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How to Find and Replace Broken Outbound Links for Better SEO

How to Find and Replace Broken Outbound Links for Better SEO

Author

Date Published

October 24, 2025

Table of contents

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Broken outbound links hurt SEO and user experience. To fix them, use a link checker to identify issues, then replace or remove the broken URLs and update your content accordingly.

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Key Takaways

Broken outbound links can negatively affect your SEO by creating a poor user experience and signaling low-quality content to search engines.
Regularly auditing your site for broken links helps maintain content quality and improves crawlability.
Free tools like Google Search Console, Broken Link Checker, and Screaming Frog make finding broken links easy and efficient.
Replacing broken outbound links with relevant, high-authority alternatives helps preserve SEO value.
Updating anchor text to match the new link ensures contextual relevance and improves user trust.
Implementing a process for ongoing link maintenance prevents future SEO declines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are broken outbound links bad for SEO?

Ideally once a month, especially after major content updates or site changes.

How often should I check for broken links?

Ideally once a month, especially after major content updates or site changes.

What’s the best tool to find broken outbound links?

Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console are great options, depending on your budget and site size.

Should I remove or replace broken outbound links?

Whenever possible, replace them with a relevant, live link. If none exists, remove the link or the sentence containing it.

Can broken links cause a Google penalty?

Not directly, but they contribute to a poor-quality site experience, which can lower your rankings over time.

Step by Step Plan

01

Run a Site-Wide Link Audit

Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to crawl your site and detect all broken outbound links.

02

Sort and Prioritize Broken Links

Focus first on high-traffic pages and blog posts where broken links impact user experience the most.

03

Verify the Broken URLs

Sometimes servers are temporarily down. Confirm the link is truly broken by checking it manually.

04

Verify the Broken URLs

Search for a credible replacement from a reliable source to maintain the value of the original reference.

05

Update Anchor Text and Publish

Ensure the anchor text aligns with the new link destination before updating and republishing the content.

Comparison Table

Manual Link Checking
Automated Link Checkers
Time-consuming process
Fast, comprehensive scanning
Risk of missing broken URLs
Identifies all broken external and internal links
Good for small websites
Ideal for large sites
Requires regular scheduling
Can schedule recurring audits
No automated reporting
Includes detailed reports with link data

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Your new AI assistant will handle monitoring, audits, and reports. Free up your team for strategy, not for manually digging through GA4 and GSC. Let us show you how to give your specialists 10+ hours back every week.

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Sources

Yoast: How Broken Links Affect SEO
Ahrefs: Broken Link Building Guide
Search Engine Journal: How to Fix Broken Links for Better SEO

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