Best Broken Link Building Tools
Updated for 2026 • 13 min read
You find a great resource online, click a link expecting useful information, and land on a 404 page. For most people, that’s just annoying. For SEOs, it’s an opportunity waiting to be claimed.
Every dead page on the web is still surrounded by working, relevant backlinks — links that once pointed to something useful and now point to nothing. Broken link building is the practice of finding those dead ends, creating (or already having) a resource that deserves to replace them, and reaching out to the site owner who’s currently linking to a 404. It’s one of the few link building tactics that genuinely helps the person you’re emailing, which is exactly why it still works in 2026.
The catch is that you can’t do this manually at scale. You need a tool that can surface broken pages, show you who’s linking to them, and help you prioritize which opportunities are worth chasing. Below, we compare five tools that genuinely help with broken link building and backlink research, what each one costs, and which one fits your situation.
Best Broken Link Building Tools at a Glance
The best broken link building tools are Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools (LinkMiner), Serpstat, and Moz Pro. Here’s how they stack up before we get into the details.
| Tool | Best For | Free Option | Starting Price |
| Semrush | All-in-one teams & agencies | 7-day free trial | $139.95/mo |
| SE Ranking | Budget-friendly all-in-one | 14-day free trial | $129/mo |
| Mangools (LinkMiner) | Beginners & bloggers | 10-day free trial | $29.90/mo |
| Serpstat | Budget backlink research | 7-day free trial | ~$55/mo |
| Moz Pro | Beginners who want simple metrics | Free trial available | $49/mo |
What Is Broken Link Building?
Broken link building is an SEO strategy where you find relevant dead pages or broken links, create or identify a useful replacement resource, and contact websites that linked to the original resource, asking them to swap in your link instead.
It’s one of the oldest white-hat link building tactics, and it still works because it’s built on a real favor. A dead link on a site hurts that site’s user experience and its own SEO — broken outbound links are a small but real technical SEO issue. When you point it out and offer a working replacement, you’re not asking for a link out of nowhere. You’re fixing something.
The core pieces you’re working with:
| • | Broken links / dead pages — URLs that now return a 404 or other error, but still have websites linking to them. |
| • | Outdated resources — pages that still load but no longer reflect current information, pricing, or best practice. |
| • | The replacement — a page you own (or create) that covers the same topic at least as well as the original. |
| • | The outreach — a short, honest email to the site owner flagging the dead link and suggesting your resource as the fix. |
How Broken Link Building Works
1 |
Find relevant broken pages or links in your niche. |
2 |
Identify which websites are still linking to them. |
3 |
Work out why the original resource attracted links in the first place. |
4 |
Create or identify a genuinely useful replacement. |
5 |
Contact the site owners linking to the dead page. |
6 |
Suggest your resource as a straightforward replacement. |
7 |
Track which links actually get swapped in. |
The tools below handle steps 1 and 2 for you. Steps 3 through 7 still take judgment — and that’s exactly where most broken link building campaigns succeed or fail. A tool can hand you a list of 400 dead links; it can’t tell you which 15 are actually worth an email.
1. Semrush
Semrush is the platform most agencies already have open in another tab, and that matters for broken link building because you’re rarely running it in isolation. You’ll want site audits, competitor gap analysis, and content ideas alongside your broken-link prospecting, and Semrush is built to do all of it from one dashboard.
Best for: Agencies and in-house teams who want broken link prospecting built into a full SEO and content marketing platform.
Key Features for Broken Link Building
| • | Backlink Analytics shows referring domains and lets you filter for outbound links returning error codes |
| • | Site Audit flags broken internal and external links during scheduled crawls, useful for auditing your own replacement pages |
| • | Backlink Gap compares your link profile against competitors to spot patterns worth chasing |
| • | Bulk export to CSV for outreach lists |
Pros
| • | One subscription covers backlinks, keywords, content, and paid research |
| • | Large, frequently refreshed backlink index |
| • | Genuine 7-day free trial to test the workflow before you buy |
| • | Strong reporting and white-label export options for client work |
Cons
| • | No purpose-built “broken backlink finder” — you assemble the workflow from a few different reports |
| • | The most expensive entry point on this list |
| • | Can feel like overkill if backlink research is the only thing you need |
Pricing
Semrush Pro starts at $139.95/month, with Guru and Business tiers above it for larger keyword and reporting limits. A 7-day free trial is available so you can test the backlink workflow before committing.
