# Broken link

Category: [Technical SEO](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/technical-seo/) › [HTTP status codes](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/technical-seo/http-status-codes/) · Also known as: dead link, broken links

A **broken link** is a hyperlink whose target cannot be loaded, usually because the target page returns an error such as 404 or does not respond at all.

## What causes broken links?

- A page was deleted or its URL changed without a redirect.
- The link contains a typo or an outdated URL.
- An external website removed or moved the linked page.
- The target server is down or returns a 5xx error.

Crawlers typically report 4xx and 5xx responses and requests without a response as broken (Screaming Frog). Links that point to URLs which redirect are a separate case, because the visitor still arrives.

## Why do broken links matter for SEO?

Google does not use content from URLs that return a 4xx and does not index them. A link to such a URL leads crawlers and visitors to a dead end. Google can only follow a link that is an `<a>` element with a resolvable `href`, so malformed links break discovery too.

Internal broken links are usually treated as higher priority, because the site owner controls both ends. External broken links are lower priority but affect the user experience. No official source states that broken links reduce rankings directly.

## How to fix a broken link

Find the pages that contain the link, then update the URL, set up a redirect from the old URL to the closest match, or remove the link.

## Example

```html
<a href="/products/old-name">Our product</a>
```

If `/products/old-name` now returns 404, this is a broken link.

## Common mistakes

- **A link without a valid `href`.** Google follows only `<a>` elements with an `href` attribute. An `<a onclick="...">` or a `<span href="">` is not a crawlable link.
- **Leaving internal links to removed pages in place.** Google does not use the content of URLs that return 4xx and removes previously indexed ones from the index over time. The link leads visitors and crawlers nowhere.
- **An error page with status 200.** If a page serves error messages or empty content with status 200, Search Console reports a soft 404 error.

## Related terms

- [404 error](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/404-error/index.md)
- [Link rot](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-rot/index.md)
- [Broken link building](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/broken-link-building/index.md)
- [301 redirect](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/301-redirect/index.md)
- [Internal linking](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/internal-linking/index.md)

## Sources

- [How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers – Google Crawling Infrastructure](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes)
- [Make your links crawlable – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)
- [Find broken links with the SEO Spider – Screaming Frog (secondary)](https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/tutorials/broken-link-checker/)
- [What Is a Broken Link? – Semrush (secondary)](https://www.semrush.com/blog/broken-link/)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/broken-link/