{"id":142351,"date":"2022-05-23T08:48:48","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T13:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=142351"},"modified":"2024-09-17T06:17:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T11:17:58","slug":"broken-link-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/broken-link-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Broken Link Building: The Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Broken link building is one of the most popular link building tactics around. It\u2019s the fifth most widely used tactic<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span>according to Aira\u2019s annual <a href=\"https:\/\/aira.net\/state-of-link-building\/\">state of link building report<\/a>, which crowdsources opinions from over 250 digital marketing professionals.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But it\u2019s not entirely foolproof, and there\u2019s some nuance to doing it&nbsp;well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this guide, you\u2019ll learn how to get backlinks from broken link building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first, let\u2019s cover the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-broken-link-building\">What is broken link building?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#does-broken-link-building-still-work\">Does broken link building still&nbsp;work?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-do-broken-link-building\">How to do broken link building<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-broken-link-building\">What is broken link building?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Broken link building is a tactic that takes advantage of broken pages on the web. It involves finding a dead page and asking linkers to swap the links to a working page on your site. The idea is that they\u2019ll do this as they don\u2019t want to send visitors to a dead resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"does-broken-link-building-still-work\">Does broken link building still&nbsp;work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be fair to say that SEOs are somewhat divided when it comes to this question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IVO4zf4lU50\">one video<\/a>, Mark from Authority Hacker said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I\u2019ve come to the conclusion that it\u2019s an almost pointless tactic, and you shouldn\u2019t waste your time with&nbsp;it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you dig through the comments on that video, one stands out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"426\" class=\"wp-image-142352\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-ahrefs-blb-youtube-comment.png\" alt=\"YouTube commenter blaming Ahrefs for making broken link building sound so easy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-ahrefs-blb-youtube-comment.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-ahrefs-blb-youtube-comment-680x145.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-ahrefs-blb-youtube-comment-768x164.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-ahrefs-blb-youtube-comment-1536x327.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s set the record straight:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Broken link building isn\u2019t easy. Sometimes, it works well. Sometimes, it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is this because there\u2019s something inherently wrong with the tactic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No. It\u2019s because link building is hard to execute well\u2014whatever tactic you use. The better you understand the tactic, the more likely you are to have success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-do-broken-link-building\">How to do broken link building<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Broken link building is a four-step process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find broken pages with backlinks<\/li>\n<li>Vet the backlinks<\/li>\n<li>Create a replacement page<\/li>\n<li>Do outreach<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Find broken pages with backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s impossible to find highly linked broken pages without SEO tools. Even if you find dead pages manually, you\u2019ll need a backlink checker to see how many links they have. You can use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/backlink-checker\">free backlink checker<\/a> for this, but life is much easier with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/pricing\">full access to Ahrefs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep this in mind as we go through the tactics below. You\u2019ll need Ahrefs for \u00be of&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the tactics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Look for your competitors\u2019 broken pages with backlinks<\/li>\n<li>Look for broken pages about a&nbsp;topic<\/li>\n<li>Look for broken links on competing websites<\/li>\n<li>Look for broken links on resource pages (doable without paid Ahrefs)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">a) Look for your competitors\u2019 broken pages with backlinks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of your competitors will have at least some dead pages because everyone moves, deletes, and reorganizes content over time. If they forget to redirect old URLs when doing this, their backlinks will point to broken pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to find dead pages on your competitors\u2019 websites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Enter a competing domain<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Best by links<\/strong> report<\/li>\n<li>Filter for \u201c404 not found\u201d pages<\/li>\n<li>Sort the report by <strong>Referring domains<\/strong> from highest to lowest<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, there are 134 dead pages on Content Marketing Institute\u2019s website, and some have backlinks from over 50 referring domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142353\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-best-by-links-report.png\" alt=\"The Best by links report in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" width=\"1444\" height=\"904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-best-by-links-report.png 1444w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-best-by-links-report-680x425.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-best-by-links-report-768x481.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Your job is to sift through these pages for topics that make sense to create content about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the first page about \u201cwhat is content marketing\u201d makes sense for us because we have <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/category\/content-marketing\/\">an entire blog category about content marketing<\/a>. It\u2019s the kind of topic we want to build links&nbsp;to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t find a relevant broken page on one competitor\u2019s website, repeat the process for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">TIP<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure who your competitors are, enter your domain into <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and go to the <strong>Competing Domains<\/strong> report. This shows other websites ranking in Google for the same keywords as&nbsp;you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1870\" height=\"1060\" class=\"wp-image-142354\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-competing-domains.png\" alt=\"Competing Domains report in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-competing-domains.png 1870w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-competing-domains-680x385.