Broken Link Building: 404s Are More Than Workable Pages for SEO in Fact

‍If you would like to bolster the visibility of your website, there are tested ways to do so. External links play a significant role in this context. Search engines trust those websites that are cited more.

‍There is one principle in nature – there are no unnecessary things, and everything should work. The same principle is very much relevant to SEO – broken pages should not stand still. Instead, they have to work as well. In this article, we will cover precisely how to make the pages 404 SEO compliant and helpful to promote your website.

‍It is a point of disappointment when surfing the Internet. However, if we set the jokes aside, a 404 Page, also known as “404 not found”, is a page that highlights an error on a website. The reason is the absence of the content on a web resource a user attempts to reach. The latter may be empty, doesn’t exist overall, or it may be broken.

‍Originally, 404 pages appeared because of troubles with DNS (Domain Name System). This means that your computer fails to find the exact address input in the search bar. There are two most widespread causes for such a situation:

• A website you are trying to reach is no longer operating under the specific web address. It can move to another one or even closed entirely. The latter case means it will not function any longer. Anyway, double-check whether you have typed a website address correctly.
• A browser may attempt to load a website but its address doesn’t match entirely. In this case, a browser will send a signal to the most similar match it can ascertain. If there is a discrepancy, a user sees a 404 error.

‍It may sound intricate but using broken pages is an effective approach. What may sound even more surprising is that such a tactic was used a long time ago when SEO emerged only. Here is how a broken backlink can operate in your favour.

‍You need to find as many broken links as possible. The next step is to persuade web admins to replace those dead pages with workable links to your website. The single nuance in this course is to make the search relevant. You have to identify the websites that have similar content to yours or one that at least aligns with it. The task is not to collect as many dead links as possible but to arrange efficient interactions between such links and your own website.

‍This is a simple yet very effective tactic that will ensure these close benefits:

• bolsters the valuable referral traffic;
• Google treats some backlinks as votes of confidence – your website gets higher search rankings respectively;
• ensures a better interaction with users – both for your website and ones where you overtake broken pages.

‍To make a workable SEO 404 page, there are several easy-to-apply tips:

• get backlinks on websites that are authoritative and have good traffic;
• overtake links previously owned by competitors where possible;
• brainstorm ideas for worthy content that can be equally interesting both for the website owners you want to reach and for the users also.

‍Another valuable point is that broken link building can even sometimes have a higher ranking compared to the remainder of link-building options.

‍Are 404s bad for SEO? In general, they are more than helpful. This tactic may fail to work only if you place irrelevant content on another website or link your webpage to an outdated one.

Major Types of Broken Backlinks

‍There are several types of dead links you can utilize for your SEO strategy:

• Internal – this link typically redirects to the pages of the same site, most often changed or deleted.
• External – this type enables to reach the external pages that do not exist.
• Backlink – this is an incoming link to another webpage that is either broken or redirected.

‍If you follow these simple steps, the process of turning the deadlinks into workable ones can be easier:

Identifying the deadlinks you can potentially use

‍Of course, there will be no need to search for them manually. Instead, apply specialized tools, such as Semrush broken link checker. It will assist you with shortlisting the most workable options for your future links.

‍This instrument will also help you to measure the level of toxicity that the broken links have. If it is within 0-44, you may confidently use such links for your SEO purposes. If the score is higher, it is advisable to refrain from using very toxic links since they bear a great risk of harming your website. The lower this score is, the better it is for your own strategy.

Analyze your competitors’ broken links

‍By applying the same audit tool, you may easily see the backlink profiles of your competitors. Among these links, you can find the backlinks to broken pages. Sumrush will be helpful in this course again.

‍It will shortlist the domains of competitors. The number of suggestions it will show you will depend on several factors. First, this will depend on the number of referring domains you possess in general. Second, the number of referring domains attributed to each competitor will also have an impact on the list that Semrush will show.

‍Of course, you may have an impact on your website solely. The more backlinks you possess at that moment, the more competitors’ backlinks you may inherit. Also, make sure you use “Active” links only. Opt for the respective filter in a broken link building tool.

