You've found your broken links. Good. Now you need to fix them — but "fix" doesn't always mean the same thing. Sometimes you update the URL. Sometimes you redirect. Sometimes you remove the link entirely. Here's how to decide and how to do each one.
The three fixes
Fix 1: Update the link
When to use: The destination page still exists but moved to a new URL. Or you made a typo in the original link.
This is the simplest fix. Find the link in your page editor, update the URL to the correct one, and save. For example, if you linked to /services/plumbing but the page is now at /our-services/plumbing, update the link.
Fix 2: Set up a redirect
When to use: You renamed or moved a page on your site, and other sites or bookmarks might still point to the old URL. A redirect automatically sends visitors from the old URL to the new one.
Use a 301 redirect (permanent) for pages that have permanently moved. This tells Google to transfer the old page's SEO value to the new one. Never use a 302 redirect for permanent moves — it doesn't pass SEO value.
Fix 3: Remove the link
When to use: The linked content no longer exists anywhere, and there's no suitable replacement. An external site shut down, a product was discontinued, or the content is simply gone.
Remove the link from your content. If the text makes sense without the link, just remove the anchor tag. If it doesn't, rewrite the sentence.
How to set up redirects by platform
WordPress
Install the "Redirection" plugin (free, 2 million+ active installations). Go to Tools > Redirection, enter the old URL and the new URL, and save. The plugin also logs 404 errors so you can find new broken links as they appear.
Squarespace
Go to Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings. Add a line in the format: /old-page -> /new-page 301. Squarespace handles the redirect from there.
Wix
Go to SEO > URL Redirect Manager. Click "New Redirect," enter the old path and new path, select "301" as the type, and save.
Manual (.htaccess)
If you have access to your server's .htaccess file (Apache), add: Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page. For Nginx, add a rewrite rule in your server configuration.
Prioritize by impact
Don't try to fix every broken link at once if you have hundreds. Prioritize:
- Navigation and footer links — these appear on every page and affect every visitor
- Internal links on high-traffic pages — check your analytics to see which pages get the most visits
- Links from external sites — if other sites link to a broken page on your site, set up a redirect. These are free backlinks you're wasting
- External links in your content — these are less critical but still affect user experience
- Broken images — these look unprofessional but don't affect navigation
Preventing future broken links
- Always redirect when you rename a page. Make it part of your process — rename page, add redirect, done
- Use relative URLs for internal links when possible —
/aboutinstead ofhttps://yoursite.com/about. This prevents breaks if your domain ever changes - Monitor regularly. Run a broken link scan at least monthly. Antileak's daily monitoring catches new breaks before visitors do
- Before deleting a page, search your site for links pointing to it. Update or redirect them first
Start with the easy wins. Fix your navigation and homepage links first — those affect every visitor. Then work through the rest by traffic priority. Even fixing 10 broken links per week makes a meaningful difference in your health score within a month.