Broken-Link Opportunity Brief Template

Broken-Link Opportunity Brief (fill-in)

When to use: One row per linking page and dead link, with the broken target, source context, replacement, owner, outreach note and a completion check.

Broken-link opportunity brief

One row per linking page and dead link. Fill it before anyone writes an email. Only rows marked pitch go to outreach.

Your site: [domain] - Brief owner: [name] - Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]

Per-row detail (fill for every opportunity)

• Status check: [404 / 410 / DNS error / timeout / redirects to homepage / 200 with error page] on [date]
• What the dead page offered: [summary from the archived copy, with the archive URL]
• Why the editor linked it: [the reader need in one sentence]
• Anchor text: [exact anchor]
• Replacement fit: [covers the same need / partly / no]
• Gap to close first: [what your page must add before you pitch, or none]
• Editor contact: [name, role, where you found it]
• Outreach note: [2 sentences: where the dead link is, what you offer]
• Other dead links on the page: [list them, so the editor can fix all at once]

Next action

• Researcher: [name] - task: confirm the dead target and source context by [date]
• Content owner: [name] - task: confirm the replacement or brief the missing page by [date]
• Outreach owner: [name] - task: send the note for pitch rows and log replies by [date]

Completion check

• The broken target was re-checked within the last 7 days, with the date written down.
• Source context quotes the sentence or list item, not just the page URL.
• The replacement is live, indexable and covers what the dead page covered.
• Each row has one owner and one decision. Dropped rows keep their reason.
• The outreach note offers a fix. It does not offer money or a link swap.

Verify the Broken Target

When to use: Confirm the link is really dead, record the status and the date, and find what the page used to offer.

Verify the broken target

A link that failed once is not always dead. Check it twice, on different days, before it goes in a brief.

How to check

• Paste the dead URL into the Redirect Checker. It shows every hop, each status code and the final URL.
• Open the URL in a browser too. A 200 status with an error message is a soft 404.
• Open the archived copy in the Wayback Machine and note what the page used to offer.
• Write the date of each check in the brief. Old checks are a hold, not a pitch.

Meanings for 4xx, 429, 5xx and soft 404 come from Google's HTTP status code documentation, checked 11 November 2026.

Source Context Check

When to use: Work out why the editor linked the dead page, and drop pages that are not worth a pitch.

Source context check

The editor linked the dead page for a reason. Your note only works if you know that reason and can serve it.

Questions to answer in the brief

• What does the sentence or list item around the link promise the reader?
• Which part of the dead page did the editor need: a guide, data, a tool, a definition?
• Is the linking page maintained? Look for a recent update date or new comments.
• Does the page have other dead links? List them all in one note.
• Who reads the linking page, and would they click your page on purpose?

Drop the row when

• The linking page sells links or lists a price for adding one.
• The page is off-topic for your site, or one of many unrelated sections.
• The page has no visible editor, author or contact route.
• The link sits in a footer, widget or comment, not in the content.

To find more linking pages, run the dead site's domain in the Backlink Analyzer. It lists up to 50 of the domain's strongest links with anchors, and you can open each referring page.

Useful Replacement Check

When to use: Make sure your page does the dead page's job before you offer it, or plan the page you need.

Useful replacement check

Offer a page that does the dead page's job. A near match with a sales pitch on top gets ignored.

Replacement fields

• Replacement URL: [live URL]
• Matches the dead page on: [topic, format, audience]
• Adds: [what is newer or better, in one line]
• Missing before pitch: [section, data, update, or none]

Check the replacement page and your own site for status, noindex and broken internal links with a Website Audit.

No page fits yet? Enter the dead page's main keyword in the Content Brief generator to plan one, then come back to the row.

Outreach Note Builder

When to use: Turn the brief into a two-line note and a short email, with the rules on payment and link swaps.

Outreach note builder

The note is the part of the brief that goes into the email. Keep it to the facts the editor can check in one minute.

• Line 1, where: On [page title], the link [anchor] in [section] now returns [error].
• Line 2, what you offer: [Your page] covers [the same need]: [URL].
• Line 3, optional: Two other links on the page also fail: [URLs].

Short email from the note

Subject: Broken link in [page title]

Hi [name], I was reading [page title]. The link to [anchor] now returns [error].

If you want a replacement, [your page] covers [the same need]: [URL]. Either way, thanks for the guide.

[Your name], [role], [site]

Rules for the note

• Report the dead link first. The replacement is an option, not a condition.
• No money, gifts or link swaps in exchange for the link.
• If a site asks for payment, the link must carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". See Google on qualifying outbound links.
• Google's spam policies list buying links for ranking and excessive link exchanges as link spam.

For more email versions and a follow-up, use the Broken-Link Building Outreach Template.

Want a second pair of eyes on your broken-link list? Book a free consultation with Anatolii Ulitovskyi.

Spreadsheet Header (CSV)

When to use: A paste-ready header row and allowed values to run the brief in Google Sheets or Excel.

Paste-ready spreadsheet header

Paste this row into cell A1 of Google Sheets or Excel, then split text to columns by comma. One row per linking page and dead link.

opportunity_id,linking_page_url,linking_page_title,broken_url,status_seen,checked_date_1,checked_date_2,archive_url,dead_page_offered,anchor_text,source_sentence,reader_need,replacement_url,replacement_fit,gap_before_pitch,other_dead_links,editor_name,editor_role,contact_source,outreach_note,decision,decision_reason,researcher,content_owner,outreach_owner,sent_date,follow_up_date,status

Allowed values

• status_seen: 404, 410, dns_error, timeout, 5xx, 429, soft_404, redirect_unrelated
• replacement_fit: full, partial, none
• decision: pitch, build_first, hold, drop
• status: found, verified, briefed, sent, replied, replaced, closed

Sheet tips

• Highlight rows where checked_date_2 is empty. They are not verified yet.
• Group rows by broken_url. One dead page often has many linking pages and one replacement.
• Filter decision = pitch before you export to your outreach tool.
• Keep dropped rows, so nobody briefs the same page twice.

Worked Example (fictional compost shop)

When to use: Three filled rows for an invented compost supplies shop: two pitches and one dropped links page.

Worked example: Brindlecote compost supplies

Example only. Brindlecote is an invented compost and garden supplies shop. The sites, URLs, names and dates are made up to show a filled-in brief.

Site: brindlecote.example - Brief owner: content lead - Date: 3 Nov 2026

How the rows were filled

• Archived copy: the dead page was a table of compost materials, marked green or brown.
• Gap before pitch: our guide had no materials table. The content lead added one on 5 Nov 2026.
• Row 1 note: "In Start a compost heap, the greens to browns link now returns a 404. Our guide has the same materials table."
• Row 2: the links page also had two other dead entries. Both went into the same note.
• Row 3: kept in the sheet with the reason, so nobody pitches it later.

Why this works

• The page was fixed before the pitch, so the replacement truly covers the dead page.
• Each note points to an exact spot, so the editor can check it fast.
• The paid links page was dropped instead of negotiated.