Nothing makes a website look abandoned faster than a link that leads to an error page. A visitor clicks your recommended product, lands on a 404 and leaves. Multiply that by a few hundred visitors and you lose sales, trust and rankings. The good news is that broken links are easy to find and fix when you check regularly.
What is a broken link
A broken link points to a page that no longer works. The most common reasons are:
- 404 Not Found when a page was deleted or its URL changed
- 410 Gone when a page was removed on purpose
- 500 errors when the other server has a problem
- Connection failures when a domain expired or is offline
Redirects are not broken, but long redirect chains slow things down and should be updated to the final URL.
How our checker works
The Broken Link Checker opens your page, collects every link and tests each unique URL live. You get:
- Total links and unique URLs on the page
- Number of broken links and redirects
- A broken links table with status and anchor text
- A full list of every link with its status code and follow type
How to use it
- Open the Broken Link Checker.
- Enter the page URL, for example a long blog post or your resources page.
- Click Find Broken Links.
- Fix the links in the broken table first, then update redirects.
How to fix broken links
- Internal link to a deleted page: update the link to the right page, or add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the closest relevant page.
- External link to a dead site: replace it with a working source or remove it.
- Typo in the URL: correct the spelling.
- Redirected link: update it to the final destination to save a hop. Check the full chain with the URL Redirect Checker.
Why broken links hurt SEO
Google follows links to discover pages. Broken internal links waste crawl time and stop authority from flowing to your important pages. Many broken links also suggest the site is not maintained, which can lower quality signals. For users, every dead link is a small frustration that can end a visit.
Which pages to check first
Old blog posts, resource lists and product comparison pages collect broken links fastest, because they link to many outside websites that change over time. Check these first. After a site migration or URL change, check your menu, footer and top pages immediately.
Turn broken links into opportunities
When you find a dead external link on your own page, you have a chance to link to a better, updated resource, maybe even your own new article. You can also use the same idea on other websites. If a blog in your niche links to a dead page, politely suggest your working guide as a replacement. This is a friendly and effective way to earn backlinks.
Make it a monthly habit
Set a reminder for the first day of every month. Check your homepage, your five most visited pages and any page that links out to many other sites. Fixing a few links each month takes ten minutes, while fixing hundreds after two years of neglect can take a whole weekend. If you run an online store, also check category pages after removing old products, because product pages are deleted often and leave broken links behind. When you remove a product permanently, redirect its URL to the closest category or a replacement product so visitors and any existing links still land somewhere useful.
Frequently asked questions
How many links can it check at once
It tests up to 40 unique links per scan and lists up to 200 links from the page.
Why does a working link show an error
Some websites block automated checks. Open the link manually to confirm before removing it.
How often should I check for broken links
Monthly for active sites, and always after changing URLs or moving to a new website.
Clean up your pages today with the free Broken Link Checker.