Link Rot Explained – What It Is and How to Fix It

Ever clicked a link and landed on a 404 page? That’s link rot in action. It happens when a URL stops working because the page was moved, deleted, or renamed. Search engines see those dead ends as a sign of a neglected site, which can hurt your rankings.

Why Link Rot Matters for SEO

Google’s algorithm loves fresh, reliable content. When it finds a bunch of broken links on your site, it assumes you aren’t keeping things up‑to‑date. That can lower your domain authority and make users bounce faster. A high bounce rate tells Google you’re not delivering the info people want, so your pages may slip down in the results.

Easy Ways to Spot and Repair Broken Links

The first step is to find the bad links. Free tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or online link checkers can crawl your site and list every 404 error. Once you have the list, decide whether to redirect, replace, or remove each link.

If a page still exists under a new URL, set up a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one. This tells both users and search engines that the content moved permanently, preserving most of the SEO juice. If the content is gone for good, either find a relevant replacement page or delete the link entirely.

Don’t forget internal links. They’re just as important as external ones because they help search engines understand site structure. Run a regular audit, especially after major site redesigns, to catch any stray URLs that slipped through.

Another tip: use relative URLs when possible. They automatically adjust if you change the domain or subfolder, reducing the chance of broken paths. Also, keep a habit of updating old blog posts with fresh links whenever you reference new resources.

Finally, set up a monitoring schedule. A quick check every month isn’t a huge time sink, but it stops link rot from piling up. Automated alerts from your SEO tool can ping you the moment a link goes down.

In short, link rot is a silent SEO killer, but you can control it with regular checks, smart redirects, and a habit of updating old content. Keep your links alive, and both users and search engines will thank you.