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How to use Ahrefs /
Module 5

Broken backlinks

The Broken backlinks report shows you the referring pages that link to 404 pages on your target website, URL, or subsection along with their anchor and surrounding text.

broken-backlinks-1

Here are some actionable use cases for this report.

Find and fix broken external links

The backlinks that lead to 404 pages on your target website are a waste of “link equity”. They could instead be passing value and authority to live relevant pages on your website, increasing their chances to rank.

Enter your website to find them.

broken-backlinks-2

The backlinks from external websites (external links) reside under the Referring page column (1) and 404 pages (broken pages) reside under the Anchor and target URL column (2).

Once found, you can either restore them or use redirects to other relevant pages of your website.

KEEP LEARNING

Check out this video on how to preserve link equity.

1
Introduction to Site Explorer
3:13
2
Overview
5:11
3
Page Inspect
1:01
4
Site Structure
2:07
5
Calendar
1:58
8
Referring domains
1:47
9
Anchors
1:50
11
Organic keywords
2:24
12
Organic competitors
3:00
13
Top pages
14
Paid keywords
1:33
15
Ads
2:05
16
Paid pages
1:53
18
Linked domains
2:48
19
Outgoing anchors
2:42
About this course

How to use Ahrefs

64 lessons
3h 24m
Learn practical ways to use Ahrefs' SEO tools and reports to improve SEO.

What you’ll learn

  • How to analyze yours and your competitors’ websites with Site Explorer

  • How to master keyword research with Keywords Explorer

  • How to improve your on-page and technical SEO with Site Audit

  • How to track and improve your Google rankings with Rank Tracker

  • How to discover untapped keyword and link building opportunities with Content Explorer

  • How to get keyword and link building opportunities on autopilot with Alerts

Course by

Andrei ȚițAndrei Țiț is a product marketer at Ahrefs. He develops content to help you make the most out of Ahrefs.
Sam OhSam Oh is VP of Marketing at Ahrefs. He incorporates his commitment to education and love for entrepreneurship into actionable and easy-to-digest tutorials.