Broken links are one of the most overlooked yet impactful technical SEO issues. Whether they occur because a page was deleted, moved, or never existed in the first place, broken links create a poor user experience and weaken your site’s authority. Fortunately, modern SEO tools have made it extremely simple to identify and fix these issues. Among them, the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker stands out as one of the most advanced, comprehensive, and reliable solutions.
In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn exactly how to use Ahrefs to find broken links, fix them, leverage them for link building, and even uncover internal linking opportunities that improve crawlability and rankings. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced SEO strategist, this article will walk you through everything step-by-step.
Why Broken Links Matter for SEO
Before learning how to use the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker, it’s important to understand why fixing broken links is essential for SEO performance. When search engine bots crawl your site and find 404 pages, they perceive it as poor website hygiene. Similarly, when users land on broken links, they lose trust and often navigate away, which increases bounce rate and reduces conversions.
Broken links can occur for many reasons:
- The URL path changed
- A page was deleted without proper redirection
- Misspelled URLs
- External pages linking to your site incorrectly
- Incorrect internal linking during website updates
From Google’s perspective, broken links signal:
- Poor maintenance
- Structural issues
- Interrupted crawling
- Reduced link equity flow
So when you consistently use Ahrefs to find broken links, fix them, and optimize internal linking, your SEO health drastically improves.
Introduction to the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
Ahrefs provides one of the most powerful tools for SEO analysis, and its Broken Link Checker is particularly valuable. You can use it to identify:
- Broken internal links
- Broken outbound links
- Broken backlinks pointing to your website
This gives you an end-to-end understanding of how broken links affect your SEO ,whether the issue is within your own site or originates from external sites linking to you incorrectly.
What the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker Offers:
- Full list of broken URLs
- Referring pages where broken links appear
- HTTP status codes (404, 410, etc.)
- Anchor text used in the link
- Historical link loss patterns
- Export options for teams, developers, or SEO audits
This makes the Ahrefs broken links report invaluable for website audits as well as advanced SEO strategies like broken link building.
How to Use Ahrefs to Find Broken Links (Step-by-Step Guide)
Let’s now walk through how to use the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker to identify and fix broken links across your site.
Step 1: Enter Your Domain in Ahrefs Site Explorer
Start by opening Ahrefs Site Explorer and entering your website URL. Select the mode (e.g., “domain with all subdomains”) for the most complete analysis.
Ahrefs will crawl your entire website and show a variety of SEO metrics.
Step 2: Access the Broken Link Report
Once the dashboard loads:
- Go to the Pages section
- Click on Best by links
- Apply the filter “404”
This filter displays all pages that return an error code, specifically pages where backlinks or internal links point to missing content.
You can also directly navigate to:
Site Explorer → Broken Links
This will help you find broken links in Ahrefs with complete clarity.
Step 3: Analyze Internal Broken Links
Internal broken links are links within your website that point to missing or incorrect URLs. These are often the most harmful because they disrupt site navigation and overall user experience.
When you click the “Internal Links” filter, Ahrefs will show:
- Source page
- Target broken URL
- Anchor text
- Number of links pointing to the broken page
From here, you can quickly spot issues like:
- Mistyped URLs
- Moved pages with no redirects
- Deleted blog posts
These should be fixed on priority.
Step 4: Analyze Outbound Broken Links
Outbound broken links occur when your website links to external pages that no longer exist. While not as harmful as internal broken links, they still negatively affect:
- User trust
- External linking credibility
- SEO authority
Ahrefs helps you identify these links instantly so you can update or replace them with working resources.
Step 5: Analyze Broken Backlinks
This is one of the most valuable features for SEO professionals because broken backlinks represent lost authority. If websites are linking to you using URLs that are broken, you’re losing valuable link equity.
To view this report:
- Go to Site Explorer
- Click Backlinks
- Filter status → Broken
Here you’ll see:
- Sites linking to you
- Pages where broken backlinks exist
- Anchor text
- Total lost link value
Fixing these brings back link juice and improves rankings.
Step 6: Export the Broken Links Report
Ahrefs allows exporting all data as CSV or Excel for deeper auditing. If you’re working with developers, content teams, or SEO specialists, this makes collaboration easier.
