How to Find Broken Links in Google Analytics: 3 GA4 Methods and a Fix Framework

Google Analytics GA4 finds broken links by identifying pages that match the site's 404 error page title in the Pages and Screens report, Explore free-form report, or through a custom 404 event configured in Google Tag Manager. GA4 does not flag broken links automatically. Finding them requires filtering traffic data by the 404 page title or a custom error event.

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Google Help explains the official process in [GA4] Automatically collected events.

What Are Broken Links and Why Do They Matter for SEO?

Broken links are hyperlinks that lead to non-existent pages, returning a 404 status code to users and search engine crawlers. They occur when a page is deleted, a URL is changed without a redirect, or an external site removes a referenced page.

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Broken links affect SEO in 3 measurable ways:

1. Crawl budget waste: Googlebot hits dead ends and cannot reach other pages within the crawl session
2. Link equity loss: authority built by backlinks pointing to a deleted page disappears when no 301 redirect exists
3. User experience degradation: visitors who land on a 404 page leave immediately, increasing bounce rate

According to Semrush (2024), the more broken internal links a site has, the greater the impact on overall SEO performance. Google Search Central updated its guidance in 2025 to confirm that 404 errors signal Googlebot not to recrawl that page, which optimises crawl budget for true 404s but still represents lost indexing opportunity for content that should exist.

Do Broken Links Directly Lower Google Rankings?

Broken links do not directly lower the rankings of other pages on the site, according to Google's official documentation. A page returning a 404 status code is removed from the index. The rankings of pages returning a 200 status code are not penalised by the presence of 404 errors elsewhere on the site.

The indirect SEO impact is significant. Fixing crawl errors increases organic traffic by 20% to 35% on average, according to Ranktracker (2025). Soft 404 errors, where a page returns a 200 status code but displays error content, are treated worse by Google because they continue to consume crawl budget without being removed from the index.

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What Are the 3 Methods for Finding Broken Links in GA4?

Method 1: How Do You Find Broken Links Using the GA4 Pages and Screens Report?

The GA4 Pages and Screens report identifies broken links by filtering page traffic to show only sessions that landed on the 404 error page. This is the fastest method requiring no additional setup.

The Pages and Screens method follows 6 steps:

1. Identify the exact title of the site's 404 error page. Navigate to a non-existent URL on the site. Examples include yourwebsite.com/test-broken-page. Note the page title shown in the browser tab. Common titles include "Page Not Found", "404 Error", and "Page Unavailable."
2. Log in to GA4 and go to Reports in the left navigation.
3. Go to Engagement and click Pages and Screens.
4. Click the primary dimension dropdown and change it from "Page path and screen class" to "Page title and screen name."
5. Use the search bar above the table to search for the exact 404 page title identified in step 1.
6. The filtered results show every instance of the 404 page receiving traffic, sorted by views.

This report shows the volume of 404 events by page title but does not show which referrer sent users to the broken URL. Use Method 2 for referrer data.

Method 2: How Do You Find Broken Links Using GA4 Explore?

GA4 Explore identifies broken links and their referrer sources in a single report. It shows both the broken URL users attempted to visit and the page or site that sent them there.

The GA4 Explore method follows 7 steps:

1. Log in to GA4 and click Explore in the left navigation.
2. Click Blank to create a new free-form exploration. Name it "404 Broken Link Report."
3. Under Variables, click the plus icon next to Dimensions. Add 3 dimensions: Page title, Page location, and Page referrer.
4. Under Variables, click the plus icon next to Metrics. Add Event count.
5. Drag Page title, Page location, and Page referrer into the Rows section of the Settings panel.
6. Drag Event count into the Values section.
7. Under Filters, click Add filter. Set the dimension to Page title, condition to "exactly matches", and the value to the exact 404 page title identified in step 1 of Method 1.

The resulting report shows 3 critical data points for each broken link:

• Page location: the full URL of the broken page users attempted to visit
• Page referrer: the page or external site that contained the broken link
• Event count: the number of times users hit the broken URL in the selected date range

Set the date range to 90 days to capture a representative volume of broken link events.

Method 3: How Do You Find Broken Links Using a GA4 Custom Event in Google Tag Manager?

A custom 404 event in Google Tag Manager sends a dedicated GA4 event every time a user lands on a 404 page. This method provides the most precise and continuously monitored broken link data.

The GTM custom event setup follows 7 steps:

1. Open Google Tag Manager and navigate to Triggers. Click New and select Trigger Type: Page View.
2. Set the trigger condition to fire when the page path contains the 404 URL path, for example /404 or /page-not-found, depending on the site's URL structure.
3. Go to Tags. Click New and select Tag Type: Google Analytics: GA4 Event.
4. Enter the GA4 Measurement ID in the configuration field.
5. Set the Event Name to 404_error.
6. Add 2 Event Parameters: page_path (value: {{Page Path}}) and page_referrer (value: {{Referrer}}).
7. Assign the trigger created in step 2 to this tag. Test in Preview mode. Publish when confirmed.

After publishing, the 404_error event appears in GA4 within 24 to 48 hours. Create a custom dimension in GA4 Admin > Data Display > Custom Definitions to make page_path and page_referrer available in reports and Explore.

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What Is the Difference Between the 3 GA4 Broken Link Methods?

The GTM custom event method is the only method that provides continuous, automated broken link monitoring without requiring manual report builds. The Explore method is the fastest approach for a one-time audit with full referrer data.

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How Does Google Search Console Complement GA4 for Finding Broken Links?

Google Search Console identifies broken links from Googlebot's perspective. GA4 identifies broken links from the user's perspective. Both sources are required for a complete broken link audit.

Google Search Console finds broken links through 2 reports:

1. Go to Index > Pages. Filter by "Not found (404)" to see all URLs Google has attempted to crawl that returned a 404 status code.
2. Go to Performance > Search Results. Filter by "Page" and sort by Clicks to identify previously high-traffic pages now returning 404 errors.

GA4 identifies broken links reached by human visitors. Google Search Console identifies broken links found by crawlers. A URL can appear in one without the other. Run both reports together for a complete broken link inventory.

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How Do You Fix Broken Links Found in GA4?

Fixing broken links found in GA4 follows a 4-step process:

1. Classify each broken URL by referrer source. Broken links from Page referrer values on the same domain are internal broken links. Broken links from external domains are inbound link errors.
2. For internal broken links: update the internal link in the CMS to point to the correct live URL.
3. For inbound broken links from external sites: implement a 301 redirect from the broken URL to the most topically relevant live page. Contact the external site owner to request a direct link update where the referring domain has high authority.
4. For broken URLs with no relevant replacement page: implement a 410 Gone status code to signal permanent removal to Googlebot and remove the URL from crawl priority.

Prioritise fixing broken links in this order:

1. Broken URLs with the highest Page referrer authority (external inbound links from high Domain Rating pages)
2. Broken internal links on high-traffic pages identified in GA4
3. Broken URLs with the highest Event count in the 404 report
4. All remaining broken URLs discovered in the Google Search Console Pages report

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How Often Should You Check for Broken Links in GA4?

Broken links should be checked in GA4 every 30 to 90 days as a standard maintenance interval. Trigger an immediate check after 3 events:

1. A site migration, CMS update, or URL restructure
2. A drop in organic sessions detected in GA4 Traffic Acquisition
3. A spike in 404 events visible in the Google Search Console Coverage report

The GTM custom 404 event method enables continuous monitoring with no manual check required. Set up a GA4 custom alert in Admin > Custom Insights to send an email notification when the 404_error event count exceeds a defined daily threshold. This identifies new broken links within 24 hours of them appearing on the site.