2.4 Internal linkingHighVerified

Broken internal links (404)

An internal link to a 404 wastes the link, frustrates users and leaks the value that link could pass. Broken internal links are pure loss and easy to find.

What it is

Internal links to missing pages.

Why it matters

Wastes crawl, harms UX, breaks signal flow.

How to fix it

Fix or remove; update targets.

How to find it on your site

  1. Crawl the site and list internal links returning 4xx.
  2. Identify the source pages and intended destinations.
  3. Fix the URLs or repoint to the right live page.
  4. Re-crawl to confirm they resolve.

Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors

Broken internal links waste crawl and link equity and harm experience. Fixing them recovers both.

Impact

Medium-high. Direct.

Evidence

Maintain working links; correct status codes. Google Search Central, How HTTP status codes affect Google Search

← Generic anchor textInternal links to redirects →