Why Internal Links Matter for SEO
Internal links play a huge role in helping both search engines and users navigate your site. Here’s why they are important:
✔ They help Google understand your website structure & content hierarchy
✔ Internal links improve crawling and indexing
✔ They pass SEO value (link juice) across pages
✔ Improve user engagement & page views
If internal links are broken, both users and search engines struggle to find your content — resulting in lost rankings and traffic.
Types of broken links
Broken links occur when a link leads to a page that is missing or has been moved.
1️⃣ Internal Broken Links
These are links inside your website that lead to non-existent pages or files.
Example: A blog post linking to a deleted service page.
2️⃣ External Broken Links
These are links on your website that point to other websites that are removed or inactive.
Example: Linking to an outdated third-party website that no longer exists.
What Causes Broken Links?
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There are several common reasons:
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Website redesigns or URL structure changes
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Pages or files deleted permanently
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Blog posts or product pages moved without redirection
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External websites being inactive or removed
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Server issues or website downtime
Regular SEO audits help identify these issues before they affect performance.
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Finding broken links is easy with the right SEO tools. Here are some trusted options:
✔ Online Broken Link Checker
Tools like Dead Link Checker or Dr. Link Check quickly scan your website for errors.
✔ Browser Plugins
The “Check My Links” Chrome extension highlights broken links instantly on a page.
✔ Website Crawler Tools
Tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs crawl your website and detect:
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Broken links
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Redirect chains
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Missing metadata
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Technical SEO issues
Screaming Frog is especially popular among SEO experts.
✔ Google Search Console
Under Crawl Errors / Page Indexing, you can track broken URLs affecting search visibility.
There are several free online tools that can help you find broken links on your website.
Eg “Dead Link Checker “
Browser Plugins
“Check My Links” plugin for Google Chrome can quickly find and highlight broken links on a page
Website Crawler Tools
like Screaming Frog,ahrefs
Screaming Frog is a popular SEO tool that can crawl your website and identify broken links, along with other technical SEO issues.
Google Search Console
you can use it to monitor broken links and other technical issues that may affect your website’s visibility on search engines.
- Update the broken link to point to the correct URL or a similar page if the content has been moved.
- Use a 301 redirect to redirect the user from the broken link to a relevant page on the website.
- Remove the link entirely if it is no longer relevant or necessary.
- Create a custom error page (such as a 404 error page) that provides information to the user and helps guide them to other relevant pages on the website.