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-competing-domains-768x435.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-competing-domains-1536x871.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1870px) 100vw, 1870px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">b) Look for broken pages about a&nbsp;topic<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Broken link building has traditionally always been about the method above. The disadvantage of this method is that you limit yourself to finding opportunities on a handful of&nbsp;sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ideal solution to this problem would be searching the web for broken pages with backlinks about a particular topic. The only tool we\u2019re aware of that allows you to do this is Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a>, a searchable database of billions of webpages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to use it to find broken pages about a&nbsp;topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enter a broad&nbsp;topic<\/li>\n<li>Switch the search mode to \u201cIn&nbsp;title\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Hit search<\/li>\n<li>Filter for broken pages&nbsp;only<\/li>\n<li>Filter for pages with at least 20 referring domains<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In the example below, there are 188 broken pages with at least 20 backlinks about content marketing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1542\" height=\"948\" class=\"wp-image-142355\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-content-explorer-broken-pages.png\" alt=\"Broken pages with 20+ referring domains in Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-content-explorer-broken-pages.png 1542w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-content-explorer-broken-pages-680x418.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-content-explorer-broken-pages-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-content-explorer-broken-pages-1536x944.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1542px) 100vw, 1542px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To confirm a broken page, click the title to open it in a new&nbsp;tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1480\" height=\"578\" class=\"wp-image-142356\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-broken-page.png\" alt=\"Example of a broken page\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-broken-page.png 1480w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-broken-page-680x266.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-broken-page-768x300.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">TIP<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Eyeball the \u201cPage traffic\u201d column to find pages that are more likely to have <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/high-quality-backlinks\/\">high-quality backlinks<\/a>. If the page used to have traffic, its backlinks might have been helping it to&nbsp;rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1876\" height=\"318\" class=\"wp-image-142357\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-page-traffic-over-time.png\" alt=\"Broken page that had organic traffic in the past\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-page-traffic-over-time.png 1876w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-page-traffic-over-time-680x115.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-page-traffic-over-time-768x130.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-page-traffic-over-time-1536x260.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1876px) 100vw, 1876px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If the page never had traffic, the backlinks might not be&nbsp;great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1868\" height=\"308\" class=\"wp-image-142358\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-page-traffic-over-time.png\" alt=\"Broken page that didn't have organic traffic in the past\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-page-traffic-over-time.png 1868w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-page-traffic-over-time-680x112.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-page-traffic-over-time-768x127.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-page-traffic-over-time-1536x253.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1868px) 100vw, 1868px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">c) Look for broken links on competing websites<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Most websites frequently link to pages on other sites, and some of these will break over time. That means your competitors are likely to link to broken pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to see broken pages your competitor is linking to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Enter a competing domain<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Broken Links<\/strong> report<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, robbierichards.com is linking to 32 dead&nbsp;pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1254\" class=\"wp-image-142359\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-broken-outbound-links.png\" alt=\"Broken outgoing links in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-broken-outbound-links.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-broken-outbound-links-677x425.png 677w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-broken-outbound-links-768x482.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-broken-outbound-links-1536x964.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To see which have the most referring domains, export the report, paste the broken URLs into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/batch-analysis\">Batch Analysis tool<\/a>, and sort by total referring domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"556\" class=\"wp-image-142360\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-broken-outbound-links-batch-analysis.png\" alt=\"Using Ahrefs' Batch Analysis tool to see how many links point to broken outgoing links\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-broken-outbound-links-batch-analysis.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-broken-outbound-links-batch-analysis-680x189.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-broken-outbound-links-batch-analysis-768x214.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-broken-outbound-links-batch-analysis-1536x427.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few potential broken link building opportunities in the screenshot above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Google\u2019s discontinued mobile-friendly test tool:<\/strong> 2,654&nbsp;RDs<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEJ\u2019s guide to the Google Hummingbird algorithm:<\/strong> 462&nbsp;RDs<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chatmeter\u2019s list of local SEO stats:<\/strong> 276&nbsp;RDs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">d) Look for broken links on resource pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Resource pages curate and link to resources on a particular topic. They\u2019re a good source of broken pages with backlinks for two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>People rarely update them<\/strong>, so they often link to dead resources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>They list helpful resources,<\/strong> which often have links from many other&nbsp;sites.