How To Use Broken Link Building To Improve Your SEO Strategy

Broken Link Building

Broken Link Building: an SEO outreach tactic where you find broken (404 or removed) links on other websites, create or identify relevant replacement content on your site, then contact the linking site to suggest replacing the dead link with your working resource to earn a backlink.

How Does Broken Link Building Work?

Broken link building involves finding nonfunctional outbound links on other sites, creating or matching relevant replacement content on your site, and persuading the site owner to swap the dead link for your live resource.

Practical Steps

Discovery

• Use tools or search operators to find pages in your niche with broken external links (404s, removed pages, or redirects to irrelevant content).


• Prioritize high-authority, topically relevant sites and pages that actually link to the dead resource.

Content Match or Creation

• Determine what the original or broken resource covered and whether you already have a suitable page.


• If needed, create or update content that matches or improves upon the original—more comprehensive, better formatted, and with updated data or visuals.


• Ensure the replacement is highly relevant to the linking page’s context and adds clear value to its readers.

Outreach Preparation

• Gather contact details for the webmaster, editor, or content manager.


• Prepare a concise, personalized message: identify the broken link, explain why it matters, offer your replacement URL, and highlight the benefit to the site’s users.

Outreach Execution

• Send brief, polite emails or messages referencing the exact page and broken URL. Propose your replacement and include a quick value proposition (why your link is a better fit).


• Follow up once or twice if there’s no response; keep the tone helpful, not pushy.

Conversion and Tracking

• If accepted, confirm the link is added and note the anchor text and placement.


• Track acquired backlinks in your SEO toolset and monitor referral traffic and ranking impact.


• Log outreach outcomes to refine target selection, messaging, and content quality.

Scale and Maintain

• Repeat discovery and outreach with prioritized targets.


• Maintain a library of reusable replacement assets (templates, guides, infographics) that can be matched to broken links quickly.


• Respect site owners’ preferences and focus on building relationships for future opportunities.

Why It Works

Webmasters want working resources for their readers. Replacing broken links improves user experience and saves them time. When your content is relevant and high quality, site owners are motivated to swap dead links for your live resource, earning you authoritative, topical backlinks.

Best Practices for Successful Broken Link Building

1. 
   

   Target relevance and authority

   
   
   
   
   • Prioritize broken links on pages that are topically relevant to your content and on domains with strong authority or traffic.
   
   
   • Focus on pages with contextual links (in-content) rather than footer or sidebar links.
   
   
   
   


2. 
   

   Use the right tools to find opportunities

   
   
   
   
   • Use a mix of tools: Ahrefs, Broken Link Checker, Screaming Frog, Dead Link Checker, Check My Links, and Google search operators (e.g., site:example.com "404" OR "link to this page" + relevant keyword).
   
   
   • Monitor competitors' backlink profiles to discover pages linking to dead resources you can replace.
   
   
   
   


3. 
   

   Validate and qualify each broken link

   
   
   
   
   • Confirm the target URL returns 404 or 410, or points to irrelevant content.
   
   
   • Check page traffic (via Similarweb or Ahrefs), index status, backlink count, and topical fit before outreach.
   
   
   • Prioritize pages with multiple inbound links or high referral value.
   
   
   
   


4. 
   

   Create a high-quality, relevant replacement

   
   
   
   
   • Build content that is equal or better: comprehensive, updated, well-structured, and multimedia-rich when appropriate.
   
   
   • Match the original resource’s intent and provide clear value to the linking page’s audience.
   
   
   • Use the same or improved anchor text, and ensure the replacement URL is stable (avoid temporary redirects).
   
   
   
   


5. 
   

   Personalize outreach for higher conversion

   
   
   
   
   • Research the site owner or editor: use their name, reference specific pages, and explain why the broken link matters to their readers.
   
   
   • Keep messages short: identify the broken link, suggest your replacement with a direct URL, and explain the benefit of swapping.
   
   
   • Offer thanks and a willingness to reciprocate, but avoid unnecessary incentives.
   
   
   
   


6. 
   

   Provide outreach assets and convenience

   
   
   
   
   • Supply the exact HTML/link code and suggested anchor text to make updating easy.
   
   
   • Offer alternative resources if your primary content is not a perfect fit.
   
   
   • Include a screenshot or quick proof of the 404 to speed decision-making.
   
   
   
   


7. 
   

   Track, follow up, and measure

   
   
   
   
   • Use a CRM or spreadsheet to track outreach, status, and outcomes.
   
   
   • Send 1–2 polite follow-ups spaced 4–7 days apart if there is no response.
   
   
   • Measure success by the number of links gained, the DR/DA of linking sites, referral traffic, and organic ranking improvements.
   
   
   
   


8. 
   

   Scale systematically without losing quality

   
   
   
   
   • Create templates for discovery, qualification, and outreach, but personalize each message.
   
   
   • Batch research and outreach by topic or industry to leverage efficiencies.
   
   
   • Use automation carefully; avoid spammy volume and preserve authenticity.
   
   
   
   


9. 
   

   Maintain ethical and professional standards

   
   
   
   
   • Never misrepresent yourself or the content’s value.
   
   
   • Respect site owners’ preferences and remove links on request.
   
   
   • Avoid link farms, private blog networks, or paid link schemes.
   
   
   
   


10. 
    

    Leverage relationships and long-term value

    
    
    
    
    • Use successful broken-link outreach to build relationships for guest posts, partnerships, or future link opportunities.
    
    
    • Periodically re-audit your own site for broken outbound links and fix them to preserve link equity and user experience.
    
    
    
    


11. 
    

    Key metrics to monitor

    
    
    
    
    • Links acquired
    
    
    • Linking domain authority
    
    
    • Referral traffic
    
    
    • Keyword rankings for targeted pages
    
    
    • Conversion lift (if applicable)
    
    
    • Outreach response rate