Broken link building • UK civic & education focus
Find Broken Links on High-Authority UK Sites: A Practical Field Guide for Schools & MATs
Published by SEO for Schools • Author: Paul Delaney
Broken-link building (BLB) works for schools when it’s people-first: you help a council, university or community partner replace a dead resource with something accurate and useful. This guide shows you where to look, how to verify, the tools and search operators to use, and how to prioritise opportunities you can win quickly—without risky tactics.
Policy anchors: Google — Search Essentials • Link policies — Avoid link schemes. Nofollow/sponsored guidance — Qualify outbound links.
Why broken-link building fits schools
It solves a real problem
Public sites accumulate dead links. Offering a working, accessible replacement helps families complete tasks (check term dates, report absence, apply for Year 7).
It strengthens trust
Being cited by civic and education partners (councils, libraries, universities) raises credibility—especially for new parents who don’t know your school yet.
Targets that make sense
Local Authorities (LA)
- Family Information Service / School directories
- SEND “Local Offer” pages
- Transport, uniform grants, attendance guidance
.gov.uk & partners
- Service pages that list local resources
- Archived guidance that lost child pages
.ac.uk & community
- University outreach, teacher ed blogs
- Libraries, museums, STEM hubs
Tool stack & set-ups
Free
| Check My Links (Chrome) | Highlights 404s on any page. |
| Wayback Machine | See what the dead page used to be. |
| Google search operators | site:.gov.uk "useful links", "404", intitle:links |
Paid (optional, speeds up)
| Ahrefs / SE Ranking | Broken links reports, top pages, ref domains. |
| Screaming Frog | List mode crawl of candidate URLs. |
| Sitebulb | Visual explorer + HTTP status validation. |
Five discovery methods (copy/paste operators)
| Method | What to do | Operator / Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Resource pages | Find “useful links” pages on councils, libraries, universities and scan with Check My Links. | site:.gov.uk ( "useful links" OR "resources" ) education |
| 2) Topic + site filters | Hunt by task: admissions, term dates, attendance, SEND. | site:.gov.uk "term dates" filetype:html • site:.ac.uk admissions "local schools" |
| 3) Competitor 404s | Export competitors’ “Best by links” with 404 filter; see who links to them. | Ahrefs → Site Explorer → “Best by links” → HTTP code = 404 |
| 4) “Cited us once” checks | Search your brand with -site: to find mentions that might be stale. | "[School Name]" -site:yourdomain.sch.uk |
| 5) Wikipedia “link rot” → ideas | Don’t build links on Wikipedia; use dead citations as topic leads to authoritative sources you can summarise. | View history on relevant articles; check external links section. |
Verify the opportunity & check history
Map to a replacement page (task-first)
Best replacement candidates
- Term Dates: HTML table + INSET + printable PDF
- Admissions: clear steps + LA portal link + open evening dates
- Attendance/Absence: form + phone + policy summary + medical links
- SEND: provision overview + Local Offer link + contacts
Content rules
- Answer in first sentence; keep sections short
- Use descriptive anchors (“Apply via the LA portal”)
- Cite GOV. UK/LA where relevant
- Accessible tables; avoid image-only PDFs
Prioritise with an impact × relevance grid
| Quadrant | Characteristics | Action |
|---|---|---|
| High impact / High relevance | LA/SEND/admissions; in season | Outreach first |
| High impact / Lower relevance | .ac.uk with national reach | Prepare stronger context on page |
| Lower impact / High relevance | Community partners | Quick wins; batch pitch |
| Low/Low | Generic aggregators | Skip |
Tracker template & status codes
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Source page | URL on council/partner site with the dead link |
| Status code | 404/410/soft 404/redirect |
| Anchor text | What the link promised |
| Old target | Dead URL |
| Our replacement | Proposed page on your site |
| Owner | Person responsible for outreach |
| Status | Prospect/Pitched/Accepted/Published/Measured |
| Notes | Wayback notes; host policy; link attribute |
Print-screen checklists
Discovery Sprint — 8 Steps
print this cardVerification — 6 Checks
print this cardFAQs
Is this “link building” allowed by Google?
Yes—when you help fix a dead resource with a genuinely useful replacement. Avoid paying for followed links or demanding anchor text. See Google’s link policies.
Do we need the link to be followed?
No. Nofollow is acceptable. Your goals are discovery, trust and task completion for families.
What if the host prefers to link to their own page?
Support that choice and offer your page as an additional resource. Being helpful builds relationships.
How many opportunities should we pursue?
Focus on 10–20 high-fit prospects per quarter (councils, universities, community hubs).
Do we need screenshots?
Yes—capture the dead link, your replacement page, and the live fix for reporting.
How long before GSC shows impact?
Typically 4–8 weeks. Watch referral clicks, branded queries and CTR on the linked hub.
Should we use UTMs on links from partners?
If allowed, yes—so you can see referral performance in GA4. If not, rely on referral reports or GSC trends.
What if the replacement page changes later?
Keep stable URLs for evergreen hubs. If you must change, add a redirect and inform the partner.
Does this work for MATs?
Absolutely—standardise patterns across campuses, but keep campus-specific details accurate.
Is there seasonality?
Yes—Admissions (Aug–Nov), Term Dates roll-over (July–Sept), Exams (Apr–June). Prioritise accordingly.
Need practical SEO support?
Speak With Paul Delaney
Paul Delaney helps schools turn complex SEO into simple, effective actions. As a guest writer for SEO for Schools, Paul shares step-by-step playbooks and evidence-based guidance that busy teams can apply immediately. With three decades’ experience working with UK and international institutions, he understands the challenges school teams face and is well positioned to offer support and guidance.
For our readers, Paul offers free 30-minute sessions for institutions exploring how to raise visibility, strengthen brand trust and streamline admissions. Sessions are practical, jargon-free and free from sales pressure. You can contact him using the buttons below—please mention SEOforSchools.co.uk.