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>To find resource pages in your industry, use one of these <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-advanced-search-operators\/\">Google search operators<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>KEYWORD intitle:resources inurl:links.html<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>KEYWORD intitle:links inurl: resources.html<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>KEYWORD inurl:resources intitle:resources<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s how we might search for resource pages about link building:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1406\" height=\"570\" class=\"wp-image-142361\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-google-search-resources-page.png\" alt=\"Searching for resource pages in Google\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-google-search-resources-page.png 1406w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-google-search-resources-page-680x276.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-google-search-resources-page-768x311.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1406px) 100vw, 1406px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Then you need to check for broken links on these pages, which you can do for free with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">Ahrefs\u2019 SEO Toolbar<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visit the&nbsp;page<\/li>\n<li>Click the toolbar icon<\/li>\n<li>Go to the \u201cLinks\u201d tab<\/li>\n<li>Click \u201cCheck status\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Filter for broken links&nbsp;only<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1396\" height=\"854\" class=\"wp-image-142362\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-seo-toolbar-broken-links.png\" alt=\"Finding broken links on a page with Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-seo-toolbar-broken-links.png 1396w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-seo-toolbar-broken-links-680x416.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-seo-toolbar-broken-links-768x470.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1396px) 100vw, 1396px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To see the total backlinks to these pages, export the list of URLs and paste them into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/batch-analysis\">Batch Analysis tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1942\" height=\"694\" class=\"wp-image-142363\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-broken-resource-links-batch-analysis.png\" alt=\"Using Ahrefs' Batch Analysis tool to see how many backlinks point to broken pages\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-broken-resource-links-batch-analysis.png 1942w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-broken-resource-links-batch-analysis-680x243.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-broken-resource-links-batch-analysis-768x274.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-broken-resource-links-batch-analysis-1536x549.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1942px) 100vw, 1942px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Vet the link prospects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people jump straight to creating a \u201csimilar\u201d replacement page after finding a dead page with backlinks. This is a mistake for two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Your broken page may not have any good backlinks.<\/strong> In which case, there\u2019s no point pursuing the opportunity or creating a replacement page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You need to understand why people linked to the dead page to create a replacement page. <\/strong>This is how you keep your content and outreach in sync, which leads to higher success rates.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>You can figure out both things by vetting the page\u2019s link prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the process in a nutshell:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142395\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-finding-the-best-broken-link-building-opportunties.png\" alt=\"Flowchart showing decision-making process of choosing whether to pursue a broken link opportunity \" width=\"900\" height=\"978\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-finding-the-best-broken-link-building-opportunties.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-finding-the-best-broken-link-building-opportunties-391x425.png 391w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-finding-the-best-broken-link-building-opportunties-768x834.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-finding-the-best-broken-link-building-opportunties-1414x1536.png 1414w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">a) Check link quality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If a broken link building opportunity is unlikely to lead to high-quality links, it\u2019s pointless pursuing it. So the first step is a quick spot-check to see whether the dead page has desirable backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to see a page\u2019s live backlinks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Enter the dead page\u2019s URL<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> report<\/li>\n<li>Set the grouping mode to \u201cOne link per domain\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Set \u201cShow history\u201d to \u201cDon\u2019t show\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142396\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-page-backlinks.jpg\" alt=\"Using the Backlinks report in Ahrefs' Site Explorer to check link quality\" width=\"1999\" height=\"825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-page-backlinks.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-page-backlinks-680x281.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-page-backlinks-768x317.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-page-backlinks-1536x634.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Then you can eyeball the report to get a sense of backlink quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can do this by reviewing each link manually, but that\u2019s inefficient for a spot-check. It\u2019s quicker to filter the report for links with attributes that tend to align with quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone\u2019s criteria will differ slightly here, but these four filters are a helpful place to&nbsp;start:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cDofollow\u201d links only.<\/strong> This excludes most low-value links such as those from directories, forums, and blog comments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Exclude subdomains.<\/strong> This excludes links from places like blogspot, which are often low-quality and spammy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DR 5+.<\/strong> This excludes links from very low-authority websites.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Domain traffic: 20+.<\/strong> This excludes links from websites with little to no traffic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if we add these filters to the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> report for the page above, the number of backlinks drops from 100 to&nbsp;29:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142397\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-filtered-backlinks-report.png\" alt=\"Filtering for good backlinks in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" width=\"1600\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-filtered-backlinks-report.