A broken link points to a destination that cannot be reached as expected. It can frustrate visitors and make it harder to navigate a site, but not every error response means a link should simply be removed.
Common causes
- A destination page was deleted or moved.
- The link contains a typo or incorrect protocol.
- An external site is temporarily unavailable or blocks automated requests.
- A link uses an outdated file path or anchor ID.
How to fix them
- Open the link and record its final destination and status code.
- Check whether the failure is temporary, access-restricted, or permanent.
- Correct typos and replace obsolete links with the most relevant working destination.
- Use a 301 redirect when a page has permanently moved and a genuine replacement exists.
- For fragment links, confirm the target element ID exists on the destination page.
- Recheck important pages after fixing links and repeat the audit periodically.
Automated link checks can be blocked by rate limits, authentication, bot protection, or temporary network issues. Confirm important findings manually before making changes.