What's the Difference Between Internal and External Broken Links?

Internal vs External Broken Links

Understanding the difference between internal and external broken links helps you prioritize your link maintenance efforts effectively.

Internal Broken Links

Internal links connect pages within your own website. When these break, you lose:

• Page authority distribution
• User navigation pathways
• Crawl efficiency for search engines
• Conversion opportunities

Internal broken links are typically easier to fix since you control the destination pages and can implement redirects or update the links directly.

External Broken Links

External links point to other websites. When these break, you lose:

• Reference credibility
• User trust in your sources
• Potential referral relationships

External broken links are harder to control since you don't own the destination sites, but they're equally important for user experience.

SEO Impact Differences

Internal broken links directly impact your site's crawl efficiency and authority distribution. External broken links primarily affect user experience and credibility, though they can indirectly impact SEO through user engagement metrics.

Monitoring Strategies

Use different strategies for each type: automate internal link monitoring and manually review external links periodically. Both require regular attention to maintain site health.