Internal page links
Navigation, service cards, article references, breadcrumbs, pagination, calls to action, footer links and other paths that should lead visitors and crawlers to a live page.
BROKEN LINKS AUDIT
Find broken links before visitors and search engines reach a dead end.
A broken link is not only a technical error. It can remove a crawl path, waste a valuable backlink, hide a service page, interrupt a form journey or send a buyer to an empty result. We identify the source, final response, likely impact and the safest correction.
What the broken links audit covers
The review follows public links within an agreed website scope. It does not log in, test passwords, probe private systems or generate destructive traffic.
Responses and redirects
Priority URLs are classified by final 200, redirect, 404, 5xx or suspicious soft-404 behavior, including the chain and final destination when a redirect is present.
Assets and conversion paths
Missing images, documents, scripts, stylesheets, downloadable reports, form destinations and links around pricing or contact steps that can damage trust or functionality.
Not every missing URL needs a redirect
A useful audit avoids blanket fixes. Redirecting every old URL to the homepage can confuse visitors and create soft-404 signals instead of preserving value.
| URL situation | Recommended response | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The page moved and has a close replacement | Use one direct permanent redirect to the most relevant live page. | The old path, internal links and external references can transfer users to equivalent content. |
| The page was removed with no replacement | Keep a real 404 or use 410 when the removal is deliberate and understood. | A truthful missing response is cleaner than an unrelated redirect that disappoints the visitor. |
| The page exists but internal links use an old URL | Update the source links to the final canonical URL, even if a redirect works. | Direct links reduce crawl noise, latency and dependence on permanent redirect rules. |
| Error content returns HTTP 200 | Return the correct 404 status and offer useful navigation without pretending the URL exists. | Search engines may otherwise treat the error page as indexable content or a soft 404. |
Where broken links usually come from
The report groups findings by cause so corrections can be applied consistently instead of one URL at a time.
Redesigns and migrations
Changed slugs, removed categories, new CMS routing and incomplete redirect maps can break links that worked before launch.
Content and navigation edits
Renamed documents, copied relative paths, deleted articles, outdated menu items and hard-coded campaign links can create quiet failures over time.
External services and files
Third-party forms, social profiles, maps, booking tools, PDFs and media hosts can move or expire. External destinations are sampled and reported separately from site-owned fixes.
How findings become a prioritized fix list
A list of status codes is not enough. Each important finding needs context, ownership and a retest rule.
| Evidence | Business or SEO impact | Fix and retest |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing CTA links to a missing request page | A high-intent visitor cannot continue to contact or purchase. | Restore the intended page or update the CTA, then test desktop and mobile navigation. |
| Indexed article links to several deleted resources | The article becomes less useful and sends poor quality signals to visitors. | Replace, remove or update each reference and confirm the final destinations return successfully. |
| Sitemap contains a redirected or missing URL | Search engines receive a submitted URL that conflicts with the final canonical site structure. | Publish only final indexable 200 URLs in the sitemap and update all internal sources. |
| Old page has external links but no relevant redirect | Referral traffic and some value from existing references may be lost. | Confirm a genuinely equivalent destination before adding a single-hop redirect. |
Questions owners ask before a broken links audit
Related audit services and resources
Continue with the technical review that matches the cause of the broken paths.
Broken links audit
Order the $390 audit or start with a free public preview.
Open the order form with the SEO & Security Snapshot selected. We confirm the page scope and priority paths before payment.