Broken Links on My Website: How to Spot Them Today

Errors and broken links

If you have clicked around your own website and landed on an error page, you are not alone. Maybe your visitors have too!

Broken links are one of the most common website problems small business owners come across. Sometimes it is a page in the menu that no longer works. Sometimes it is a button that leads nowhere. Sometimes it is an older blog post, image, or service page that has quietly stopped working after an update.

The good news is that broken links are usually fixable.

The bad news is that they can put off potential customers before you realise there is a problem. If someone clicks a service page, a contact link, or a booking button and hits a dead end, that is not just a technical issue. It can affect trust, enquiries, and the overall impression your business gives online.

In this guide, I will explain what broken links are and how to spot them today. Then, what to do when you find them, and why link checks should be part of a regular website health check.

What counts as a broken link?

A broken link is simply a link that sends someone to a page or file that no longer works.

Often, that means the visitor sees a ‘404 not found’ page. In simple terms, that means the server cannot find the page or file that was requested. If something has been permanently removed, a ‘410 Gone’ response can sometimes be more accurate.

A broken link can happen when:

• A page has been deleted

• The URL of a page has been changed

• A link was typed incorrectly

• Files or images have been moved

• Another website has removed the page you linked to

This can show up in all sorts of places across a small business website. It might be a menu item, a button, a blog post link, a PDF download, or even an image that no longer loads properly.

Why broken links matter to small businesses

A broken link is easy to shrug off when you first spot one. The trouble is that your visitors do not know it is a minor oversight. To them, it can look like the website is neglected, outdated, or not checked very often.

That matters because trust online is built from lots of small signals. If a visitor clicks through to learn about your services and lands on an error page, it can make them hesitate. If they cannot reach your contact page or booking form, it can cost you an enquiry altogether.

Broken links can also create a poor experience for search engines and users alike. Google’s guidance says that if a page has genuinely gone, it is better to return the correct ‘404’ or ‘410’ response. If the content has moved, a ‘301’ redirect is usually the right fix.

So yes, broken links are a website maintenance issue. But they are also a business issue.

Broken internal links vs broken external links

There are two main types of broken links worth knowing about.

Broken internal links

These are links that point from one page on your website to another page on your website.

For example, your homepage might link to an old service page that no longer exists. Or a blog post might point to a contact page that has since been renamed. These are often the most important to fix first because they directly affect how people move through your site.

Broken external links

These are links from your website to another website.

For example, you may have written a blog post a year ago and linked to a useful article, tool, or resource. If that page has since moved or been removed, your visitor still ends up at a dead end, even though the broken page is not on your own site.

Both types matter. Internal broken links disrupt your own customer journey. External broken links can still make your content feel stale or poorly maintained.

Redirect issues that create a poor user experience

Not every broken link means a page has vanished forever. Sometimes a page has just moved.

That is where redirects come in. A redirect sends people from an old page to a new one automatically. Google recommends using a permanent server-side redirect, such as a ‘301’, when a page has moved for good. However, only if you want both people and search engines to reach the new location.

That sounds technical, but the principle is simple. If you renamed a service page or changed a blog post URL, people should be sent to the new page, not left on an error screen.

It is also worth being careful about lazy fixes. Sending every missing page to the homepage is rarely the best answer. Redirects should point users to the new page that best matches the old content. It is best to avoid long ‘redirect chains’ where one URL bounces through several others before finally loading.

For a small business owner, the takeaway is this: if a page has moved, send people to the closest useful replacement. If it has gone for good and there is no equivalent, let it return the right error code instead of pretending everything is fine.

How to spot broken links today

You do not need to be a developer to do a basic broken link check.

The simplest place to start is your own website. Click through your main navigation, footer links, service pages, and contact buttons. Test the pages that matter most first. If you have older blog posts or resource pages, check those too, because that is often where broken links quietly build up over time.