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-filtered-backlinks-report-680x269.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-filtered-backlinks-report-768x303.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-filtered-backlinks-report-1536x607.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s because the dead page has many desirable links, such as this one from celebanswers.com:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142399 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-good-backlink.png\" alt=\"Example of a good backlink\" width=\"1654\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-good-backlink.png 1654w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-good-backlink-680x185.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-good-backlink-768x209.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-good-backlink-1536x418.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1654px) 100vw, 1654px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>But it also has many low-quality and spammy links like this&nbsp;one:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142398\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-bad-backlink.png\" alt=\"Example of a bad backlink\" width=\"1612\" height=\"994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-bad-backlink.png 1612w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-bad-backlink-680x419.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-bad-backlink-768x474.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-bad-backlink-1536x947.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1612px) 100vw, 1612px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s up to you to decide whether a broken page has enough desirable links to make creating a page and doing outreach worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">b) Check link reasons<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding why your broken page got links helps you add points that allow you to create compelling outreach angles. This is crucial for improving the link success rate for your campaign, so the next step is to eyeball the filtered report for link reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the two broad types of link reasons you\u2019ll see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>General links<\/strong> are where people recommend the resource as a whole. You can\u2019t see why they linked to that specific resource from the link\u2019s context.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deep links <\/strong>are where people recommend a resource for a specific reason. You can see what that reason is from the link\u2019s context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a general link to a broken page about calculating your net&nbsp;worth:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142400 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-general-link.png\" alt=\"Example of a &quot;general link&quot; where the reason for linking isn't clear\" width=\"1900\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-general-link.png 1900w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-general-link-680x139.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-general-link-768x157.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-general-link-1536x314.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>You can see that although they recommend the resource, it\u2019s impossible to tell why from the link\u2019s context. The anchor is \u201chere\u2019s an amazing post.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s not much you can learn about creating a \u201cbetter\u201d page from these kinds of&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can learn more from deep links like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142401\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-deep-link.png\" alt=\"Example of a &quot;deep link&quot; where the reason for linking is clear\" width=\"1756\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-deep-link.png 1756w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-deep-link-680x137.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-deep-link-768x155.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-deep-link-1536x310.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1756px) 100vw, 1756px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This time it\u2019s obvious why they recommended the resource: It explains how to grow your net&nbsp;worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can confirm this by looking at how the page used to look in the <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/web\/\">Wayback Machine<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142402\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-old-broken-page.png\" alt=\"Checking how a dead page used to look in the Wayback Machine\" width=\"1604\" height=\"918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-old-broken-page.png 1604w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-old-broken-page-680x389.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-old-broken-page-768x440.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-old-broken-page-1536x879.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1604px) 100vw, 1604px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Identifying deep links helps you create a compelling replacement page, so note them down alongside how many people link for the same reasons. Search the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> report for relevant \u201cfootprints\u201d in the anchor or surrounding text to find&nbsp;this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we can search this page\u2019s backlinks for words like \u201cincrease,\u201d \u201cgrow,\u201d or \u201cimprove\u201d to see if this advice led to other&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It looks like it&nbsp;did:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142403\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-deep-link-filter.png\" alt=\"Looking for others linking for similar reasons\" width=\"1958\" height=\"1162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-deep-link-filter.png 1958w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-deep-link-filter-680x404.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-deep-link-filter-768x456.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-deep-link-filter-1536x912.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1958px) 100vw, 1958px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what our final notes might look like for this&nbsp;page:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142405\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/22-link-reasons.png\" alt=\"Example link reasons for a broken page\" width=\"1016\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/22-link-reasons.png 1016w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/22-link-reasons-680x145.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/22-link-reasons-768x163.