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Video Summary
Broken link building is a powerful SEO strategy that involves finding broken links on other websites and offering to replace them with a link to your relevant content.
This method benefits both the website owner, who gets to fix a broken link, and you, by gaining a valuable backlink to your site.
Here’s how to do it. Let’s get into it!
Video Transcript
Here’s a powerful SEO strategy that can help boost your website’s authority and rankings. It’s called Broken Link Building. It’s a bit like digital recycling, turning something old and broken into a valuable resource for your site. Let’s get into it!
Hi, it’s Jeffrey Kirk here. If you’re trying to improve your website’s search engine ranking, you might have come across the term “broken link building.” So, what is that anyway?
What Is Broken Link Building?
A broken link is a hyperlink that no longer works—maybe the page it pointed to was deleted, or the website was reorganized thus changing the link.
Regardless of how it happened, when people click on a broken link, they get an error page instead of the content they were expecting. And that’s frustrating for users and a missed opportunity for the website owner.
Here’s where broken link building comes in. It’s a strategy where you find these broken links on other websites and offer a replacement: a link to your relevant content.
It’s a win-win. You help the site owner fix a broken link on their site, and in return, you get a valuable backlink to your site!
Why It Works
So, why does this strategy work? Well, webmasters hate broken links. They create a poor user experience.
When you approach a site owner with a solution—a relevant, working link—they’re often happy to make the swap. Plus, it’s a natural and ethical way to build backlinks, which is great for your site’s search engine rankings.
But getting backlinks under normal conditions can be tough, and this is where broken link building comes in.
Instead of asking another site to link to your site, which is basically asking them to do you a favor, you’re turning it around and doing them a favor by pointing out a broken link and suggesting a replacement.
How to Do Broken Link Building
Okay, are you ready to get started? First, let’s talk about how to find these broken links. There are a few methods you can use.
You can use tools like Check My Links, which is a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Or use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Screaming Frog to scan websites for broken links. Focus on sites relevant to your niche or industry.
If you find broken links related to your competitors that’s a bonus! And it’s possible. It’s common for links to break as content gets moved, deleted, or reorganized over time. If someone neglects to set up redirects for old URLs during these changes, links can lead to nowhere.
Then, once you’ve found a broken link, try to figure out what it used to point to. You might be able to put the dead URL into archive.org and even see what the old page used to look like. Then you’ll know exactly what was there.
After investigating, if it looks like the dead link is on a useful source and you already have a good replacement page, then you can take it to the next step. But if everything looks good and you don’t have a replacement page, then make one!
You shouldn’t try to replicate the dead page exactly. Instead try to create something comparable. I mean, create some content that serves the same purpose and covers similar topics as the original.
Be sure to include enough value in the content so that others will feel comfortable linking to that content.
And try to go beyond the scope of the original. You might not know why someone linked to the original post, but if you can improve upon it, there’s a good chance they’ll want to link to your page instead.
Enhancing the content strengthens your value proposition by providing a good reason why the source would want to link to your content. Then, once your content is ready, send a friendly email to the website owner or editor. Your email must reach out to the right person. If it doesn’t, it’s likely to end up in the trash (or worse, the spam folder).
For this strategy, the “right” person is the one responsible for maintaining the webpage. This way, you’re connecting with someone who has the authority to replace the dead link with a link to the content on your site.
Let them know about the broken link, and then kindly suggest a link to your content as a possible replacement. Be polite and helpful—remember, you’re offering a solution to a problem they have, but they might not know they have the problem.
Finally, keep in mind that it’s okay to follow up. But be patient. Wait a week or two and then send a gentle follow-up message. Sometimes emails get buried, and a reminder can bring it back to the top of their inbox.
Tips for Success
Now, how about a few tips for success…
#1 — Target Relevant Sites: Focus on websites that are related to your industry or niche. A backlink from a relevant site is more valuable than one from an unrelated site.
#2 — Be Respectful: Remember, you’re reaching out to real people. Being polite and respectful in your emails increases your chance of success.
#3 — Personalize Your Outreach: A personalized email that shows you’ve taken the time to explore the site goes a long way.
#4 — Keep Improving Your Content: The better your content, the more likely it is that someone will want to link to it. Invest time in creating high-quality, informative, and engaging content.
#5 - Track Your Efforts: Keep a log of your outreach and follow-ups to stay organized and to measure your success rate.
And that’s it, a quick overview of broken link building. This is a smart and effective way to improve your website’s SEO.
By helping others fix broken links, you can earn valuable backlinks and boost your own search engine ranking. It’s a win-win strategy that can make a big difference for your website. So, go ahead and try it out.
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