Who Should Use It?
Agencies managing several client accounts and in-house teams that need backlink research alongside keyword tracking, content planning, and technical audits in a single tool.
How It Helps With Broken Link Building
Run Backlink Analytics on competitor domains and export their referring pages, then batch-check those URLs for dead links using a status-code checker. Cross-reference the surviving list against your own content to see which pages you could pitch as replacements, and use Site Audit afterward to confirm the pages you’re about to promote don’t have broken links of their own.
Try Semrush and See What It Uncovers in Your Backlink Profile
2. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is what a lot of SEOs switch to once they realize they’re paying premium prices for features they barely touch. It covers the same core ground as the bigger platforms — backlink monitoring, site audits, rank tracking — at roughly a third less, and it doesn’t meter you with credits.
Best for: Freelancers and small agencies who want an all-in-one platform without premium-tier pricing.
Key Features for Broken Link Building
| • | Backlink Checker with referring domain and anchor text filtering |
| • | Website Audit flags broken links (internal and external) as part of the standard crawl |
| • | Competitor backlink comparison to find donor domains at scale |
| • | Built-in white-label PDF reporting for client-facing outreach summaries |
Pros
| • | Roughly 25–30% cheaper than comparable all-in-one platforms |
| • | 14-day free trial with full access, no card required |
| • | Unlimited user seats on higher plans, which helps small teams |
| • | Straightforward, beginner-friendly interface |
Cons
| • | Backlink index is meaningfully smaller than Semrush or Ahrefs |
| • | Can miss broken-link opportunities on lower-traffic or newer domains |
| • | No dedicated outreach or CRM layer — you’ll still need a separate email tool |
Pricing
Core starts at $129/month ($103.20/month billed annually). Growth is $279/month ($223.20/month annually) for larger teams. Both plans include a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Who Should Use It?
Freelance SEOs and small agencies who want white-label reporting and a full toolset without paying enterprise prices. Read our full SE Ranking review for a deeper breakdown of the platform.
How It Helps With Broken Link Building
Pull the backlink profile of a competitor or a well-linked resource in your niche, sort by referring domain authority, then run the linking pages through the Website Audit tool to check which outbound links on those pages are dead. Export the qualifying list and start outreach with SE Ranking’s white-label reports as a leave-behind if you’re pitching this as a client service.
Explore SE Ranking’s Backlink Research Features
3. Mangools (LinkMiner)
Mangools built its reputation on making SEO data approachable, and LinkMiner — its dedicated backlink tool — is the most beginner-friendly way to get started with broken link building on this list. It won’t out-crawl Semrush on raw index size, but for solo bloggers and small sites, that’s rarely the bottleneck anyway.
Best for: Bloggers, niche site owners, and beginners who want a simple, affordable backlink checker without a full SEO suite.
Key Features for Broken Link Building
| • | Live link preview lets you see the linking page and confirm its status without leaving the dashboard |
| • | Link Strength metric helps you prioritize which broken-link donors are worth chasing first |
| • | Filter by dofollow/nofollow and anchor text |
| • | CSV export for building outreach spreadsheets |
Pros
| • | The cheapest full toolkit on this list, bundling keyword research, rank tracking, and backlinks together |
| • | Clean, uncluttered interface with a genuinely short learning curve |
| • | 10-day free trial, no credit card required |
| • | Every plan includes the full tool set — only usage limits change |
Cons
| • | Smallest backlink database of the five tools here |
| • | No technical site-audit crawler built in |
| • | Not built for agencies running high-volume link building across many client domains |
Pricing
Basic is $29.90/month billed annually ($49/month monthly), Premium is $44.90/month annually, and Agency is $89.90/month annually. A 10-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
Who Should Use It?
