In 2014, I renamed Brian Dean’s Moving Man method the Link Mover. Mover sounded boring to me, and a little Čapek does no harm. The original guide used expired domains, Open Site Explorer, Xenu and several search tricks. The tools and databases have aged. The useful principle remains.
Someone links from their website to a page that has disappeared. You have, or can create, current content that solves the same problem better. You alert the author to the error and offer a replacement. Whether they change the link is their decision.
That last point is important. This is not an entitlement to a link. It is a useful correction.
The method works only with a genuinely good replacement
I first look at the content, not the domain metric. If the vanished page contained a map, research, a calculator or a detailed guide, the replacement must serve the same need. A general article on a similar subject is not enough.
In the original example, a website about accommodation in Brussels disappeared. Through an internet archive, it was possible to find out that one of the linked pages offered a map of Brussels, and then find websites that still linked to that broken map. A meaningful replacement would be a current, usable map. Not a hotel directory with one paragraph about transport.
Before I start contacting anyone, I go through four questions:
- Is the original link genuinely broken, or merely temporarily unavailable?
- Do I understand from the archive or context what was on the page?
- Is my page a direct, current and higher-quality replacement?
- Will replacing the link help readers of the source website?
If the answer to the last question is no, I do not send the email.
Step 1: look for errors in a topic the company truly owns
The old guide recommended looking for companies in liquidation and expired domains. Today, I would not begin with a broad hunt for discontinued websites. I would start with topics in which the company has experience, data or a product, and can create a trustworthy replacement.
Sources can include:
- links from specialist directories and older articles in your field;
- broken external links found during a manual review of selected relevant websites;
- your own list of lost or historical links;
- pages linking to a resource that was moved without a redirect;
- public institutions or professional organisations with resources that have not been maintained for a long time.
There is no point in scanning half the internet for any link at all. Time costs money. I select only thematically close sources and pages whose audience would genuinely use the replacement content.
Step 2: verify the page’s original purpose
An HTTP 404 alone does not tell you what the page contained. I look at the anchor text, surrounding sentences and, where available, the saved version in an internet archive. This tells me whether the author linked to a guide, data source, image or commercial offer.
I do not copy the content. I find out the need the original resource addressed, and prepare my own treatment: with current information, my own experience, a clearly identified author and sources. Google recommends useful people-first content that adds original information or analysis, not merely rewriting existing pages. I also describe the practical basics in the article SEO for beginners.
Step 3: rank opportunities by value
The highest number in an SEO tool is not automatically the best opportunity. I assess:
- the topical relevance of the source page;
- the quality and genuine audience of the website;
- the visibility of the link in the main content;
- the match between the vanished resource and our replacement;
- the likelihood that someone still maintains the page;
- the commercial value of the visitor who arrives through the link.
A list of one hundred relevant opportunities is usually more useful than an export of ten thousand domains. It saves time in both review and outreach.
Step 4: write a message that can be verified in a minute
A mass template with a compliment in the first sentence is still a mass template. The author needs to quickly find the error and assess the replacement. I write briefly and specifically:
Hello, on the page [exact URL] I found a broken link to [original resource].
It is in the section [heading or surrounding text]. Current material on the same topic is here: [replacement URL].
If it does not suit you as a replacement, I am still sending the alert so you can fix the link.
I do not write that the replacement will “help your SEO”. I do not promise a favour in return or push for exact anchor text. The author must have the full option to choose another resource or simply remove the link.
The reverse approach suits a few selected websites
In the original bonus section, I recommended selecting an authoritative website, checking its external links with Xenu or Screaming Frog, and offering to fix the errors found. This approach can still work today, provided you respect the website’s operation and check only a reasonable scope of public pages.
The advantage is focus: you know the specific website and its topics. The disadvantage is that most errors will not relate to your content. Do not create a rushed page for every red line. Create a replacement only where you have something to say.
When the Link Mover becomes spam
Google includes activities whose main purpose is to manipulate rankings among link spam. The problem arises with automated link creation, paying for links that pass value, or mass publication of texts with optimised anchors. The current boundaries are described in Google’s link spam policies.
Therefore, in broken link building I do not:
- copy discontinued content and present it as my own;
- create thin pages solely for one link opportunity;
- send hundreds of automated emails without review;
- pretend to have a personal relationship or experience;
- buy a domain solely to redirect its history to an unrelated website.
A link is a by-product of a good resource
The Link Mover makes sense when the company is already creating content worth citing. You can find website and link-checking tools in the overview of SEO tools. I explain the difference between an editorially earned and a purchased link in the article about paid backlinks.
The best outcome of this method is not just a new link. It is an updated resource that people genuinely use, and a relationship with the author you helped fix an error. The link then makes sense even without SEO magic.