Broken links on website: how to find and fix them

Broken links on a website are links that lead to an error page, usually a 404. To fix them, find each one, then either point it at the right page, redirect the old address, or take the link away.

You can do all of it for free with Google Search Console and ten minutes with your own phone. Here is how I would go about it.

In this guide

1. Where broken links on a website come from
2. How to find broken links for free
3. The social icons check
4. How to fix each broken link
5. What about other sites linking to dead pages
6. What to do next

Where broken links on a website come from

Most broken links come from pages that were removed while the links to them stayed. A link is only a pointer. If the page it points at is deleted, the pointer carries on pointing at nothing.

When I take over an existing site, the most common dead links I see come from old sample pages. These were included with the website or a service page when it was first built. The pages have since been removed, but the links to them are still there.

Other usual causes:

• A page was renamed or moved during a rebuild.
• Someone typed the address wrongly.
• A site you linked to has closed or changed its address.
• A social profile was renamed.

How to find broken links for free

Start with Google Search Console, which is free. It lists pages Google tried to open and could not find.

1. Open the Page indexing report in Search Console.
2. Find the row called Not found (404) under “Why pages aren’t indexed”.
3. Click it to see example addresses.

Google’s help page says the report only shows 404 addresses that appeared in the past month. It also lists no more than 1,000 rows, and the list may not be complete. Treat it as a good start, not the full picture.

Google also says a 404 is not always a problem. If you removed a page on purpose and nothing links to it, a 404 is fine. Fix the ones that you link to yourself or list in your sitemap.

Then check by hand. Open your site on your phone and tap every link in the menu, the footer and each button. It takes ten minutes on a five page site. It also catches things Google cannot, like a button that opens the wrong page.

At Aeroy we use Semrush to identify dead backlinks, and we also verify them by hand. Semrush is a paid tool, so you do not need it. The free route above does the job for a small site.

The social icons check

Social icons are the quiet culprit. Many sites have the Facebook or Instagram icon in the footer, but the link behind it goes to the bare site, such as facebook.com or instagram.com, because the real profile address was never added.

Visitors tap it and land on the Facebook home page, not your page. It does not show an error, so nobody notices.

Also check whether the business has changed its social handles. If you renamed your Instagram, the old link may now go nowhere.

Tap each social icon on your phone. Check that it opens your own profile, not the front page of the platform.

How to fix each broken link

Pick the fix that matches the reason the link broke.

• The page moved. Set up a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one. Google says a 301 is a strong signal that the new page is the one to use.
• The page was removed and has no replacement. Take the link out of your menu, footer and pages. Also remove it from your sitemap. A 404 for a page you deliberately removed is acceptable, according to Google.
• A typo. Correct the address in the link.
• Another site has closed. Remove the link, or swap it for a working one.
• A social icon. Paste in the full address of your profile.

Google also warns about soft 404s. That is a page that shows “not found” to the visitor but tells Google everything is fine. If your site does that, Search Console flags it as a soft 404. Ask whoever built your site to fix it.

What about other sites linking to dead pages

Sometimes the broken link is not on your site. Another website links to a page of yours that no longer exists. Those are dead backlinks. Each one sends people, and Google, to an error page.

The fix is the same. Redirect the old address to the closest page that is still live. Google says a permanent redirect is the way to send people and Google to the right page.

Tools like Semrush can list these. Search Console can show some of the addresses too, but it only shows 404s from the past month.

Quick tip. After you fix a link, open it on your phone to prove it works. Do not just trust that the change saved.

What to do next

Tap every link and icon on your own site today, starting with the footer. Write down any that fail, then work through the list using the fixes above.

If you would rather hand it over, book a free call and we will check your links for you. Our websites for tradesmen guide covers what a trade site should include, and our website service page shows what we build.

More guides

• Marketing for tradesmen: how to get more work
• Websites for tradesmen: what your site needs
• SEO for tradesmen: what to fix first
• How much does a website cost in the UK

Sources

1. Google. How HTTP status codes, and network and DNS errors affect Google Search. Checked 9 October 2026.
2. Google. Redirects and Google Search. Checked 9 October 2026.
3. Google. Page indexing report, Search Console Help. Checked 9 October 2026.