9 Components of a Successful Broken Link Building Campaign

By Dmytro Spilka

Oct 31, 2024

Broken Link Building

Guest post by Cognism

Have you ever clicked on a link that didn’t work? That’s a broken link. Broken link building is a way to fix these links and grow your traffic at the same time.

Here’s how it works:

  1. You find websites with broken links.
  2. You offer your content to replace the broken link.
  3. If they say yes, you get a link to your website.

It’s great for SEO because:

  • You get good links to your site.
  • You help other websites fix their problems.
  • Search engines like Google see your site as more helpful.

In this blog post, we discuss the nine key parts of a good broken link-building plan. Whether you’re new to SEO or have been doing it for a while, you’ll learn how to use this method well.

1. Understand Broken Link Building

Broken link building is a way to get good links to your website. It’s like finding a problem and fixing it.

It works like this:

First, you look for links on other websites that don’t work anymore. These are called broken links. They happen when a web page is moved or deleted. When you click on a broken link, you see an error page. That’s not good for people using the website.

Next, you make or find content that resembles what the broken link was supposed to show. Then, you tell the website owner about the broken link and suggest your content as a replacement. If they like your content, they might use it to fix the broken link.

It’s a great SEO strategy because:

  • The website owner fixes a problem on their site.
  • Website visitors don’t encounter broken links.
  • You get a link to your website!

Why is it helpful? For two big reasons:

  1. It makes websites better. No one likes clicking on links that don’t work. By fixing them, you make the search experience better.
  2. It helps your website show up in searches. Search engines think your site is valuable when other good websites link to you. This can help more people find your website.

Broken link building is not just about getting links. It’s about helping others and making good connections. It’s a good way to work with other website owners. You’re not just asking for a link; you’re offering something useful in return.

2. Identify Target Websites

Finding the right websites is essential in broken link building. You want to look for websites that are:

  1. Covering the same topics as your website.
  2. Trusted and well-known in their field.
  3. Likely to have broken links.

Here’s how to find these sites:

First, think about what your website is about. If you write about cooking, look for food blogs or recipe sites. If you work in SaaS sales, look for other sales brands.

Next, use special tools to find good websites. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can help. These tools show you how important a website is. They give each site a score (known as domain rating or domain authority); the higher the score, the better the website.

Here’s what to do with these tools:

  1. Type in keywords related to your topic.
  2. Look at the websites that come up.
  3. Check their scores. Higher scores are better!
  4. See how many other websites link to them. More links usually mean a better website.

It’s also good to look at websites that already link to sites like yours. These websites might be interested in your content, too.

Remember, it’s not just about finding any website. You want to find websites that people trust. When these websites link to you, it helps your website a lot.

Don’t just look at the scores, though. Take some time to read the websites. Make sure they talk about things related to your brand. The more related they are, the better.

By taking time to find the right websites, you make your broken link-building work better. You’ll have a better chance of getting good links that really help your website.

3. Find Broken Links

Now that you know which websites to look at, it’s time to find the broken links. It’s like being a detective. You’re looking for links that don’t work anymore.

Here’s how to do it:

First, you need some tools. These tools help you find broken links faster. Here are some good ones:

  1. Check My Links: This is a free tool you can add to your web browser. It checks all the links on a page and tells you if any are broken.
  2. Screaming Frog: This is a bigger tool that can check whole websites for broken links. It’s a bit harder to use but is better for finding broken links at scale.

These tools will show you all the broken links on a website or webpage. But not all of these links will be useful. You need to pick the right ones.

Follow these steps:

  1. Look at what the link was supposed to be about. Is it something you can write about?
  2. Check how important the link seems. Is it in the central part of the page or hidden at the bottom?
  3. See if the link is on a significant page. A broken link on a homepage is more valuable than one on an old blog post.

Remember, you’re not looking for any broken link. You want to find ones that you can replace with your own content.

Top tip:

Start with the most important pages on a website. These are often the homepage, the About page, or pages called “Resources” or “Links”. These pages usually have more links and are checked more often.

Also, don’t forget to check old blog posts or news articles. They often have links to other websites that might not work anymore.

Finding good broken links takes time. But it’s worth it. When you find the right broken links, you have a better chance of getting your content on good websites.