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">IMPORTANT<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>You may sometimes find that people link to a dead page for reasons that would be hard to replicate. As the flowchart suggests, these opportunities probably aren\u2019t worth pursuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s a page where most backlinks reference original stats and research:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142406\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23-stats-link-1.png\" alt=\"Example of a backlink referencing original stats and research, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" width=\"1674\" height=\"278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23-stats-link-1.png 1674w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23-stats-link-1-680x113.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23-stats-link-1-768x128.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23-stats-link-1-1536x255.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1674px) 100vw, 1674px\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142407\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-stats-link.png\" alt=\"Another example of a backlink referencing original stats and research, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" width=\"1686\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-stats-link.png 1686w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-stats-link-680x140.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-stats-link-768x159.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-stats-link-1536x317.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1686px) 100vw, 1686px\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142408\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25-stats-link.png\" alt=\"Another example of a backlink referencing original stats and research, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" width=\"1688\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25-stats-link.png 1688w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25-stats-link-680x113.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25-stats-link-768x127.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25-stats-link-1536x255.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1688px) 100vw, 1688px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, the page was a study where the author analyzed 1 million top-ranking pages. Unless we do the same for our replacement page, it won\u2019t be easy to convince linkers to swap the broken link for&nbsp;ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Create a replacement page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now you know why people linked to the dead page, it\u2019s time to create a suitable replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s go through how to do that in three&nbsp;steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">a) Create a rough outline<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Although you don\u2019t want to copy the dead page word for word, you do want to create something similar. This means crafting a piece that fulfills the same purpose and talks about similar things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get a better sense of what the dead page discussed using the Wayback Machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210711160131\/https:\/\/www.thesimpledollar.com\/financial-wellness\/how-to-calculate-your-net-worth\/\">this page<\/a> explains how to calculate your net worth in three steps, gives a few example calculations, and has tips on how to improve your net worth over&nbsp;time:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-142409\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-dead-page.jpg\" alt=\"Looking at what the broken page is about via the Wayback Machine\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-dead-page.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-dead-page-680x378.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-dead-page-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-dead-page-1536x854.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>If you were pursuing this broken link opportunity, you\u2019d want to use a similar outline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what that might look&nbsp;like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>H1: Net Worth Explained: How to Calculate and Improve It Over&nbsp;Time&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>H2: What Is Net&nbsp;Worth?<\/li>\n<li>H2: How to Calculate Your Net&nbsp;Worth&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>H3: Step 1. Do&nbsp;x<\/li>\n<li>H3: Step 2. Do&nbsp;y<\/li>\n<li>H3: Step 3. Do&nbsp;z<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>H2: Example Net Worth Calculations&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>H3: Example 1:&nbsp;x<\/li>\n<li>H3: Example 2:&nbsp;y<\/li>\n<li>H3: Example 3:&nbsp;z<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>H2: How to Track and Improve Your Net&nbsp;Worth&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>H3: Tip 1: Do&nbsp;x<\/li>\n<li>H3: Tip 2: Do&nbsp;y<\/li>\n<li>H3: Tip 3: Do&nbsp;z<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">b) Bake in linkable points<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember the work you put into vetting link prospects for deep recommendations? Now\u2019s the time to add them to your content so that your outreach angles make&nbsp;sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, we covered most of these in the basic outline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">TIP<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure everything you include is accurate. For example, if a deep link references an out-of-date statistic, include a more recent statistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">c) Find other ways to improve it<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the links to your dead page are likely to be general links. In other words, they\u2019re people referencing the content for no clear reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t do much to tailor your content for these people because you don\u2019t know what they liked about the original piece. But you can make overall improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, adding a template would probably improve our piece on calculating net&nbsp;worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Improving the content allows you to strengthen your value proposition to general linkers by adding a \u201cwhy\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Without improvement: <\/strong><em>you have a dead link &gt; here\u2019s a replacement<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>With improvement: <\/strong><em>you have a dead link &gt; here\u2019s a replacement &gt; <\/em><strong><em>here\u2019s why it\u2019s a good replacement<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few simple ways to improve content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Simplify<\/strong>: Make it more accessible and easier to understand<\/li>\n<li><strong>Visualize:<\/strong> Demonstrate concepts with graphics<\/li>\n<li><strong>Templatize<\/strong>: Add a plug-and-play template<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rectify<\/strong>: Fix issues with accuracy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Do outreach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Outreach is where you pitch your replacement resource to those linking to the dead&nbsp;page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is usually done in one of two&nbsp;ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Shotgun outreach.<\/strong> You send the same email to everyone with no personalization.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sniper outreach.