Broken Links
Broken links are links that point to URLs or resources that no longer resolve to the intended destination.
What are broken links?
Broken links are links that point to URLs or resources that no longer reach the intended destination. They often lead to a 404 page, another error response or a resource that has been removed.
For B2B marketers, broken links matter because they interrupt buyer journeys and can weaken the experience on important landing pages.
What causes broken links?
Common causes include deleted pages, changed URL slugs, website migrations, outdated external resources and incorrect links entered in a CMS. When a page moves permanently, a relevant 301 redirect can preserve the route to the replacement.
Internal links should still be updated to point directly to the final URL. Relying on redirects for every old link adds unnecessary hops and makes website maintenance harder.
Do broken links affect SEO?
A few broken links do not automatically cause a ranking penalty. The practical SEO problem is that crawlers and visitors waste time following URLs that provide no useful destination. On larger websites, repeated error URLs can also contribute to inefficient crawl activity.
Broken links can also leave valuable content disconnected. If important pages lose internal links, they can become harder to discover and may contribute to content decay.
How should you fix broken links?
First identify whether the destination should still exist. If the page moved, update the link and add a redirect when old URLs may still receive traffic or backlinks. If there is no relevant replacement, a genuine 404 can be more appropriate than redirecting users to an unrelated page.
Check related technical signals too. The replacement URL should use the correct canonical tag, and only valid final URLs should appear in the XML sitemap.
How do you find broken links in Webflow?
Crawl the site after launches, migrations and large content changes. Review internal links, CMS references, navigation and important external links. On a Webflow website, pay particular attention to deleted CMS items and changed slugs.
Why does this matter for B2B marketers?
A broken link can interrupt a path from educational content to proof, pricing or a form. Fixing those paths supports both usability and conversion rate optimization.
Key takeaway
Fix broken links based on intent: update internal links, redirect moved pages to relevant replacements and allow genuinely removed content to return an appropriate error.