4. Create or Recommend Relevant Content

Once you’ve found broken links, you need content to replace them. It almost goes without saying, but this content needs to be really good! It must be helpful and interesting.

Here’s how to make or find the right content:

Define what the broken link was about. Your content should be about the same thing. If the broken link was about “10 easy cake recipes”, your content should be about cake recipes, too.

Now, you have two choices. You can make new content or use content you already have. Like so:

Making new content

  1. Research the topic well. Learn everything you can about it.
  2. Write clearly and simply. Use short sentences and easy words.
  3. Add pictures or videos if you can. They make your content more engaging to read.
  4. Make sure all your facts are correct. Check everything twice!

Using content you already have

  1. Look at your old blog posts or articles. See if any are about the same topic as the broken link.
  2. If you find a good match, reread it. Make sure it’s still correct and up-to-date.
  3. If it needs changes, update it. Add new information or make it clearer.
  4. Sometimes, you can take parts of different posts and put them together to make a new post.

Your content must be better than what the broken link showed. It should give more information or explain things more clearly.

Top tip:

Make your content easy to read on mobile phones. Many people use their phones to look at websites, and so you must optimise your content for devices. That’s good content marketing!

Also, think about different types of content. You could film a video or design an infographic that explains your key takeaways visually. Or you could make a list that’s easy for users to skim read.

The most important thing is that your content helps people. If it’s helpful, website owners will want to link to it. And that’s good for your site!

5. Craft an Effective Outreach Email

Writing a good email is critical to getting people to use your links.

Here are some email writing tips for your broken link strategy:

  1. Personalise it: Use the website owner’s name (Cognism’s Chrome Extension can help you find it!). Say something nice about their website. This shows you’ve done your homework.
  2. Keep it short: People are busy. Get to the point quickly. Three or four short paragraphs are enough.
  3. Be clear: Tell them right away why you’re writing. For example, “I found this broken link on your page: (share URL).”
  4. Be helpful: Show how your link can help them. Say something like, “I have a page about [topic] that might be a good replacement.”
  5. Don’t brag: Don’t talk too much about how great your website is. Focus on how you can help the content manager.
  6. Ask nicely: At the end, ask if they’d like to use your link, but don’t demand it.
  7. Say thanks: Always thank them for their time.

See this example:

Hi [First Name],

I hope you’re having a good day. I really liked your article about [topic]. It was very useful!

I noticed that the link to [URL] isn’t working anymore. I thought you might want to know.

I have an up-to-date guide about [topic] that might work as a replacement. Would you like to take a look?

Thanks for your time. Let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

[Your name]

This email works well because:

  • It’s friendly and personal.
  • It points out the problem (a broken link!) straight away!
  • It offers a solution (your guide).
  • It’s short and easy to read.
  • It doesn’t brag or push too hard.

Remember, be patient. Not everyone will reply. But if you’re pleasant, professional and helpful, more people will want to use your links.

6. Build a List of Prospects and Manage Outreach

The success of broken link building mainly relies on finding people to contact.

The first step is to make a contact database of websites and website managers to reach out to.

How to do it?

Technology can help you here; Cognism is a great option for finding business contact details at scale, including B2B email addresses. Other competitors are available!

These are the contact details you want to find:

  • Website URL.
  • Blog author/website manager name.
  • Their email address.

After listing those details, you then have to plan your communications. You don’t need expensive software for this; a plain Excel sheet will do!

Use this format when planning your outreach:

  • When you sent the first email to the prospect.
  • If they replied.
  • When to send a follow-up email.

Always follow up if you don’t hear back! But don’t send too many emails. Two or three is enough. Set reminders to help you remember.

Making a good prospecting list takes time, but it’s worth it. Good planning helps you reach more relevant people, meaning you’ll get more and better links to your site!

7. Track Backlinks and Responses

As you start sending outreach emails and (hopefully!) get some replies, you’ll want to track your progress.

Let’s start with backlinks. Utilise the following tools to keep tabs on building broken links:

  • Google Analytics: A free Google application that tracks traffic to your site.
  • Ahrefs: One of the best SEO tools for monitoring backlinks. You can set notifications which will alert you when you gain or lose a link.
  • SEMrush: An Ahrefs alternative and another good tool for tracking backlinks.

