Over the years, link building has become increasingly difficult.
Strategies that used to work are no longer effective.
As a webmaster, you need to stay ahead of the trends to make sure you’re not working on the wrong methods.
Thankfully, tactics like broken link building are still safe and effective.
But, as a broken link builder, you need a clear plan.
In this guide, we’ll tell you:
- Broken links meaning
- Multiple ways to find broken links on other websites
- How to reach out to the right person and ask for link replacements
Let’s dive right in.
Broken Link Builder: Find and Reclaim High-Quality Broken Links
What are Broken Links?
Broken links are links that lead nowhere.
They can arise for any of the following reasons:
- The external page doesn’t exist anymore
- The URL being mistyped
- The URL was replaced by the webmaster
Importantly, they’re bad for search engine optimization, which is where broken link building comes into play.
Here’s a broken link example page:
What’s Broken Link Building
Broken link building involves finding and replacing broken links with your website’s active and relevant links.
The role of a broken link builder is to find web pages that have links pointing to broken 404 pages.
Why does this link building tactic work?
Because by offering an active, relevant link as a replacement for a broken link, you’re offering value.
However, what makes broken link SEO hard these days is the fact that most webmasters understand the play.
They know you’re trying to get a backlink, which often makes it harder to convince them.
With that out of the way, here’s a step-by-step system to turn broken links into high-quality backlinks.
Broken Link Building: What You Need to Know to Get Links?
Finding Relevant Broken Links
Thankfully, it’s easy to find broken links on any website.
In fact, the convenience of finding link opportunities is an important reason why most SEOs work on a broken link building strategy.
Method 1
Here’s one way to find broken links.
Do a backlink analysis for a website in your niche with a tool like Ahrefs.
You’ll get a list of 404 web pages on the website.
More importantly, it tells you all the web pages that are linking to these 404 pages.
If there are 100 pages linking to these broken links, you’ll have 100 broken link building opportunities.
Don’t stop there. There’s a good chance that those 100 websites linking to your competitor are also in your niche.
Analyze their backlink profiles and see if you can find more broken link opportunities.
Method 2
The second way to find broken links is by scraping resource pages in your niche.
A resource page has a list of links on a broad topic, for instance, marketing.
You can find them in any niche by doing an advanced search on Google.
Here are a couple of examples:
- Marketing intitle:resources
- Marketing blogs inurl:resources
Replace “Marketing” with your niche.
Once you find a good resource page on the topic, look for any broken links on them.
When you find a broken link on a resource page, use a tool like Ahrefs to find who’s linking to it.
Method 3
Another way to find broken links on a web page is by using the “Check My Links” Google Chrome extension.
The free extension lets you know if there are any invalid links (Broken links) on a page.
It’s super easy to use too.
All you need to do is install it and visit the web page you want to check for broken links.
Clicking on the extension icon at the top-right corner of your web browser will open the following window:
As you scroll down that page, you’ll easily spot all valid, redirecting, and invalid links. The invalid links will be highlighted in red.
Method 4
What if you want to check broken links on an entire site instead of single web pages?
There’s a simple solution: Use the site audit feature in Semrush to find all broken external links on a website.
You can also use a tool like “Backlink Analytics” in Semrush to get a list of domains pointing to a competing site.
Then, tick-mark the “Broken links” box to get a list of broken pages with backlinks pointing to them.
Lastly, check who’s still linking to these broken pages by clicking on “Backlinks”.
Don’t want to find broken link prospects yourself?
Here’s a recommended Broken Link Building Service: Find Broken Link Building Prospects
Offer a Perfect Replacement
Don’t just let the other person know they have a broken link on their site.
Make the process more convenient by offering a perfect replacement for that broken link.
One way would be to find a relevant piece already published on your blog.
Another would be to recreate the dead content.
Here’s how you do it.
Put the dead URL into Archive.org.
The site will show you a snapshot of what the dead link looked like in the past.
Next, you can create a similar piece of content.
Don’t try to copy it or send the same content to the owner though.
Use the tool to get an idea of what would make a perfect replacement.
Create something more up-to-date and relevant.
Reaching Out with a PItch
Now that you know how to find broken link opportunities, it’s time to learn the art of outreach.
Convincing a website owner to replace a link on their site is the hard part.
However, broken links are bad for a website. Plus, you’re doing the work by finding these links on someone’s site.
Because you’re adding value, outreach in broken link building tends to be easier than other strategies.
But, if you want to further improve your chances of getting a positive response, point out all the broken links on that web page.
Plus, offering insightful information on what would make a perfect replacement could seal the deal.
This strategy may take more effort and time than simply pointing out a broken link.
But, a spike in your conversion rate makes it worth pursuing.
Follow-up
Outreach emails often get ignored, even when you offer great value.
If you don’t get a response to your first email, there’s still hope.
Send a follow-up, but don’t be too salesy.
All you want to do is remind them of the first email.
Don’t take follow-ups lightly. When it comes to getting responses, they can be more effective than your main pitch.
However, don’t follow up more than a couple of times. Otherwise, there’s a chance the other person will mark your emails as spam.
Broken Link Building Tips
Find the Right Person
Reaching out to the wrong person can be a costly mistake in link building outreach. Your emails will keep hitting the trash or spam folder.
Besides, you don’t want to waste your time convincing the wrong individual.
You want to get in touch with someone who has the power to replace that dead link with yours.
Thankfully, this is super simple for a single-author blog: Just fill out the contact form and your message will be delivered to the right person.
However, you will have to do a little research for blogs with multiple authors.
For that, you can go through the website’s “Team” or “Staff” page.
Keep your pitch short and to the point
When it comes to link building outreach, shorter is better.
Get to the point as soon as you can and keep your email brief.
Plus, don’t be pushy and ask for the link straight up.
Gently ask them to consider your link as a replacement.
Broken Link Builder: FAQs
What is the Broken Link Building Method?
The broken link building method takes advantage of dead links on a web page. First, you spot broken links on websites you want backlinks from. Then, you reach out to the owner asking them to replace the dead link with your live one.
Does Broken Link Building Still Work?
Some SEOs think broken link building is a waste of time and resources. Others have a different point of view. The right answer is yes, broken link building still works if you approach it the right way.
What is the Success Rate of Broken Link Building?
The success of your broken building strategy depends on multiple factors including who and how you reach out. Generally, you can expect to get around a 10% conversion rate with an effective link building strategy, which is great.
Are Broken Links Bad for SEO?
Yes, broken links are bad for SEO because they negatively impact the user experience. This is why too many broken links on a website can damage its SEO standings.
You May Also Like: Link Farming Exposed (Understanding the Risks)
Conclusion
Done right, broken link building is still a great way to build quality backlinks. In fact, it offers several attractive advantages over other popular techniques like guest posting:
- You don’t have to create new content
- Finding broken links is super easy
- Getting someone to replace a dead link on their site doesn’t take a lot of convincing
However, pointing to a dead link and offering a replacement may not be enough.
Website owners get a lot of these emails. In order to stand out, make your email clear, to the point, and helpful.
Plus, have a follow-up email ready in case your first email doesn’t get a response.
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