<\/strong> You send unique, personalized emails to everyone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Both of these approaches have their pros and&nbsp;cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shotgun outreach is a pure numbers game. Conversion rates will be low, but you\u2019ll get some links with enough prospects. It\u2019s also risky. You can quickly burn bridges and get your domain blocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sniper outreach converts better but takes more time and effort. You can easily spend a whole day sending a dozen emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the steps we\u2019ve gone through so far, we recommend a <strong>hybrid approach<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how this&nbsp;works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of sending a unique or identical email to everyone, you segment prospects and create a personalized template for each group. This is why we spent some time identifying general and deep links. The way you target them should be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pitching deep linkers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Each segment of deep linkers deserves a unique template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we have three segments for the net worth&nbsp;page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>People referencing advice on growing your net&nbsp;worth<\/li>\n<li>People referencing the definition of net&nbsp;worth<\/li>\n<li>People referencing how to calculate net&nbsp;worth<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a simple template for the first segment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Hey [Name],<\/p>\n<p>Just came across <a href=\"#\">your post on <strong>[Topic]<\/strong><\/a> and saw that you recommended <a href=\"#\">advice on growing net worth from <strong>[Dead page author]<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Looks like that page no longer works.<\/p>\n<p>Not sure if you\u2019re still updating older posts, but if you are, <a href=\"#\">my guide<\/a> expands on that advice and gives a few extra&nbsp;tips.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s where I found the link on your&nbsp;page:<\/p>\n<p><strong>[Screenshot]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No pressure. Just thought it might be useful.&nbsp;\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>Josh<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s one for the second segment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Hey [Name],<\/p>\n<p>Just came across <a href=\"#\">your post on <strong>[Topic]<\/strong><\/a> and saw that you recommended <a href=\"#\">this process for calculating net worth from <strong>[Dead page author]<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Looks like that page no longer works.<\/p>\n<p>Not sure if you\u2019re still updating older posts, but if you are, <a href=\"#\">my guide<\/a> has a similar process but includes more detail on how to estimate the value of your assets and debts (super important for an accurate calculation!).<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s where I found the link on your&nbsp;page:<\/p>\n<p><strong>[Screenshot]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No pressure. Just thought it might be useful.&nbsp;\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>Josh<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Both of these are pretty typical and could use a bit more creativity. But hopefully, you can see how creating personalized templates like this can potentially improve the results of your broken link building campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pitching general linkers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As there\u2019s no clear reason why these people linked to the dead page, you can only send them a generic pitch. This should follow the same formula as with deep linkers. The difference is that the value proposition will be a generic one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use the improvements you made to the dead page for&nbsp;this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example template for our&nbsp;page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Hey [Name],<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just came across <a href=\"#\">your post on <strong>[Topic]<\/strong><\/a> and saw you recommended <a href=\"#\">this guide to calculating net worth from <strong>[Dead page author]<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looks like that page no longer works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not sure if you\u2019re still updating older posts, but if you are, <a href=\"#\">my guide<\/a> explains a similar process and includes a free template to make life easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s where I found the link on your&nbsp;page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[Screenshot]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few other reasons why I think my guide is better (completely biased, of course):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More details on estimating the value of assets and&nbsp;debts<\/li>\n<li>Extra tips for growing net&nbsp;worth<\/li>\n<li>Flowchart to create a custom growth plan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>No pressure. Just thought it might be useful.&nbsp;\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Josh<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This template is the best we can do for general linkers because we don\u2019t know why they linked to the original page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Link building tactics are just streamlined ways of finding link prospects with a reason for contact. In broken link building, the reason is that they have a dead link on their site. In <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/skyscraper-technique\/\">the skyscraper technique<\/a>, the reason is that you have a \u201cbetter\u201d page. In other techniques, it\u2019s something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No technique will work well without a strong value proposition. That\u2019s why we recommend using custom outreach templates for different segments of prospects linking to the dead&nbsp;page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuachardwick?lang=en\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But it\u2019s not entirely foolproof, and there\u2019s some nuance to doing it&nbsp;well. In this guide, you\u2019ll learn how to get backlinks from broken link building. But first, let\u2019s cover the basics. What is broken link building? Does broken link building<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":142391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"coauthors":[336],"class_list":["post-142351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-link-building","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Broken Link Building: The Complete Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what broken link building is, whether it still works, and how to get backlinks with it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/broken-link-building\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Broken Link Building: The Complete Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to get results.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/broken-link-building\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-23T13:48:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T11:17:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_broken_link_building.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" 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