How to fix broken links and recover lost traffic

Broken links quietly damage your website’s performance. They drive visitors away, hurt your search rankings, and undermine your credibility—often before you even notice the problem. 

Whether you’re running marketing campaigns, managing SEO, or protecting your brand reputation, knowing how to fix broken links quickly is essential for maintaining a professional online presence.

This guide explains why broken links hurt your business, what causes them, and the most effective methods for fixing broken links at scale. We’ll also show you how Rebrandly automates link management to prevent broken links before they cost you traffic and conversions.

What is a broken link?

A broken link is a link that doesn’t work when someone clicks it. Instead of reaching the intended page, users see an error message—usually “404 page not found” or “This page can’t be found.“

Broken links happen with both internal links (links within your website) and external links (links to other websites). Common causes include deleted pages, moved content, expired domains, or simple typos in URLs.

Why broken links hurt your business

Broken links create immediate problems that affect your bottom line:

• Poor user experience: Users expect links to work. Broken links disrupt their journey, causing frustration and abandonment that costs you sales and sign-ups.
• Damaged credibility: Broken links signal that your site is outdated or poorly maintained. This erodes trust, especially with first-time visitors and high-value prospects.
• Higher bounce rates: Visitors leave when pages don’t load. Search engines interpret high bounce rates as a signal that your site doesn’t meet user expectations.
• Lower search rankings: Search engines consider link quality when ranking sites. Broken internal links hurt crawlability, while broken outbound links suggest poor content maintenance.
• Lost revenue: Every broken link represents a missed click, lead, or sale. These losses compound over time.

How broken links happen

Even well-maintained websites develop broken links over time. Here are the most common causes:

• Human error: Typos in URLs or copy-and-paste mistakes when sharing links.
• Moving pages without redirects: Removing or renaming pages without setting up proper 301 redirects.
• Website changes: Site migrations, domain changes, or CMS updates that alter URL structures.
• Outdated external links: Other websites linking to pages you’ve moved or deleted.
• Expired campaign links: Temporary promo pages, seasonal landing pages, or links with time-sensitive tracking parameters.

How to fix broken links manually

Manual approaches work for small sites or one-time cleanups, but they require significant time and effort.

Finding broken links

Before you can fix broken links, you need to identify them. These tools help you spot problems:

• Google Search Console: Check the Page Indexing reports for URLs returning 404 errors.
• Free online tools: Services like Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker scan your site for dead links.
• WordPress plugins: Tools like Broken Link Checker automatically flag broken links in your CMS.
• Manual audits: Review your site’s pages, menus, and campaigns by clicking through links yourself.

How to fix broken links once you find them

Once you find broken links, you have several repair options:

• Set up redirects: Use 301 redirects to point broken links to relevant pages.
• Remove broken links: Delete links that no longer add value to your content.
• Contact external sites: Ask other website owners to update backlinks pointing to your broken pages.
• Recreate content: Restore deleted pages that still receive valuable traffic.

Why manual methods don’t scale

Manual fixes work for small-scale problems but create bottlenecks as your business grows:

• Time-intensive: Large sites and multi-channel campaigns require extensive effort to audit and repair.
• Always reactive: You discover problems only after they’ve cost you traffic and conversions.
• Hard to prioritize: Without traffic data, you can’t tell which broken links hurt your business most.
• No ongoing monitoring: Broken links can go unnoticed for weeks or months.

How to fix broken links automatically with Rebrandly

Rebrandly offers broken link monitoring on select premium plans, which can help streamline your link management process alongside other automated approaches.

The advantage of link management platforms

Rather than just fixing broken links after they occur, link management platforms like Rebrandly help you prevent many issues from happening in the first place:

• Centralized link control: Update destinations instantly without republishing content across multiple channels
• Real-time editing: Change where any link points without contacting external sites or waiting for republication
• Instant redirects for broken destinations: If a link breaks, redirect your audience to a working page immediately—no need to republish content or send correction emails
• Traffic visibility: See which links drive the most clicks so you can prioritize fixes that matter most

Additional broken link monitoring options

Beyond Rebrandly’s monitoring feature, consider these automated approaches:

• Third-party monitoring tools: Services like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Screaming Frog can scan your site regularly
• WordPress plugins: Automated checkers that run in the background and alert you to issues
• Google Search Console alerts: Set up notifications for crawl errors and 404 increases

The prevention advantage

The real value of link management platforms comes from preventing broken links rather than just detecting them. With Rebrandly, you can update live links instantly, which means fewer broken links occur in the first place.

Best practices for preventing broken links

Prevention beats repair when it comes to broken links. These practices help you avoid problems before they start:

• Build stable URL structures: Use descriptive, logical URLs that won’t need frequent changes. When you do need to restructure content, always implement proper 301 redirects to guide visitors to the correct pages.
• Schedule regular audits: Review your site quarterly to catch potential issues early. Focus on high-traffic landing pages and important campaign URLs—these links have the most impact on your business.
• Centralize link management: Use a dedicated link management tool for all campaigns. This ensures everyone on your team uses correct URL structures and consistent UTM parameters, keeping your analytics accurate.
• Use branded short links: Branded links build trust and increase click-through rates by up to 39%. With Rebrandly, you can update live links instantly without republishing content across multiple channels.

Manage your links more effectively with Rebrandly

Now that you know how to fix broken links both manually and automatically, it’s time to choose the right approach for your business. Manual fixes work for small sites, but they don’t scale or catch problems before they hurt your bottom line.

While broken link detection is just one piece of the puzzle, effective link management can prevent many issues from occurring in the first place. With Rebrandly’s real-time editing and centralized control, you can update live links instantly, redirect audiences away from broken destinations, and maintain professional campaigns without the constant maintenance overhead.

Start building a more reliable link management process that keeps your audience engaged and your campaigns running smoothly. Sign up for a free trial today.