Evaluate the preselected options

‍After you’ve got the list of preselected links, you need to arrange your time and resources effectively. When Semrush shows you the list of probably suitable options, you can choose the most appropriate ones depending on their authoritativeness score. The tool applies a scale of 0-100. As you may guess, it is better to use the pages that have higher scores.

‍The next point is to evaluate the context of each broken link. Open the source URL and ascertain a respective hyperlink. To ascertain what the linked webpage was used for, insert the deadlink into Wayback Machine. When browsing the history, click the most recent snapshot. This will help you to see the deleted page and find the most relevant resource on your own website. Repeat this review for all of the broken backlinks in your personal list.

‍Is it worth to cease contacting the web admins if you don’t have any 100% relevant content? No, you may suggest not less valuable alternates, namely:

• info that is somehow in context and is useful in nature;
• show a page that can work better;
• suggest up-to-date content instead of the outdated one that was originally placed on their website.

‍To make your broken link building more to the point, consider a possible conflict of interest. If it is in place, web admins are usually not keen on the idea of placing information about the competitors on their websites. So, if you reach your competitors, this endeavour is less likely to have a result.

‍If you view an outdated page, it may also not be worth spending time on that. Even more – if you pursue this opportunity, in the end, it may even harm the interaction with your target audience. Link to outdated information can form a wrong impression.

Identify contacts

‍The further action you need to take is to reach web admins. Typically, this is made via email. Ask them to replace their broken link with a new one related to your website. Usually, web admins are keen on this idea since it saves their efforts. This also eliminates the loopholes on their websites.

‍If you are not able to find a direct contact instantly, there is an alternative way for outreach. Draw attention to the author’s credentials. Look through the profiles on social media. Most often, it is possible to find the author’s email there and contact him/her. Do this work for all of the broken pages you have shortlisted.

Craft a pitch and reach web admins

‍This should be a short text aimed at making web admins interested in placing the link to your website. Make sure you forward a concise and friendly proposal. At this stage, emphasize their interests. Draw attention to the problem existing on their website and suggest how to fix it.

‍Here is a brief outline of a good outreach email:

• friendly opening;
• highlight the problem – put the broken link in the first paragraph of your email;
• briefly explain why your link fits this website and is actually a good alternative;
• indicate hyperlinks for reference.

‍Keep your email as short as possible. To monitor its next path and other emails as well use email trackers. They will help you with figuring out whether an email was opened at all. If web admins don’t reply to your email and you see it has been read, it may be a good idea to reach them in 3 business days again. Ask for a contact of a person with whom you may negotiate the matter instead. If the latter option fails to work, there is probably no point in waiting for the feedback at all. Simply keep moving with pursuing other SEO 404 page opportunities in your list.

‍Various advanced link building tools, like Semrush, offer a contact option. Yes, this app will ascertain the most suitable emails and even suggest a template. You can alter the latter one as you think this fits best.

‍The tool will also show you the status of this outreach endeavour – whether it is sent, delivered, read, or replied to. The best news Semrush can show you is that the “Backlink earned”. But, this is not the end.

Monitor your 404 redirect links

‍Keep track of how your links are functioning. The next assignment is to ensure your backlinks are active. If you see that there are some broken links, do your best to fix the problem. Otherwise, this may harm your SEO.

‍What else can you do? Look through the “Prospects” report. It contains suggestions elaborated on with your keywords and competitors in mind. This option can give you more suggestions to further bolster SEO.

‍A 404 page is not a deadlock – it is actually another opportunity for your SEO. By replacing the broken links elsewhere with useful content you promote your website and also help the owners of a hosting website to fix their problem. Seo 404 page best practices can significantly bolster your online presence. Search engines will treat your website as a more authoritative one by giving you higher rankings.

‍The secret is to make your efforts to the point by working only with high-score options. To facilitate your search more, apply specialized tools, such as Ahrefs or Semrush broken links checkers. They will help you detect and shortlist the most workable options for your website. Reach web admins with your suggestion making it a compelling offer. Also, don’t neglect the suggestions that automation tools offer you. 404 broken link building will greatly impress you in the end, be sure.