How to Find Broken Links and 404 Errors Using Google Search Console

Search Console shows the pages Google found that return a Not found (404) status, which makes it a good starting point for broken URLs. Combine it with analytics and server logs to see which errors real visitors hit, then decide for each whether to fix the link, redirect the page or leave it alone.

Use the page indexing report

Open the page indexing report and look for the Not found (404) reason. Click it to see the affected URLs. Then inspect a URL to see where Google discovered it, as shown in the URL Inspection tool guide.

Check the status in context

Not every 404 is a problem. A page you deliberately removed may correctly return an error. Focus on URLs that have links pointing at them or that you meant to keep. For wider status explanations, read the Search Console coverage report.

Use analytics to find real visitor errors

Look for landing pages with your error page title or a sudden drop to zero engagement. These show missing pages real people reached through links or bookmarks.

Check server logs

If you can read them, logs list every request that returned a 404, including from bots and old links. They often reveal patterns, such as one outdated link repeated hundreds of times.

Decide what to do

• Fix internal links that point to missing pages.
• Redirect removed pages that still get traffic or links to a relevant page.
• Leave genuine removals as 404 or 410.

The repair steps are in how to fix broken links for SEO.

Test your changes

Verify fixes with the broken link checker and the redirect checker.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

Need help cleaning up errors? Contact me here.

More in this series (broken link questions): start with Free Broken Link Checker, then explore:

• How Often Should You Check Your Website for Broken Links?
• Broken Internal Links vs Broken External Links: Which Matter More?
• Link Checker Shows 403, 429 or 999: Is the Link Really Broken?