Broken Link Building Guide: Complete Strategy & Templates | Linkio

Master broken link building with our comprehensive guide. Learn how to find broken links, create replacement content, and use proven outreach templates for high-quality backlinks.

Broken link building is one of the most effective link building strategies out there. Similar to guest posting, it lets you secure high-quality links from authoritative websites in exchange for strong content.

The conversion rate is higher than many other techniques because nobody wants dead links on their site—and you're providing value by fixing them.

What is Broken Link Building?

In short, it is the process of acquiring links by finding resources with dead links and offering them your own content instead of the one they originally linked to.

💡 Why It Works

✓Pages get edited, moved, URLs change, domains expire constantly
✓Dead links hurt both SEO and user experience
✓Site owners appreciate when you point out issues and offer solutions
✓Higher conversion rate than other link building techniques

Broken Link Building Pros and Cons

✅ Pros

• High-quality backlinks from relevant, authoritative websites
• High conversion rate
• Lots of opportunities that are relatively easy to find
• Quite effective as a strategy
• Possibility of acquiring multiple links with a single piece of content

❌ Cons

• Producing new content solely for building links can be time-consuming
• Sometimes prospects won't reach back after they've replaced the link

As you can see, the benefits greatly outweigh the disadvantages, making this strategy extremely viable.

How to Do Broken Link Building

📋 Step-by-Step Process

Find Broken Link Opportunities

Identify websites with dead links in your niche

Find Contact Emails

Locate the right person to contact at each website

Create Replacement Content

Write content that perfectly replaces the dead resource

Write Your Outreach Pitch

Craft personalized emails pointing out the issue and offering your solution

Send and Follow Up

Send your pitches and follow up after 2-3 business days

Finding Broken Link Building Opportunities

Unlike resource page link building or guest posting, finding broken link opportunities requires more than just Google searches. Resource pages can make excellent prospects though!

🔍 Google Search Operators for Resource Pages

"keyword" + "top 10 resources"

"keyword" + "favorite resources"

"keyword" + "recommended sites"

"keyword" + "useful links"

"keyword" + "resource page"

"keyword" + intitle:"resources"

"keyword" + intitle:"links"

"keyword" + "round up"

Check each page in the results for broken links using the tools below.

Useful Tools for Finding Broken Links

🔧 Ahrefs Backlink Checker

Perfect for quickly getting an overview of any website's backlink profile. It reveals all dead links, which is exactly what you're looking for.

🔧 Dead Link Checker

Built specifically for finding dead links. It will scan any website to reveal its broken links—and it's 100% free!

🔧 ExpiredDomains.net

Daily-updated database of expired domains. When sites die, all their links remain but in 404 form—prime link building real estate if you can replicate the content!

Finding Your Prospects' Contact Emails

After establishing your list of prospects, search for their contact emails. Preferably the person responsible for links, not just "info@domain.com".

Hunter.io

Reveals all emails related to any domain at the click of a button. Finds about 90% of company emails automatically.

Email Permutator

Generates all possible email combinations when you know the prospect's name and domain. Paste into Gmail to see which lights up.

Create Content to Plug the Hole

📝 Content Creation Tips

• Look at what kind of content the site used to link to and replicate it
• Make sure it's actually relevant and fits organically
• Consider making it longer, better, and more informative than the original
• If you find an expired domain, write one article for multiple linking sites

Pro tip: Find expired domains with multiple backlinks to the same page—write one replacement article and pitch it to all sites for maximum efficiency.

Outreach Email Templates

Here are top-tier outreach email templates for broken link building. Remember about customization—if prospects notice you're using a template, you'll look spammy.

Template 1: Direct Approach

Hello {{prospect.first_name}},

I was looking for some good data on {{topic}} and stumbled upon your {{article name}}.

I found what I was looking for, however, I noticed that the link directing to {{site name with 404 error}} leads to a 404.

I feel like one of my own posts on {{topic}} would be a great addition to your page and a good replacement for the broken link. {{elaborate why}}.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Thanks {{prospect.first_name}},

Template 2: Helpful Approach

Hey {{prospect.first_name}},

I was digging around for information on {{topic}} today and came across your post: {{link to their post}}

This is great! Lots of good advice. I even {{implemented something, learned something}}.

However, I did find some broken links there. Let me know if you'd like me to send you the list I made.

Cheers,

Template 3: Value-First Approach

Hello,

I'm a licensed {{industry specialist}} and a {{topic}} writer – I recently visited your site while researching for an article I'm working on...

This is a note for your webmaster, as I found a dead resource on your site that visitors like me surely miss. It's on this page: {{post title + hyperlinked}}

I got an error message when I tried to click on this site: {{dead URL}}

It looks like they made a change to their home page but didn't update it... anyhow, the correct link is here: {{working link}}

And while you're updating your page, I wondered if you'd be open to including some further resources that could help people struggling with similar issues.

Thanks for your help and for providing great resources!

Best,

Template 4: Short & Sweet

Hey {{prospect.first_name}},

Are you still updating {{prospect.domain_name}}? I found a broken link I'd like to point out.

Following Up

📧 Follow-Up Best Practices

•
No Reply? Wait 2-3 business days and resend your original message with "Did I get the right person?" at the top
•
Got a Response? Always follow up with at least a simple "Thank you"
•
Build Relationships: Stay in touch with prospects in your niche for future opportunities

Broken Link Building No-Nos

❌ Things to Avoid

✗Focus only on topically-relevant websites—don't offer unrelated content
✗Avoid "info@domain.com" as much as possible—find the right person
✗Don't go for low-hanging fruit or sites that link to unrelated websites
✗Avoid bookmarking sites—they fall into link scheme territory
✗DON'T be afraid to follow up—emails get buried easily

🎯 Key Success Factors

🎯

Be Relevant

Only offer content that perfectly replaces the broken resource

👤

Personalize

Use names, mention specific articles, and customize each email

💪

Persist

Follow up consistently—busy people need reminders

Conclusion

Broken link building is a very powerful strategy that can yield amazing results if you put your mind to it. Broken links aren't hard to come by on the Internet, and there's a chance to get multiple prospects from just a single dead link.

Its only real downside is the fact that you need to create new, unique content per each broken link, and that can take quite a while.

Remember: The key to success is providing genuine value. You're helping website owners fix problems while improving their content—it's a win-win situation when done right.

Broken Link Building Guide