What it does
A broken link sends a visitor to an error page and a crawler to a dead end. Links break quietly: a page gets renamed, an external site closes, a typo slips into a menu.
This checker reads one page, collects the links in its HTML and requests each one. It reports links that fail with a 4xx or 5xx status or don't answer, and links that work but go through a redirect first.
How to use it
- 1Enter the address in Page URL and press Check the links.
- 2Read the summary: links checked, links broken, and links that go through a redirect.
- 3Use the table to find each problem by its link, anchor text and status.
- 4Fix or remove each link, then run the check again.
What the results mean
Each link is followed through up to 5 redirects, and the status shown is where it ends.
- 404 or 410: the page is gone. Link to its replacement or remove the link.
- 5xx: the other server had an error. Try again later before changing anything.
- 403 or 429: the site refused an automated request. Open it in a browser to confirm.
- Timeout or could not connect: no answer within a few seconds, or the domain no longer works.
- Redirect: the link works but takes a detour. Update it to the final address.
How the check works
It reads links in the page's HTML, including navigation and footer, and skips mailto, tel and same-page # links. Up to 30 unique links are checked per run, your own site's first; the summary says how many were left. Links added by JavaScript aren't seen.
For a wider view, run it on the pages people reach most. When you move or delete a page, add a 301 from the old address and update your own links to point straight at the new one.
Questions
Does this check my whole site?
No. It checks one page per run, up to 30 links, which keeps it fast.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Google has said 404 errors on their own don't harm a site's ranking. Broken internal links still stop visitors and crawlers from reaching pages you want found, so they're worth fixing.
Why is a link flagged when it works in my browser?
Some sites block requests that don't come from a browser and answer 403 or 429. Others are slow and miss the timeout.
Should I fix links that redirect?
Yes, on your own site. Each redirect adds a round trip, and a direct link keeps working if the redirect is removed later.