What is Broken Backlink Building?

In the field of referencing techniques are used to improve the visibility of a site. website and increase traffic.

Among these methods, the Broken Backlink Building is particularly interesting because it allows you to create quality links while helping site owners to eliminate broken links.

In this article, we introduce you to this little-known method and explain how you can use it to optimise your strategy. SEO in 10 points.

Why Broken Backlink Building?

Before describing the technique in detail, it is worth recalling why the backlinks (inbound links) are important in a referencing strategy. Search engines such as Google consider that a site with many links pointing to it is a priori more relevant than others that have none, or fewer. Backlinks are therefore a key factor in improving a site's positioning in search engine results.

But not all links are created equal! While some links do indeed add value to a page, others do not contribute positively to a site's ranking. This is particularly true of broken links, which lead to inaccessible or non-existent pages. These links can penalise navigation on a site and have a negative impact on its credibility with visitors. This is where Broken Backlink Building comes in, a technique that aims to exploit these broken links to create new quality backlinks.

How does Broken Backlink Building work?

The principle of Broken Backlink Building is simple: it involves looking for broken links on other sites that point to a similar or complementary resource to the one you want to promote. Once these links have been identified, we can then contact the owners of the sites concerned and offer to replace the broken link with a link to our own content. To implement this strategy, here's a 10-point action plan:

Choose a theme Start by selecting a topic related to your content that could be of interest to other sites in your sector.
Find relevant sites Search: then carry out a search using keywords related to the selected theme. The aim is to identify sites likely to have broken links in the chosen theme.
Check site authority evaluate the quality of the sites found using various SEO tools (e.g. Moz's Domain Authority) to ensure that they are sufficiently influential and credible in the eyes of the search engines.
Analysing broken links A number of free and paid tools can be used to detect broken links on a site. Use them to identify broken links that lead to resources similar or complementary to your content.
Examine the context Take the time to check whether the broken link is relevant to your content and whether it can be replaced without damaging the coherence of the site where it is located.
Creating quality content Make sure that your content is unique, informative and meets the expectations of the visitors who will follow the link from the other site. If necessary, create a new page specially dedicated to the subject.
Contact the site owner Write a convincing email explaining why the broken link needs to be replaced and how your content can contribute to this. Don't hesitate to personalise your message to create a relationship of trust.
Suggest a suitable link Provide a link to your content that respects the site's editorial criteria (anchoring, positioning, format, etc.). Avoid overly promotional or manipulative links.
Follow the answer Be patient and follow the site owners' replies. You can use e-mail management tools to make your work easier.
Measuring results The impact of this technique on your referencing: evaluate the impact of this technique on your referencing by analysing your site's analysis data. Take into account the number of links obtained, changes in traffic and positioning in the search results.

The benefits of Broken Backlink Building

The main advantage of Broken Backlink Building is that it allows you to create quality links without running the risk of being penalised by the search engines (as can be the case with other link building less respectful of the rules laid down by Google). What's more, this method meets a real need on the part of the sites whose links are replaced, as they gain in relevance and credibility with Internet users.

Finally, Broken Backlink Building facilitates relations between the various players on the web and encourages cooperation rather than competition. By using this technique, it is possible to create a real synergy for all the sites involved. There are, however, some limitations and disadvantages to Broken Backlink Building, notably the time required to find and deal with broken links, and the difficulty of obtaining positive responses from site owners. However, these negative points can be offset by optimising your strategy and following the advice presented in this article.

Mistakes to avoid when using Broken Backlink Building

To maximise your chances of success with Broken Backlink Building, here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Lack of personalisation Sending generic, impersonal emails can be counter-productive. Make sure you tailor your message to the sites you contact.
Offer mediocre content The success of this technique depends on the quality of the content you offer as a replacement for broken links. Make sure it is really relevant and informative for visitors.
Ignoring editorial criteria respect the requirements of site owners by proposing links adapted to their needs audience and their editorial line.
Neglecting follow-up Regularly monitor the progress of your links and analyse the impact of your strategy so that you can improve it over time.