A broken link is more than a technical error. It interrupts an information step or action the page promised. Repair should preserve that purpose rather than substitute any destination that happens to load.
Start with an inventory of the site's links. An automated check can collect missing files, invalid internal paths and unusual responses. Include the source page and visible link wording in the report. Without that context, deciding on the correct destination is difficult.
Distinguish different problems
An internal file may be missing, an external server may be temporarily unavailable or a target may redirect elsewhere. These require different responses. Repeat an uncertain external failure later and inspect it in a browser where useful.
Automated requests may also receive different treatment from ordinary visits. Mark those cases as unresolved rather than immediately removing every affected source. Conversely, a successful status does not establish that the expected information remains available. An old technical page may now show only a general homepage.
Check technical access and editorial relevance separately. A link labelled “Installation instructions” is not repaired if it now opens a product catalogue where the instructions are difficult to find.
Select the appropriate repair
For moved content on your own site, update the internal link directly to the final address where possible. A redirect may still be needed for older external references, but that is no reason to keep all internal links travelling through unnecessary intermediate steps.
If pages were combined, confirm that the promised information still exists at the new destination. Otherwise, add the information or change the surrounding sentence. Replacing only the URL can preserve an inaccurate expectation.
For a discontinued download, options include restoring the file, linking a current equivalent or deliberately removing the reference. Do not publish a similarly named document without inspecting its content and version.
Prioritize by the interrupted task
A broken enquiry route or necessary download usually deserves attention before optional further reading. Rank problems by their effect on the visitor's task. The number of affected pages matters too: one incorrect footer link may appear throughout the site.
Record shared causes when many failures have the same origin. A changed directory structure or faulty generator is better repaired at its source than through numerous exceptions. Check whether other language versions or listing pages are affected after the correction.
Retest the changed version
Run the link check again and manually follow important routes. For a ZIP delivery, also test after extraction into an empty directory and through a local HTTP server. That reveals missing files and incorrect path assumptions.
Separate repaired links, unresolved cases and deliberately removed references in the record. “All links work” is justified only when that scope was actually tested. A clear remaining-issues list is more useful than a blanket positive result concealing external uncertainty. Keep the source report long enough to confirm that each important failed journey now reaches the information or action it originally promised.
