How to find broken backlinks in Ahrefs

Want to find backlinks pointing to broken pages on your website? Ahrefs makes it easy to identify broken backlinks so you can fix or redirect them and recover lost SEO value. Follow these simple steps to find broken backlinks quickly.

1. Log in to Ahrefs and Open Site Explorer

Go to ahrefs.com and log in to your account.
Click on Site Explorer in the top navigation menu.
Enter your domain (e.g., yourwebsite.com).
Select Domain mode and click Search.

2. Navigate to the Broken Backlinks Report

In the left-hand sidebar, scroll to the Backlink profile section.
Click on Broken backlinks.
This report shows backlinks pointing to pages on your site that return an error (e.g., 404).

3. Review the List of Broken Pages

You’ll see a list of broken URLs on your site.
Check the Referring domains to see which domains are linking to your broken pages.
Click on a broken URL to view more details.

4. Analyse the Referring Pages

Click the number under the Backlinks column for a broken URL.
Review which websites are linking to the broken page.
Check the DR (Domain Rating) and traffic metrics to prioritise high-value links.

5. Decide on the Best Fix

For each broken page, choose one of the following actions:

Restore the page if it was removed accidentally.
Redirect the URL (301 redirect) to the most relevant live page.
Contact the website owner and request they update the link to a working page.

6. Export the Broken Backlinks Report

Click the Export button in the top-right corner.
Choose your preferred file format (CSV or Excel).
Use this file to track fixes and outreach efforts.

7. Monitor Results After Fixing

After restoring or redirecting pages, return to Ahrefs.
Recheck the Broken backlinks report to confirm issues are resolved.
Monitor improvements in traffic and rankings over time.

What is Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO platform that helps you analyse your website’s search performance and uncover opportunities to improve rankings. It includes tools for keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and technical SEO insights. One of its most useful features is Site Explorer, which lets you review any domain’s backlink profile, organic keywords, and top-performing pages. For link building and site maintenance, Ahrefs can highlight issues that may weaken SEO performance—like backlinks pointing to broken pages (often 404 errors). These “broken backlinks” can reduce the value of earned links and lead users to dead ends. By identifying them inside Ahrefs, you can fix or redirect broken URLs and preserve as much link equity as possible.

Benefits of using Ahrefs to find broken backlinks

Finding broken backlinks in Ahrefs helps you protect SEO value, improve user experience, and prioritise fixes based on real link data instead of guesswork.

1. Recover lost SEO value

Broken backlinks often point to pages that no longer exist, which means you may be missing out on link equity that could support your rankings. Ahrefs helps you spot exactly which broken URLs have backlinks and how many referring domains are involved, so you can restore the page or redirect it to regain value.

2. Improve site quality and user experience

If a visitor clicks a backlink and lands on a 404 page, it creates a poor experience and can reduce trust in your site. By identifying and fixing broken backlink destinations, you ensure users arrive on relevant live pages, keeping them engaged and more likely to convert.

3. Prioritise the highest-impact fixes

Not all broken backlinks are equally important. Ahrefs shows metrics like referring domains, backlink counts, and domain quality, so you can focus on fixing the pages with the most valuable links first. This makes your SEO maintenance more efficient and results-driven.