How to Fix Broken Links Identified by Ahrefs
Finding broken links is only half the job. Fixing them is where you begin improving SEO performance.
Here are the main ways to fix issues identified by the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker:
Option 1: Redirect the Broken URL
Use a 301 redirect to send visitors and search engines to:
- A related article
- A category page
- A new updated version of the content
This recovers link equity from old URLs.
Option 2: Update the URL (for internal links)
If your internal links point to outdated URLs:
- Edit the anchor text
- Replace the link with a correct, relevant URL
This is the simplest fix for internal link errors.
Option 3: Recover Deleted Pages
If Ahrefs shows broken backlinks pointing to a deleted page, consider restoring that page. This is especially helpful if:
- The page had many backlinks
- The content was still relevant
By restoring it, you regain the authority associated with that page.
Option 4: Contact External Websites Linking Incorrectly
Sometimes external sites link to the wrong URL. You can:
- Email the website owner
- Ask them to update the link
- Offer the correct URL for replacement
This works well for recovering valuable backlinks.
Using Ahrefs Broken Link Checker for Broken Link Building
Broken link building is one of the most powerful and ethical link-building strategies in SEO. It allows you to earn high-quality backlinks by helping other website owners fix dead resources on their website. The best part is that you’re adding value, not begging for links, and Ahrefs makes the entire process smooth, fast, and scalable.
The Ahrefs Broken Link Checker uncovers dead outbound links on other websites as well as broken inbound links pointing to yours. This creates an endless pipeline of opportunities for outreach, content replacement, and authority growth.
What Is Broken Link Building?
Broken link building is the process of:
- Finding dead links on other websites
- Creating or offering a replacement piece of content
- Contacting site owners to update the broken link to your working resource
It benefits both sides:
- The site owner fixes a bad user experience
- You gain a relevant, contextual backlink
- Google rewards both websites for improved link health
Using Ahrefs, this process becomes data-driven rather than guesswork.
How Ahrefs Makes Broken Link Building Easy
Ahrefs is one of the only tools that:
- Crawls billions of pages
- Detects broken outbound and inbound links
- Shows anchor text and context
- Provides competitor broken link data
- Allows exporting lists for outreach campaigns
This makes the Ahrefs broken link building workflow scalable for agencies, SEO teams, and bloggers. To keep outreach organized at scale, many teams coordinate prospect lists and responses through a Link Building Slack community, reducing duplication and improving follow-up efficiency.
Step-by-Step: How to Do Broken Link Building Using Ahrefs
Here is the full process in detail:
Step 1: Enter Competitor Domains in Ahrefs Site Explorer
Start with competitors in your niche. This helps uncover:
- Pages they link to that no longer exist
- Old resources used widely in your industry
- Huge broken link opportunities from outdated guides
Competitors often link to industry studies, old reports, expired tools, or deleted blogs.
Step 2: Navigate to “Outgoing Broken Links” Report
Go to: Site Explorer → Outgoing Links → Broken Links
This section reveals all the broken outbound links from any website you analyze.
Ahrefs shows:
- The referring page
- Anchor text
- Target dead URL
- Estimated traffic
- Authority of linking pages
This level of accuracy is why most SEOs prefer Ahrefs for broken link building.
Step 3: Identify High-Value Broken Links
Focus on dead links that:
- Have many referring domains
- Belong to high-authority websites
- Serve a topic you can create content around
- Are historically important in your niche
These will give the best ROI.
Step 4: Create or Repurpose Content That Replaces the Dead Resource
If the broken content was:
- A how-to guide → Create a better version
- A statistics page → Publish an updated dataset
- A tool → Build a simple alternative or offer a curated list
- A blog post → Rewrite it with modern insights
You don’t always need to create new content; sometimes you already have relevant articles.
Step 5: Reach Out to Website Owners With a Helpful Email
When doing broken link building outreach:
- Be friendly and concise
- Show the broken link
- Offer your replacement content
- Mention how it improves their site experience
Because you’re genuinely helping, acceptance rates are high.
Why Broken Link Building Works Extremely Well in 2025
- Most websites have thousands of pages and constant broken links
- Webmasters want to improve user experience
- Google rewards clean link profiles
- Most SEOs still don’t use broken link building properly
- Ahrefs data is deeper and fresher than most tools
This strategy remains white-hat, scalable, and highly effective, especially when powered by Ahrefs’ database.