Bloggers, affiliate site owners, and freelancers who want to run a broken link building campaign without learning an enterprise-grade dashboard. See how it stacks up in our Mangools vs. Semrush comparison.
How It Helps With Broken Link Building
Drop a well-linked competitor URL or a known industry resource into LinkMiner, sort the results by Link Strength, and use the live preview to spot-check which linking pages still exist and which no longer serve their original purpose. Because the interface is fast, this is a workflow you can realistically run every week rather than once a quarter.
Try LinkMiner and Start Finding Link Opportunities
4. Serpstat
Serpstat sits in the gap between the budget tools and the premium suites — a full toolkit (keywords, backlinks, rank tracking, site audit, competitor analysis) at a price that undercuts Semrush and SE Ranking without feeling stripped down.
Best for: Solo SEOs and small teams who want backlink research and site auditing together at a lower monthly cost.
Key Features for Broken Link Building
| • | Backlink Analysis dashboard with referring domains, anchor text, and new/lost link tracking |
| • | Site Audit scans flag broken links and other technical issues on a schedule |
| • | Competitor backlink comparison across multiple domains at once |
| • | API access from the Team plan for teams that want to automate parts of the workflow |
Pros
| • | Full SEO suite at a genuinely affordable entry price |
| • | 7-day free trial with full paid-plan features |
| • | Site Audit and backlink data live in the same dashboard, so you’re not tab-switching |
| • | In-plan API on Team tier and above |
Cons
| • | Backlink data has less depth than Semrush on very large or highly competitive domains |
| • | Interface feels less polished than the bigger-budget tools |
| • | Some users report occasional false positives in site audit results |
Pricing
The Individual plan starts around $55/month on annual billing, with Team, Team x2, and Agency tiers scaling up for larger workloads. A 7-day free trial gives you full access to paid features before you commit.
Who Should Use It?
Solo SEO practitioners, content-focused publishers, and small agencies who want backlink research and technical audits without paying for a keyword database bigger than they’ll ever use. See our Serpstat vs. Ahrefs comparison for more detail on how the data compares.
How It Helps With Broken Link Building
Use Backlink Analysis to pull the link profile of a resource that used to rank well in your niche, then run Site Audit on the top linking domains to catch broken outbound links you can pitch a replacement for. Because Serpstat keeps backlink and audit data in one workspace, you can move from “who links here” to “is this link actually broken” without exporting to a second tool.
See What Serpstat Can Uncover for Your Site
5. Moz Pro
Moz popularized Domain Authority, and for a lot of SEOs, it’s still the tool they learned on. Link Explorer isn’t the deepest backlink index around, but the interface is approachable, the education content is genuinely good, and Site Crawl catches broken links as part of its regular technical audits.
Best for: Beginners and small teams who want an easy-to-read backlink tool backed by a long track record and strong educational resources.
Key Features for Broken Link Building
| • | Link Explorer shows inbound links with Domain Authority, Page Authority, and Spam Score for every linking page |
| • | Site Crawl flags broken links, redirect chains, and crawlability issues on a weekly schedule |
| • | Link Intersect finds domains linking to competitors but not to you — useful for prioritizing broken-link targets |
| • | Lost Links report shows backlinks that recently disappeared, a quick way to spot fresh 404 opportunities |
Pros
| • | Domain Authority and Page Authority are widely recognized, easy-to-explain metrics for client reporting |
| • | Genuinely strong free educational content (Moz Academy, the Beginner’s Guide to SEO) |
| • | Limited free version of Link Explorer for quick, no-commitment lookups |
| • | Clean, low-clutter interface that’s easy to hand off to junior team members |
Cons
| • | Backlink index is smaller than Semrush’s or Ahrefs’, so it can miss opportunities on niche or newer sites |
| • | Data freshness can lag behind competitors on fast-moving link profiles |
| • | No built-in PPC or paid search research if that’s part of your workflow |
Pricing
Moz Pro starts at Starter for $49/month, scaling through Standard, Medium, and Large tiers up to $299/month, all billed annually (monthly billing runs higher). A free trial is available so you can test Link Explorer and Site Crawl against your own domain first.
