How to Find & Fix Broken Links with Google Analytics [GA4]

Google Analytics

Published: Jul 04, 2023

Updated on: Aug 23, 2025

How to Find & Fix Broken Links with Google Analytics [GA4]

Broken links are hyperlinks on a website that no longer lead to a functioning page. When users click on these links, they typically encounter a “404 error” page, indicating that the requested webpage cannot be found.

Broken links can occur due to various reasons, including:

The linked webpage or resource has been permanently removed or deleted.
The URL structure has changed, causing the previously linked page to be inaccessible.
The website or webpage was moved to a new location without implementing proper redirects.
The linked webpage is temporarily down or experiencing technical issues.
The URL was mistyped or entered incorrectly when creating the link.

Broken links are a red flag because they can negatively impact crawling and indexing, user experience, link equity, page authority, and even user perception.

Unfortunately, broken links are unavoidable because pages get deleted, new URLs get added, and neglect can occur, especially on large websites.

However, with the power of Google Analytics (GA4), you can effectively detect and address broken backlinks, improving user experience and maintaining the value of external links to your website. Reviewing relevant GA4 metrics helps you understand user engagement patterns around broken links, enabling precise and targeted fixes that enhance site navigation and usability. Additionally, leveraging the Google Analytics Dashboard can provide a clear overview of how broken links affect user interactions, helping you prioritize and resolve issues efficiently.

Additional Read: Types of Backlinks

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Table of Contents

How to Find Broken Links with Google Analytics (GA4)

Here’s how you can track broken links in Google Analytics (GA4):

Log in to your Google Analytics account
Go to your GA4 account
Click on “Reports”
Click on “Life Cycle”
Click on “Engagement”
Click on “Page and Screens”
Click on “Page Path and Screen Class”

Select the following dimensions: “Page Title and Screen Name”.

finding broken links in google analytics (GA4)

Add a filter for “Page not found”

showing steps to find broken links in google analytics (GA4)

Now add the secondary dimension: “Landing page + query string”

Last step to find the broken page in google analytics

Now that you know how to find broken links, let’s learn how you can fix them.

How to Fix Broken Links

Here are three effective methods, along with a brief overview of the steps involved:

Implement 301 Redirects:

Identify broken links using GA4 on your website resulting in 404 errors or leading visitors to non-existent pages. Setting up 301 redirects is a key step to fix 404 errors by guiding users and search engines to the correct pages.
Create a list of these broken URLs for concentrated efforts.
Set up 301 redirects from the broken URLs to relevant, functioning pages, informing users and search engines that the content they seek has moved to a new location.
Test the redirects manually by clicking on the old URLs or using automated tools to confirm that they successfully redirect users to the intended new destination pages, ensuring a seamless browsing experience.For businesses that require ongoing support and expertise, partnering with a GA4 Consulting agency can simplify the process of fixing broken links. These professionals specialize in GA4, helping you optimize tracking, enhance your site’s performance, and address issues like broken links efficiently.

Update Internal Links:

Use Google Analytics 4 setup to identify broken internal links and locate the pages containing the broken links. Update the internal links with the correct URLs. Test and verify that the updated links are functioning properly.
Update the internal links with the correct URLs
Test to verify that the updated links are functioning properly
Setting smart goals via Google Analytics during this process can help you prioritize and maintain high-value pages, ensuring they’re free from broken links to support critical user pathways.

Reach out for External Link Corrections:

Identify broken external links through GA4 reports and make a list of these pages
Contact the respective website owners or administrators, notifying them about the broken links.
Request them to update the links or provide alternative URLs

By implementing these methods, you can effectively fix broken links and improve your website’s user experience and SEO performance. Remember to regularly review and update your links to prevent future broken link issues.

Additional Read: Internal Links Vs. External Links

Sarvesh Bagla

Founder and CEO - Techmagnate

Sarvesh Bagla is an enterprise SEO expert and industry leader who has driven transformational digital growth for India’s top brands across the BFSI, Healthcare, Automotive, and ECommerce industries. As the Founder and CEO of Techmagnate, he leads large-scale organic search strategies and performance marketing campaigns for businesses looking to succeed in today’s AI-driven search landscape.

A strong advocate for thought leadership, Sarvesh is deeply involved in SEO evangelism and regularly contributes to industry discussions through LinkedIn, webinars, and CMO roundtables. His focus today is on helping brands prepare for an AI-first SEO future (AEO, GEO) and strategies for Large Language Models (LLMs) at the core.