Fix broken internal links — Claude Code

Broken internal links waste crawl budget, create dead ends for users, and signal poor site maintenance to Google.

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Fixing this in Claude Code

Anthropic's official terminal coding agent

Claude Code can grep the whole codebase first, plan the change, then edit every affected file. Paste the prompt below into your Claude Code chat and the fix rolls out across the project in one pass.

Using a different tool? Pick your stack:

Lovable Cursor Bolt v0 Replit Windsurf Claude Code Base44

The prompt for Claude Code

Copy and paste this into your Claude Code chat exactly as-is.

Run Claude Code in the project root and make these exact changes, scanning the whole codebase first:

Fix broken internal links

1. Check all internal links and fix any that return 404.
2. Use consistent URL paths — match the exact routes in your app.

Why this matters

Google uses internal links to discover and rank pages. Every broken link is wasted crawl budget and a rank-flow leak. Too many broken links and Google deprioritizes your site as "poorly maintained".

For users, a 404 from a trusted link is a trust break. They either bounce or lose faith in other links on the page.

How to use this prompt in Claude Code

1. Open your Claude Code project.
2. Copy the prompt above with the copy button.
3. Paste into the Claude Code chat and send.
4. Review the diff, accept the changes, redeploy.
5. Verify the fix using the checklist below.

Common mistakes to avoid

error_outlineFixing links in the current deploy but not adding redirects for the old paths.
error_outlineUsing "soft 404s" — a 200 response for a "not found" page.
error_outlineIgnoring deep-link 404s because they are "low traffic" — Google's crawl budget does not care.

How to verify the fix worked

check_circleScreaming Frog or Sitebulb crawl — zero internal 404s in the report.
check_circleGoogle Search Console → Crawl errors — no new 404s over the week.
check_circleManual check on the top 10 pages — no red links.

Frequently asked questions

301 or 302 for removed pages?expand_more

301 if permanent. Use 302 only for truly temporary changes — Google treats 301 as permanent for ranking transfer.

Should I redirect all 404s to the homepage?expand_more

No — that creates "soft 404" issues. Redirect to the most relevant existing page, or leave as 404 with a helpful custom page.

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