Tips to Make Broken Link Building Easier
- Use filters for DR (domain rating) in Ahrefs to find authority websites
- Export broken links for mass outreach campaigns
- Track success using Ahrefs Backlinks report
- Combine multiple competitor analyses for larger opportunity lists
By leveraging Ahrefs Broken Link Checker, you can build backlinks that strengthen your entire SEO ecosystem.
How to Find Internal Linking Opportunities Using Ahrefs
Internal linking is one of the most underrated ranking boosters in SEO. While backlinks help build domain authority, internal links distribute that authority and guide Google through your site structure. With good internal linking, you can dramatically increase rankings without creating new content.
Ahrefs makes discovering internal linking opportunities effortless through its advanced crawling and recommendation features.
Why Internal Linking Matters More Than Most People Think
Internal links help:
- Transfer authority between pages
- Improve Google’s understanding of your content clusters
- Boost rankings for important blog posts or landing pages
- Reduce orphan pages (pages with no internal links)
- Help users navigate smoothly
Internal linking is a high-impact, low-effort SEO tactic.
How Ahrefs Identifies Internal Link Opportunities
Using the Ahrefs internal links opportunities tool, you get:
- Keyword-based linking suggestions
- Contextual internal link anchor text ideas
- Locations inside content where links should be placed
- Recommendations for strengthening important pages
- Flagged orphan pages needing immediate linking
This automation saves hours of manual work.
Step-by-Step: Finding Internal Linking Opportunities With Ahrefs
Step 1: Go to Site Audit in Ahrefs
Run a full crawl so Ahrefs understands your site structure, content, and link network.
Step 2: Open the “Internal Link Opportunities” Report
Ahrefs automatically analyzes:
- Keywords across pages
- Unlinked mentions
- Content relevance
- Topically connected pages
This is where you’ll see your biggest SEO wins.
Step 3: Review Suggested Linking Opportunities
Ahrefs displays:
- Source page
- Suggested anchor text
- Target page
- Keyword relevance score
- Context where the link should be inserted
This removes guesswork from internal linking.
Step 4: Implement Internal Links Strategically
When adding internal links:
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text
- Link from high-authority content to new or important pages
- Avoid over-linking from a single page
- Place links naturally in the flow of content
This strengthens both user experience and ranking signals.
Additional Internal Linking Strategies Using Ahrefs
Identify Orphan Pages
Ahrefs shows pages with no internal links. These pages often struggle to rank because Google cannot find or understand them properly.
Strengthen Cornerstone Content
Your most important pages should receive:
- High-authority internal links
- Contextual anchor text
- Links from several blog posts
Ahrefs helps find which pages need more internal support.
Optimize Link Ratio
Too many links or too few links on a page can reduce SEO value. Ahrefs provides crawl depth and link ratio data to help balance this.
Use “Best by Links” to Distribute Authority
Your pages with the most backlinks should internally link to:
- New content
- High-value keyword pages
- Commercial landing pages
This spreads authority where it matters most.
Benefits of Using Ahrefs for Internal Linking
- Saves time analyzing large websites
- Ensures no page is left isolated
- Helps build stronger content clusters
- Improves crawling and indexing efficiency
- Boosts rankings for target keywords
- Encourages organic traffic growth without new content creation
Internal linking is one of the easiest yet most powerful SEO tasks and Ahrefs makes it fully manageable.
Benefits of Using Ahrefs Broken Link Checker for SEO
Using the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker delivers more than just technical cleanup it enhances your entire SEO ecosystem. Most website owners underestimate how broken links silently erode rankings over months or years. Ahrefs helps you not only identify broken links but also transform them into optimization opportunities.
Improved Crawlability and Indexation
Search engine crawlers follow links to discover new pages. When crawlers encounter broken links repeatedly, it wastes their crawl budget and slows down the indexing process. With Ahrefs:
- You systematically eliminate dead ends
- Improve crawl flow
- Help search engines understand your website architecture better
Consistent cleanup ensures crawlers spend their time on valuable and fresh content.
Recovery of Lost Link Equity
One of the biggest hidden benefits of Ahrefs Broken Link Checker is reclaiming lost backlink value. Many websites have high-authority domains linking to outdated or deleted URLs. These broken backlinks can be worth thousands in ranking power.
