How to Find and Fix Broken Images on Your Website
The common causes of broken images, how to find them across your pages and feeds, and fixes that stop them coming back.
A broken image does not stop a page from loading, which is exactly why it goes unnoticed. Visitors see an empty box, a tiny torn-paper icon or a collapsed layout. On a product page, that can be the difference between a sale and a bounce. Broken images also drop out of Google Images and can break the preview when your page is shared.
Common causes
- Files deleted or renamed during a media library clean-up or CMS migration.
- Changed folder structures, such as moving from
/images/to/wp-content/uploads/. - HTTP image URLs on an HTTPS site, which browsers may block as mixed content.
- Hotlinked images โ images loaded from someone else's site, which disappear when they change theirs.
- CDN or storage changes, such as an expired bucket or a new CDN domain.
- Case and typo errors. On most servers
Photo.JPGandphoto.jpgare different files. - Supplier image links in product feeds that stop working when the supplier updates their catalogue.
Why it matters for SEO and sales
Images that do not load cannot be indexed, so you lose any image search traffic they brought. Product feeds with broken image_link values get items disapproved in Google Merchant Center. And a page with gaps where images should be looks neglected, which weakens trust in everything else on it.
How to find broken images
- Collect image URLs. From the page source, your CMS media library, your product feed or a crawl export.
- Test them in bulk. Paste the list into the free image URL checker, which shows which images load and which are broken. Our guide on checking if image URLs are working in bulk explains the results.
- Check your top pages visually on a phone. Some problems, like images blocked by mixed content, only show in a real browser.
- Review Merchant Center diagnostics if you run a shop. Image errors are listed by product.
How to fix them
- Re-upload the missing file to the expected path if you still have it.
- Update the reference in the page or feed to the new correct URL.
- Redirect old image URLs to the new location after a migration, especially for images that ranked in image search or are used in shares.
- Switch HTTP image URLs to HTTPS.
- Host your own images instead of hotlinking, so third-party changes cannot break your pages (and you have the rights to use them).
Prevent them coming back
Before deleting anything from your media library, check whether it is still used. After any migration, re-test a sample of image URLs. For shops, validate the feed before each upload with the Merchant Center feed validator. And give every image descriptive alt text: if an image ever fails, the alt text at least tells visitors what should be there.
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Frequently asked questions
Do broken images hurt Google rankings?
They are unlikely to cause a big ranking drop on their own, but they hurt user experience, image search visibility and shopping feeds.
Why does an image work for me but not for others?
Your browser may have it cached. Test the URL in a private window or with an image URL checker.
Should I redirect old image URLs?
Yes, when images move โ particularly ones that appear in image search, social shares or product feeds.
What is mixed content?
It is HTTP content (like an image) loaded on an HTTPS page. Browsers may block it, which makes the image look broken.