Broken Backlink Pointing to a 404

What’s actually happening

Another website points a link at your domain, but the target URL returns a 404. In Ahrefs or Semrush this shows up under 'Backlinks → Broken' with the referring page and your dead target URL. The link still exists out there, people click it, and they land on your error page — and the ranking signal that backlink should pass is going to waste.

Common causes

• You deleted or moved the page that earned the backlink and didn't set up a redirect
• A site migration changed your URL structure (e.g. dropped /blog/ or changed date-based slugs) without a complete redirect map
• The referring site typo'd your URL when they linked, or appended tracking junk that breaks the path
• Your URL had a trailing slash / case the external link doesn't match and your server doesn't normalize
• HTTPS migration left the old http:// target uncovered for that specific deep URL

How to fix it

1. Pull the list of broken backlinks and their targetsIn Ahrefs Site Explorer → Backlinks → add a 'Broken' filter, or Semrush Backlink Audit. Export the dead target URLs along with the referring domains so you can prioritize by referring-domain authority.
2. 301-redirect each dead target to the closest live pageMap every broken target URL to the most relevant existing page (ideally the content's new home; otherwise a relevant category or the homepage as a last resort). Add 301s in your .htaccess, nginx config, CMS redirect plugin, or CDN edge rules. A 301 passes the bulk of the link equity through.
3. If the link was high-value, consider recreating the pageFor backlinks from strong domains pointing at deleted content, restoring the original page (or close content at that exact URL) recovers the link fully and gives the referrer a live destination that matches their context.
4. For typo'd inbound URLs, fix it on both endsAdd a redirect from the typo'd URL to the correct one, and where feasible email the referring site to correct the link. The redirect is the reliable fix; the outreach is the clean one.