If you want a quick online check right now, there are several very simple tools that run in the browser and do not need software installs. Dead Link Checker is a handy starting point for a fast manual check. BrokenLinkCheck.com is another easy browser-based option. If you would prefer something more official-looking, the W3C Link Checker is available online too, though it feels a bit more technical. You can also try WizardsTool or Linksman for quick browser-based scans.

If you already use Google Search Console, that can help too. The Links report can show which pages on your site are linked internally, and the URL Inspection tool can show how Google sees a specific page.

For most small businesses, a sensible approach is:

• Manually check your key pages and buttons

• Run a quick browser-based scan with one of the free tools above

• Review any pages you have recently renamed, removed, or updated

• Check older blog posts and resources every so often, not just your newest pages

That alone will catch a surprising number of problems.

What to do when you find a broken link

Once you find a broken link, the next step depends on why it is broken. If the link was simply typed incorrectly, correct the link.

If the page still exists but the address has changed, update the link or add a proper redirect.

If the page has moved and there is a clear replacement, use a permanent redirect. Google recommends a ‘301’ when the page or content has moved to a new location.

If the page has gone and there is no suitable replacement, return a proper ‘404’ or ‘410’ instead of forcing visitors somewhere irrelevant. A helpful ‘custom 404 page’ can still point people back to useful parts of your site.

If the broken link points to another website, decide whether to remove it, replace it, or swap it for a more reliable source.

The main thing is not to leave it sitting there for months. Broken links tend to multiply quietly when nobody is looking.

Why broken links should be part of a monthly website report

Broken links are rarely a one-off problem. They often appear after small changes.

If a page gets renamed, a service is retired, a PDF gets replaced, or a blog post links to an external resource that later disappears. None of those things feels dramatic in the moment, but over time, they create a messy experience.

That is why broken link checks make sense as part of a wider monthly website report. Instead of waiting for a customer to tell you something is broken, you can spot problems earlier and deal with them while they are still small.

A regular website health report can also help you look beyond links alone. In many cases, the same kind of monthly website maintenance check that catches broken links also helps highlight other issues.  Issues such as performance problems, outdated pages, and accessibility concerns can all be spotted.

For a busy sole trader or small business owner, that is the real value. You do not have to remember every tiny technical detail yourself. You just need a clear view of what needs attention.

How SiteScanly can help

If the thought of checking all this manually feels like yet another job on your list, that is exactly where SiteScanly can help.

SiteScanly is designed to make website health easier to understand for small business owners. Instead of expecting you to dig through technical reports or specialist tools, it gives you a plain-English website health report that highlights what matters.

That includes issues like broken internal links, broken external links, redirect problems, and other signs that a website may need attention.

So rather than wondering “are there broken links on my website?” and trying to piece together the answer from different tools, you get a clearer picture of what is working, what is not, and what to fix next.

For sole traders and small teams, that can be a much calmer way to stay on top of website maintenance without turning it into a technical project.

FAQs

Do broken links hurt SEO?

They can. A few isolated broken links are not a reason to panic. Badly handled missing pages, soft 404s, and messy redirects can create problems for both users and search engines. Google recommends returning the right status codes for removed pages. Plus, using proper permanent redirects where content has moved.

What is the difference between a broken link and a redirect?

A broken link takes someone to a page that no longer works, often ending in a ‘404’ error. A redirect sends someone automatically from the old address to a new one. Google recommends permanent redirects, such as ‘301’, when a page has moved for good.

How often should I check my website for broken links?

For most small business websites, monthly is a sensible baseline. If you update content often, publish blog posts regularly, or change service pages, it is worth checking after bigger updates as well.

Do I need special software to check for broken links?

No. There are several browser-based tools that can help you do a quick check without installing anything. Dead Link Checker, BrokenLinkCheck.com, W3C Link Checker, WizardsTool, and Linksman all offer online checking options.

What should I do if a page has been removed?

If the page has a clear replacement, redirect it to the most relevant new page. If it is gone for good and there is no suitable replacement, Google recommends returning a proper ‘404’ or ‘410’ instead. A helpful ‘custom 404 page’ can still guide visitors back to useful parts of your site.