Finding dead links on relevant local or industry websites and suggesting a working resource on your website as a replacement.
Broken link building starts with a nonworking reference on another website. Someone identifies the problem and suggests a useful replacement, potentially a resource on their own site. The replacement should fit the reason the original link was included, not merely share a keyword with the surrounding page.
First confirm what is broken. A temporary server problem, an access restriction and a permanently removed page are different situations. Read the surrounding passage to understand what readers expected to find. Where the original resource is unavailable, be clear about what you can and cannot establish about its content.
This differs from recovering an existing link to your own site. A broken reference to another organization is an opportunity to suggest a resource, not an entitlement to inherit its links. The publisher may restore the original destination, choose another source or remove the reference instead.
Takeaway: Only suggest your page when it genuinely helps the publisher’s audience. A small number of well-matched corrections is more useful than mass requests for unrelated replacements.
Example
A gardening club’s resource page links to a removed pruning calendar. A nursery with a current, clearly scoped seasonal guide could point out the dead link and explain the guide’s coverage. Linking instead to the nursery’s general checkout page would not replace the information readers expected.
What to check
Include the exact referring page, the broken URL and a brief explanation of your proposed resource. Do not claim ownership of the old material or promise a ranking benefit. Keep follow-up respectful and accept the editor’s choice.
For more detail, see Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.