Ahrefs shows exactly:
- Which sites linked to you
- How powerful those links are
- What content previously existed
By restoring pages or redirecting them, you instantly recover lost authority helping your rankings rise sustainably.
Stronger User Experience and Lower Bounce Rates
Users landing on a 404 page often exit immediately. This increases bounce rate and lowers engagement, negative signals for SEO. Keeping your website free from broken internal links ensures:
- Smooth navigation
- Higher time-on-page
- Improved trust and brand credibility
Ahrefs helps monitor these issues at scale.
Boost in Topical Authority
Fixing broken internal and outbound links ensures content clusters remain interconnected. When your website has a healthy internal link structure, Google sees you as:
- A credible source
- An authoritative niche publisher
- A website with organized information architecture
Ahrefs internal link reports make this extremely easy.
Better Conversion Pathways
Broken links often interrupt sales funnels, CTA flows, or newsletter signup pages. By fixing them, you ensure:
- Visitors reach intended landing pages
- No revenue opportunities are lost
- Lead-generation pathways remain intact
SEO and CRO (conversion rate optimization) work hand in hand here.
Enhanced Link Building Efficiency
Because Ahrefs broken link building insights are precise and easy to identify, your outreach efforts become more successful. With solid data, you can:
- Pitch replacements more confidently
- Demonstrate value to website owners
- Acquire quality backlinks faster
Ahrefs eliminates guesswork and provides actionable, relevant opportunities.
Best Practices for Managing Broken Links With Ahrefs
While Ahrefs is powerful, your strategy determines the outcome. To maximize SEO benefits, you should follow a disciplined, data-driven approach to broken link management.
Audit Broken Links Regularly
Websites change constantly, pages get updated, URLs shift, and content is removed. This means new broken links appear without warning.
A reliable schedule includes:
- Monthly broken link audits
- Weekly checks for large news or e-commerce sites
- Automated alerts using Ahrefs Site Audit
Consistent audits prevent problems from accumulating.
Prioritize High-Authority Pages First
Not all broken links deserve equal attention. Start by fixing:
- Pages with the highest number of backlinks
- Pages receiving referral traffic
- Pages ranking for keywords
Ahrefs helps sort pages by link value so you fix issues that deliver maximum impact.
Use 301 Redirects Strategically
Redirects can help reclaim link equity, but they should be used thoughtfully:
- Avoid redirecting everything to the homepage
- Redirect to the most relevant alternative page
- Prevent redirect chains, which slow down crawling
Ahrefs’ historical link data helps you choose the right destination.
Keep Your Internal Linking Clean
With Ahrefs internal links opportunities, you can ensure:
- No important pages remain orphaned
- New content receives proper linking
- Old articles stay interconnected with updated resources
An optimized internal linking structure boosts ranking potential across the entire domain.
Fix Broken Outbound Links to Maintain Trust
Outbound links demonstrate credibility and topical relevance. But broken outbound links can:
- Reduce user satisfaction
- Make your content look outdated
- Harm SEO signals indirectly
Replacing them with updated or higher-quality sources strengthens the reliability of your content.
Integrate Broken Link Checks Into Content Updates
Whenever you refresh old content:
- Run the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker for that specific page
- Rebuild or remove links that no longer add value
- Add internal links recommended by Ahrefs
This makes every content update more powerful.
Track Changes Over Time
Ahrefs provides comparative data between crawls. Use this to monitor:
- Decreasing number of broken links
- Improvement in crawl depth
- Recovery of lost backlinks
Over time, these metrics show tangible SEO growth.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Using Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
Even experienced SEO professionals sometimes make mistakes when dealing with Ahrefs broken links. For SEO Resellers managing multiple client websites, avoiding these pitfalls is especially important to ensure optimization remains smooth, effective, and long-lasting.
Ignoring Broken Backlinks Because They’re “External”
Many assume broken backlinks don’t need attention since they originate from other websites. This is a major error.
Broken backlinks cause:
- Loss of authority
- Missed ranking opportunities
- Declining domain strength
You must restore or redirect these URLs to regain authority quickly.
Overusing 302 or Temporary Redirects
Some SEOs mistakenly apply 302 redirects instead of 301 redirects.