Now, let’s talk about responses. You should keep track of:

  • How many emails have you sent?
  • How many people wrote back?
  • How many people said yes to your link?

Again, use a simple spreadsheet for this. Write down your numbers every day or week.

You can learn a lot from tracking your link-building outreach. For example:

  • If lots of people say yes and add your link, keep doing what you’re doing!
  • If not many people write back, try changing your email.
  • If most people say no, always ask them why. You might learn something useful.

Remember, it’s okay if not everyone says yes. That’s normal. The important thing is to keep trying and learning.

As with anything in digital marketing, the more you do, the better you’ll get. You’ll learn what works best for your website. Maybe some types of websites say yes more often. Or maybe certain content types get more links than others. Pay attention to these things.

Tracking might seem like extra work, but it’s super-important for building backlinks. It helps you know if your hard work is paying off. And it enables you to make smart choices about what to do next.

So, keep an eye on those backlinks and responses. They’re telling you a story about how well your plan is working!

8. Scale the Campaign

Getting one or two links is good. Getting dozens or even hundreds is even better!

Here are some tips for scaling your broken link-building campaign:

  1. Use smart tools: Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can search many websites simultaneously. They save you time and help you find more opportunities.
  2. Make your emails smarter: Email tools like Mailshake or Pitchbox are good for sending personalised outreach campaigns. With them, you can contact more people without spending all day writing emails.
  3. Create more content: The more helpful content you have, the more broken links you can fix. Try to write new articles regularly. Consider hiring writers to help you scale your content efforts.
  4. Look for new websites: Don’t just stick to the same few websites. Try to find trustworthy ones who write about topics related to yours or operate in your target industries and geographies.
  5. Try new things: Keep testing new ways to run your campaigns. You might find better ways to write your emails or choose websites. Always try to improve!
  6. Get help from others: As your link campaign grows, you might need help. A link-building team might look like this: one person for finding broken links, another for writing content, and another for sending outreach emails. Use tools like Trello or Asana to ensure collaboration.

When should you get outside help? Think about it when:

  • You spend too much time on small tasks.
  • You want to do more but don’t have the time.
  • You need skills you don’t have, like writing in a different language.

The bottom line is:

Growing your campaign doesn’t mean doing more. It means finding ways to work smarter, not harder. Keep an eye on how well you’re doing. Getting a few high-quality links is better than getting lots of bad ones.

Using these tips, you can make your broken link-building campaign bigger and better. Just remember to stay focused on quality as you grow!

9. Stay Up-to-Date with SEO Best Practices

SEO changes a lot. What works today might not work tomorrow. That’s why it’s vital to keep learning.

Why is this so important?

Because search engines like Google frequently change how they work. When they make changes, it can affect your broken link building.

For example:

Google might decide that some link types are more valuable than others. If you don’t know about these changes, your hard work might go to waste.

So, how can you stay up-to-date? Here are some easy ways:

  • Read blogs: Some good ones to bookmark are Moz, Search Engine Journal and Ahrefs.
  • Listen to podcasts: Try “SEO 101” or “Search Talk Live”.
  • Watch YouTube videos: A good option for learning about SEO is Moz’s “Whiteboard Friday” series.
  • Join SEO groups: Seek out LinkedIn or Slack groups where you can learn from more experienced SEOs.
  • Follow SEO experts on X: People like Rand Fishkin and Gaetano DiNardi frequently post news and insights.
  • Take online courses: Learning sites such as Coursera and Udemy offer SEO training for beginners.

Staying informed about the changing world of SEO takes time, but it’s well worth the effort.

Broken Link Building: Key Takeaways

A successful broken link-building campaign involves nine key components: understanding broken link-building, identifying target websites, finding broken links, creating or recommending content, crafting effective outreach emails, building a list of prospects, tracking progress, scaling the campaign, and staying updated on SEO trends.

It’s a strategy that requires patience and consistency, but is an effective way to gain valuable backlinks and boost your website’s traffic and rankings. If you’re ready to level up your website’s SEO, implement our tips today and watch your rankings grow!

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