Google’s Gary Illyes recently addressed whether it’s worthwhile to fix broken backlinks, which have incorrect URLs pointing to a website. His response is intriguing, offering an utterly unconventional perspective on the matter.

Google: Should Broken Backlinks Be Fixed?

During a recent Google SEO Office Hours podcast, someone asked if fixing broken backlinks would improve overall SEO. Google’s Gary Illyes responded:

“You should fix the broken backlinks that you think would be helpful for your users. You can’t possibly fix all the links, especially once your site has grown to the size of a mammoth. Or brontosaurus.”

Unconventional Advice

Assessing broken backlinks based on their usefulness to users is an unconventional approach to deciding whether to fix them. Traditionally, SEO practice involves fixing broken backlinks to ensure maximum link equity. However, this advice challenges standard practices and shouldn’t be dismissed, as it offers a practical shortcut. For instance, if a link points to a discontinued product, a 404 response may be the most appropriate for search crawlers and users. This perspective has its merits and encourages considering solutions from different angles.

Why Broken Backlinks Should Be Fixed

Fixing broken backlinks is a relatively simple SEO task and a quick win. While the benefits are hard to measure, it’s worthwhile for site visitors who follow the wrong URL when looking for the correct webpage.

Check Backlinks After a Link Building Campaign

It’s important to check backlinks even months after a campaign, as site owners may add links later but sometimes use the wrong URL. This follow-up ensures that links are correctly placed, improving their effectiveness.

Broken Backlinks That Do & Don’t Matter

Broken backlinks that often matter are those showing up as 404 errors in server logs or Google Search Console. The two main types that matter are:

1. Backlinks are broken because the linked page no longer exists or the URL has changed.
2. URLs with misspellings.

Backlinks that matter less include:

• Those from low-quality websites that don’t send traffic.
• Links to outdated webpages that should return a 404 response.
• AI chatbots, spambots, or spam webpages create random links.

Backlinks That Matter Less

Some broken backlinks are less significant because:

• They come from low-quality websites that don’t drive traffic.
• They link to outdated webpages that should return a 404 response.
• They are random links created by AI chatbots, spambots, or spam pages.

How to Identify Broken Backlinks

Identifying broken backlinks is often best done by reviewing 404 errors from visits to non-existent or misspelled URLs. If the link is essential, you’ll see traffic directed to a 404 page.

While the source of the broken link might not be immediately visible, you can search for the URL to locate it. Server logs can reveal the visitor’s IP address and user agent, helping determine if it’s a spam bot, search engine bot, or actual user. WordPress plugins like Redirection and Wordfence are helpful for site owners without access to server logs.

A SaaS backlink tool can help find broken links, but there might be better solutions for sites with many backlinks due to the workload. If a fractured link generates traffic, it will appear as a 404 error response.

Fixing Broken Backlinks

To fix links to pages that no longer exist, you can either recreate the resource or redirect the missing page to a similar webpage.

For misspelled URLs, redirect the misspelled URL to the correct one.

Another option is to contact the site linking to the wrong URL, but consider these points first:

1. The site owner might decide to remove the link entirely.
2. They might add a no-follow attribute to the corrected URL.
3. Other sites might have copied the incorrect link. Redirecting the misspelled URL to the correct one resolves the issue without risking the removal or nofollow attribute on the backlink.

Fixing Broken Backlinks

Many site owners discover broken backlinks while investigating 404 errors, often called link reclamation. This process involves fixing broken backlinks and can provide quick SEO benefits.

Addressing these inbound links can be a valuable part of a site audit, especially when focusing on 404 error responses, as potential visitors may still be crawling or using them.

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