This causes:
- Loss of link equity
- Unclear signals for crawlers
- Misinterpretation of page importance
Permanent redirects should be your default choice unless a temporary situation truly exists.
Redirecting Everything to the Homepage
Many website owners fix broken links by simply redirecting all missing pages to the homepage. This frustrates users and confuses search engines because:
- Relevance is lost
- Topic context breaks
- Authority signals weaken
Create topic-specific redirect targets instead.
Not Fixing Internal Broken Links Immediately
Internal broken links directly affect:
- Search engine crawling
- User pathways
- Conversion journeys
Ahrefs helps you find broken links instantly, so don’t delay fixing them.
Ignoring Broken Outbound Links
Outbound links show Google that your content references credible, updated sources.
If those links break:
- Your content loses reliability
- Users may distrust your information
- SEO quality drops subtly over time
Ahrefs outbound link reports make updates easy to use them frequently.
Not Leveraging Broken Link Building Opportunities
Some SEOs fix broken links but forget to use Ahrefs for broken link building.
This is a missed opportunity because:
- Competitor sites often link to dead content
- Your published content may serve as a perfect replacement
- Website owners appreciate help fixing broken resources
Broken link building remains one of the most ethical, effective, and scalable link acquisition strategies.
Not Using Ahrefs Internal Links Opportunities Tool
Improper internal linking is one of the biggest reasons for:
- Poor indexing
- Low ranking potential
- Weak topical clusters
Ahrefs internal links opportunities highlight where internal links should be added. Many SEOs overlook this, leaving authority scattered across the website.
Failing to Re-Crawl After Fixes
After fixing broken links:
- Re-run a crawl in Ahrefs Site Audit
- Verify that errors no longer appear
- Ensure no redirect loops were created
Skipping this step leads to persistent error chains that harm SEO.
Only Checking Broken Links After Redesigns
Websites constantly evolve. Broken links can appear:
- When publishing new blogs
- When updating category pages
- When changing menu structures
- When deleting outdated content
Relying only on redesign-related audits is insufficient. Ahrefs should be used continuously
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker?
It is a tool inside Ahrefs that identifies broken internal links, external links, and backlinks pointing to your domain. It helps improve SEO by fixing issues affecting crawlability and authority.
2. How do I find broken links in Ahrefs?
Use Site Explorer → Pages → Best by links → Filter by 404 or navigate directly to the Broken Links section. You can then identify all broken URLs associated with your website.
3. What is broken link building?
Broken link building is an SEO strategy where you find broken links on other websites and suggest your content as a replacement. Ahrefs makes this easy by revealing broken outbound links on competitor sites.
4. Are broken internal links bad for SEO?
Yes. They disrupt user navigation, confuse crawlers, and affect page authority distribution. Fixing them improves user experience and ranking strength.
5. How do Ahrefs internal links opportunities help?
This tool shows suggested internal links to strengthen page authority, improve user flow, and help Google better understand your content hierarchy.
6. Can Ahrefs detect broken backlinks pointing to my site?
Absolutely. Ahrefs provides a detailed broken backlinks report showing every external site linking to a missing or incorrect URL.
7. How often should I check for broken links?
Ideally once a month. High-traffic websites or rapidly growing blogs should check more frequently.
8. What is the best way to fix broken links?
Use 301 redirects, update internal URLs, restore deleted pages, or contact external sites to fix incorrect backlinks.
9. Is broken link building still effective in 2025?
Yes. It’s one of the most authentic and scalable white-hat link building strategies, especially when powered by Ahrefs’ accurate link data.
10. How long does it take for SEO to improve after fixing broken links?
Improvements can appear in weeks as crawlers revisit your site and rediscover restored link equity.
Conclusion
Ahrefs offers one of the most robust solutions for identifying, analyzing, and fixing broken links. Whether you’re using the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker to clean up internal issues, leveraging broken backlinks for SEO gains, or exploring Ahrefs broken link building strategies, the tool allows you to manage technical SEO with precision.
By consistently reviewing broken links, optimizing redirects, and using features like Ahrefs internal links opportunities, your website can rapidly improve its rankings, authority, and overall user experience. Broken links may seem minor, but when addressed strategically, they can dramatically strengthen your SEO foundation.