Who Should Use It?
Beginners, solo consultants, and small in-house teams who want an approachable backlink tool without a steep learning curve. Our Moz Pro review covers the full toolkit in more depth, and our Semrush vs. Moz comparison is a useful next read if you’re deciding between the two.
How It Helps With Broken Link Building
Check the Lost Links report weekly on relevant competitor domains — it surfaces backlinks that recently went dead, which are often the freshest and easiest broken-link opportunities to claim before someone else does. Pair that with Link Intersect to find sites already linking to two or three competitors but not to you, which tends to shorten your outreach list to the prospects most likely to say yes.
Explore Moz Pro’s Link Research Tools
Full Comparison
| Tool | Best For | Backlink Research | Ease of Use | Free Trial | From |
| Semrush | All-in-one agencies | Very deep | Moderate | 7 days | $139.95/mo |
| SE Ranking | Budget all-in-one | Solid | Easy | 14 days | $129/mo |
| Mangools | Beginners | Moderate | Very easy | 10 days | $29.90/mo |
| Serpstat | Budget research | Solid | Moderate | 7 days | ~$55/mo |
| Moz Pro | Beginners & education | Moderate | Very easy | Available | $49/mo |
Which Broken Link Building Tool Is Best for You?
| Best Overall | Semrush — the broadest feature set if broken link building is one part of a bigger SEO workflow. |
| Best for Beginners | Mangools (LinkMiner) — the shortest learning curve and the lowest starting price. |
| Best for Agencies | SE Ranking — white-label reporting and unlimited seats without premium pricing. |
| Best for Backlink Research | Semrush — the deepest, most frequently updated backlink index of the five. |
| Best for Website Crawling | Serpstat — backlink data and technical Site Audit live in one workspace. |
| Best Budget Option | Mangools (LinkMiner) — the full toolkit for under $30/month on annual billing. |
How to Choose a Broken Link Building Tool
Backlink database. A bigger, fresher index means fewer missed opportunities, especially in competitive niches where dead links get replaced quickly by someone else.
Broken-link detection. Look at how the tool actually flags dead pages — through crawl-based site audits, index-based backlink filters, or both. Neither approach is perfect on its own.
Filtering and segmentation. The ability to filter by referring domain authority, anchor text, and link type saves hours when you’re working through a long prospect list.
Competitor research. Running the same broken-link workflow against competitor domains, not just your own, is usually where the biggest opportunities show up.
Exporting data. CSV export matters more than it sounds — you’ll want your outreach list in a spreadsheet or CRM, not locked inside the tool’s dashboard.
Ease of use. A massive backlink database isn’t useful if the workflow to get from data to outreach list takes half a day.
Pricing. Weigh the monthly cost against how many campaigns, sites, or clients you actually need to run — not the plan with the most features.
How to Use Broken Link Building Tools Step by Step
Step 1: Choose a Relevant Topic. Pick a subject closely tied to a page you already have (or plan to create) on your site.
Step 2: Find Broken Resources. Use your chosen tool’s backlink or site audit reports to surface dead pages and outdated resources in that topic area.
Step 3: Analyze Existing Backlinks. Pull the list of sites that previously linked to the dead resource.
Step 4: Evaluate Link Prospects. Prioritize sites that are relevant, legitimate, editorially run, and genuinely useful to your audience — not just high-authority.
Step 5: Create a Better Replacement. Make sure the page you’re pitching actually helps the reader as much as, or more than, the original did.
Step 6: Reach Out. Send a short, specific email flagging the exact broken link and where your replacement fits.
Step 7: Track Results. Monitor emails sent, replies, links acquired, and the referring domains you actually picked up.
Outreach Email Template
Subject: Quick heads-up about a broken link
Hi [Name],
I was reading your [page/article] and noticed that the link to [old resource] appears to be broken.
I recently published [replacement resource], which covers [brief benefit].
