Broken Link Building: A Smart Strategy for DA Growth

Broken link building is a clever, ethical way to earn quality backlinks and improve your Domain Authority (DA).
It involves finding dead links on other websites, then reaching out and suggesting your own content as a replacement.

Why does it work? Because you’re helping webmasters fix a problem on their site — and offering value at the same time.

This method is especially effective if you're trying to gain backlinks from well-established, high-authority websites.

What Is Broken Link Building?

Broken link building follows a simple 3-step process:

•   Find broken links on websites in your niche
•   Create or identify a relevant page on your site that can replace the broken one
•   Reach out to the site owner and suggest your live page as a replacement

It’s a win-win:

•   The other site fixes their broken user experience
•   You gain a relevant, high-authority backlink

Why Broken Links Hurt SEO — and Why Fixing Them Helps

Broken outbound links:

•   Frustrate visitors
•   Reduce user trust
•   Can negatively affect a page’s ranking
•   Signal neglect or outdated content

That’s why most site owners are happy to fix them — especially if you make it easy.

And when your content fills that gap, you earn a contextual, natural link that directly supports DA growth.

How to Find Broken Links in Your Industry

Use SEO Tools

•   Ahrefs: Use “Broken Backlinks” or “Best by links: 404”
•   Screaming Frog: Crawl competitor sites and export error pages
•   Semrush: Use “Backlink Audit” to find broken link opportunities
•   Broken Link Checker (free tool): Scan individual URLs or domains

You can also run manual Google searches like:
keyword + “resources” + inurl:links
Then use browser extensions to scan for dead links.

Prioritize High-Value Opportunities

Once you find broken links:

•   Check the DA of the site
•   See how many backlinks point to that broken page
•   Evaluate how closely the topic matches your content

Start with authoritative and relevant domains for best DA impact.

How to Create Replacement Content That Gets Chosen

If the original page is no longer available, you have a great opportunity to:

•   Create a better version
•   Expand the topic
•   Use updated stats or new examples
•   Improve structure and readability

Example:

If a blog post titled “10 Ways to Improve Page Speed” is gone, you can write:
“Top 12 Page Speed Tips for 2025 (with Free Tools)” — then pitch that as the replacement.

Make sure your page:

•   Loads fast
•   Is mobile-optimized
•   Has a clean URL
•   Is helpful and actionable

Outreach Tips for Broken Link Building Success

Here’s a simple email format:

Hi [Name],
I was reading your article on [Topic] and noticed one of the links no longer works.
I recently published something similar that may be a good replacement.
Here’s the link in case you'd like to check it out.

Thanks for the helpful post and your time!

Keep it:

•   Short and respectful
•   Helpful, not promotional
•   Focused on making their page better

Broken Link Building vs. Guest Blogging

Here’s how it works:

Both strategies work, but broken link building can be faster and more scalable.

See:
Guest Blogging for Domain Authority Growth

When to Use Broken Link Building

Use this method when:

•   You’ve published strong evergreen content
•   You want to gain links faster
•   You’re targeting competitor link gaps
•   You’re short on time for writing guest posts

It’s especially helpful if your site is new and trying to earn its first few high-quality backlinks.

Mistakes to Avoid

•   Mistakes to Avoid
•   Not checking if your own page is live and working
•   Using generic outreach with no personalization
•   Pitching multiple broken links to the same site owner
•   Sending follow-ups too aggressively

Focus on quality over volume.

Measure the DA Impact of Your Efforts

Measure the DA Impact of Your Efforts

•   Check if it’s indexed using Google Search Console
•   Track referring domains and links in Ahrefs or Moz
•   Watch your DA over time — it may rise gradually as your link profile strengthens

Also monitor traffic and engagement from the linking domain.
A good backlink brings visitors, not just SEO juice.

Conclusion — Earn Authority by Replacing What’s Broken

Broken link building is about adding value, not gaming the system.

When you help site owners improve their content — and fill gaps with yours — you build authority and trust.

Over time, these natural backlinks multiply, and your Domain Authority reflects the credibility you’ve earned.