Broken links, also known as dead links, are links found on a website that are inactive or no longer work. When you click on them to try and access the webpage, they lead to. They typically display an error message like “404 Page not found” or “Bad URL.” A broken link can be caused by several issues such as:
- The website no longer exists.
- Changing the website’s URL structure without a redirect.
- A firewall is blocking the site.
- If the link was permanently deleted or no longer worked
- If the website owner put in the wrong link.
What is Broken Link Building?
If you’ve been asking yourself, what is broken link building? Then you’ve come to the right place to find out. Broken backlink building or BLB is an SEO strategy where you update the broken links on websites by replacing them with yours or offer your site’s content to replace the high-authority website with broken links.
BLB aims to improve your site’s authority by using high-quality inbound links. BLB can give your site a lot of traffic, but the process of doing it requires attention to detail and time. Here are some of the benefits you stand to get from BLB if you do it correctly as a beginner.
1. It’s an Effective Way to Creating Quality Backlinks
Different sites have a different domain authority (DA) ranking score, and yours is no different. The better a site’s DA, the better it is in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) eyes, and if you publish your content on these sites, you get the benefits. Google will acknowledge that if your link is on a reputable site, you must be a reputable domain, which will boost your rankings immensely.
BLB will enable you to search for DA sites that have broken links and are relevant to you. With this knowledge, you can begin producing content for the sites and reach out to them.
If they accept your offer, you’ll get all the traffic that comes with a high ranking but with relatively minimal effort. You need to reach out to the domain owner or webmaster and explain they have a gap and how you can fill it effectively.
2. You Experience a Host of New Opportunities
Broken links reveal a world of new opportunities and new audiences for you to reach out to. While finding these broken links, you not only search for the site but also by keyword or topic.
By doing this, you can find some sites you didn’t know or discover sites with your target audience ready and waiting for you.
Depending on your search, you may find one new site, or you may stumble upon a gold mine of 10 to 20 new sites. Exciting, isn’t it? All these lead to new opportunities, as with every site you find, and the chances of most of them having broken links may be very high.
3. Most Webmasters, And Domain Owners May Accept Your Offer
Imagine if your domain had a broken link on your site, and someone found it and offered to help for free. Would you say no? Well, if you only reach out to one site with the broken link, you may be disappointed. The site may reject your content, or worse, ignore you completely. However, do not worry.
The great thing about broken link building is that you can generate content for various sites with broken links, then reach them all at once. This improves your odds of getting a callback and them accepting your offer.
Most will likely accept because a broken link on their site means a drop in ranking, increased bounce rates, and an abysmal user experience that no domain owner wants. It’s no lie that reaching out to so many web admins all at once can be a hassle to do by yourself, but with a bit of organization and meticulous planning, you’ll ace it.
4. You Also Get a Chance to Check Your Backlinks
Are all your website’s backlinks functioning? When you carry out a broken link-building campaign, you have a chance to ensure all your existing links to your site are working effectively.
Any slight error in the URL or a moving image can break the link, so it’s a good idea to check them as often as possible. You wouldn’t want your competitor to find your link and take it from you.
5. Broken Link Building Can Help You Overtake Your Competitors
Similar to how your competitors can try and take advantage of your broken link, no rule says you can’t do the same. You can find all your competitors’ broken links using several handy tools and offer the receiving website your content and links instead of your competitors. It’s only fair game to build your visibility and overtake them.
Conclusion
Broken link building is a symbiotic SEO relationship that will allow you to gain a backlink to your site while helping the publisher have a more user-friendly, SEO-proof site. It’s a practical approach to boost your ranking, and you should incorporate this strategy into your digital marketing plan.
