resource.
  7. Build a list of relevant referring pages.
  8. Send personalized outreach.
  9. Follow up once or twice.
  10. Record links, referral traffic and conversions.

Find a real problem, create a relevant replacement and make the publisher's update easy. If the replacement does not improve the page for its readers, do not pitch it.