If you think it would be useful for your readers, you may want to consider replacing the broken link with it.
Thanks,
[Name]
Treat this as a starting point, not a script — personalize the opening line to reference something specific about the page, and skip the pitch entirely if your replacement isn’t genuinely as good as what they lost.
Common Broken Link Building Mistakes
| • | Targeting irrelevant websites just because they have a broken link somewhere on the page. |
| • | Focusing only on domain authority and ignoring whether the site is still active or well-maintained. |
| • | Sending generic mass emails that don’t reference the specific broken link or page. |
| • | Creating a weak replacement that doesn’t actually match the depth of the original resource. |
| • | Asking for a link without offering real value to the person you’re emailing. |
| • | Relying entirely on automated outreach instead of reading the page before pitching. |
| • | Ignoring topical relevance in favor of chasing any dead link you can find. |
| • | Treating every broken link as an opportunity — some pages simply aren’t worth chasing. |
| • | Skipping personalization to save time on outreach. |
| • | Measuring only link count instead of the quality and relevance of what you actually acquired. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is broken link building?
Broken link building is an SEO strategy where you find dead pages that still have backlinks pointing to them, create or identify a suitable replacement, and ask the linking site to swap in your resource instead.
Does broken link building still work?
Yes. Because it offers the site owner a genuine fix rather than just asking for a favor, it remains one of the higher-response-rate white-hat link building tactics, though success still depends on outreach quality and how relevant your replacement is.
Are broken links bad for SEO?
Broken outbound links hurt user experience and can waste crawl budget on larger sites, which is why most site owners are receptive to fixing them once someone points them out.
How do I find broken backlinks?
Use a backlink checker such as Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools, Serpstat, or Moz Pro to pull the referring pages for a target domain, then check which of those source pages or the pages they link to return a 404 or other error.
What is the best tool for finding broken links?
Semrush offers the deepest backlink index for finding broken-link opportunities at scale, while Mangools (LinkMiner) is the easiest to start with if you’re new to backlink research.
Can broken link building improve SEO?
Yes. Every broken link you successfully replace becomes a relevant, working backlink pointing to your site, which can support both rankings and referral traffic over time.
Is broken link building white-hat SEO?
Yes, as long as your replacement resource genuinely matches or improves on what the dead link used to offer. It becomes a gray-hat tactic only when the pitch is misleading or the replacement adds no real value.
How do I find websites linking to broken pages?
Enter the broken page’s URL into a backlink checker’s inbound-links report. The tool will list every page currently linking to it, which becomes your outreach prospect list.
Is broken link building worth the effort?
For sites with a genuinely useful resource to offer, yes — it tends to convert better than cold outreach because you’re solving a real problem for the recipient rather than just asking for a link.
Can beginners use broken link building tools?
Yes. Tools like Mangools and Moz Pro are specifically designed with beginner-friendly interfaces, so you don’t need advanced SEO experience to start finding and pitching broken-link opportunities.
Final Verdict
All five tools can support a broken link building campaign, but they fit different situations. Semrush gives you the deepest backlink data and the most complete surrounding toolkit, which makes it the strongest pick if you’re running this alongside broader SEO and content work. SE Ranking delivers most of that same functionality at a lower price with excellent client reporting, making it the practical choice for agencies watching their margins.
If you’re just getting started, or you’re running one or two sites rather than a client roster, Mangools (LinkMiner) is the easiest on-ramp and the least expensive way to try the strategy properly. Serpstat is worth a look if you want backlink research and technical site audits in one place without paying premium prices, and Moz Pro remains a solid, approachable option if you value its long-standing metrics and educational content.
Our recommendation: start with a free trial of Semrush or SE Ranking if backlink data depth matters most, or Mangools if you want the fastest, cheapest way to test whether broken link building fits your content strategy before committing to a bigger platform.
Start Your Free Trial and Find Your First Broken-Link Opportunity
Related reading: Best SEO Tools • Best Competitor Analysis Tools • Technical SEO Checklist • Best SEO Reporting Tools • Best Free SEO Tools
