Broken Link Checker - Find Dead Links on Your Website

The Broken Link Checker is a free online tool that helps you identify broken or dead links on any website. Simply enter a website URL, and our tool will scan the page, extract all links, and check their status to find any links that are broken, returning 404 errors, or inaccessible.

What is a Broken Link?

A broken link (also known as a dead link or dead URL) is a hyperlink that points to a webpage or resource that no longer exists or is inaccessible. Broken links typically return HTTP error codes such as 404 (Not Found), 403 (Forbidden), or 500 (Internal Server Error). These links can negatively impact user experience, SEO rankings, and the overall credibility of a website.

Why Check for Broken Links?

Regularly checking for broken links on your website is essential for several reasons:

User Experience: Broken links frustrate users and can drive them away from your site
SEO Impact: Search engines penalize sites with too many broken links, affecting search rankings
Website Credibility: Broken links make your site appear unprofessional or outdated
Link Equity Loss: Internal broken links can cause you to lose valuable link equity
Crawl Budget: Search engine crawlers waste time on broken links instead of indexing valuable content

How to Use the Broken Link Checker

Enter Website URL: Input the full URL of the webpage you want to check (e.g., https://example.com)
Click Check Links: Click the "Check Links" button to start the analysis
Wait for Results: The tool will extract all links from the page and check their status
Review Broken Links: View the list of broken links with their HTTP status codes
Fix Issues: Update or remove broken links from your website

Key Features

Automatic Link Extraction: Automatically finds and extracts all links from the webpage
Status Code Checking: Checks each link's HTTP status code to identify broken links
Real-time Progress: Shows progress as links are being checked
Detailed Results: Displays working links, broken links, and skipped links separately
HTTP Status Codes: Shows the specific HTTP status code for each link
Link Text Display: Shows the anchor text associated with each link
Easy Navigation: Click on any link to open it in a new tab
Re-check Capability: Re-check links without re-entering the URL

Understanding HTTP Status Codes

The tool checks links and reports their HTTP status codes. Here's what different codes mean:

200 OK: Link is working correctly
301/302: Permanent/Temporary redirect - link is working but redirects to another URL
403 Forbidden: Access denied - the server refuses to respond
404 Not Found: The most common broken link error - page doesn't exist
500 Internal Server Error: Server error preventing the page from loading
Timeout: Server took too long to respond or connection failed

What Links are Skipped?

Some links are automatically skipped during the check because they cannot be validated using standard HTTP requests:

mailto: links - Email addresses (e.g., mailto:contact@example.com)
tel: links - Phone numbers (e.g., tel:+1234567890)
javascript: links - JavaScript code links
data: URIs - Embedded data URIs
Anchor links - Links pointing to the same page (e.g., #section)

Best Practices for Fixing Broken Links

Update URLs: If content has moved, update the link to the new location
Use 301 Redirects: Set up permanent redirects for moved content
Remove Dead Links: Delete links to pages that no longer exist
Update External Links: Check if external sites have changed their URLs
Regular Monitoring: Schedule regular checks to catch broken links early
Keep Link Inventory: Maintain a record of all important links on your site

SEO Benefits of Fixing Broken Links

Fixing broken links can significantly improve your website's SEO performance:

Improves crawl efficiency by allowing search engines to discover more content
Preserves link equity within your site structure
Enhances user experience, which is a ranking factor
Reduces bounce rate caused by frustrating broken links
Demonstrates website maintenance and quality to search engines

Limitations

Large websites may take longer to check as all links are validated
Some links may require authentication or have anti-bot protection
JavaScript-rendered links may not be detected if they're loaded dynamically
Rate limiting on target websites may affect checking speed
Only checks the initial page - doesn't crawl the entire website

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to check links?

The time depends on the number of links found on the page. Each link needs to be checked individually, so pages with many links will take longer. The tool shows progress as it checks links.

Does the tool check internal and external links?

Yes, the tool checks both internal links (links within the same website) and external links (links to other websites). All links found on the page are checked for their HTTP status.

What should I do if I find broken links?

If you find broken links, you should either fix them by updating the URL, remove them if the content no longer exists, or set up a redirect (301) if the content has moved to a new location.

Can I check an entire website or just one page?

Currently, the tool checks one page at a time. Enter the URL of the specific page you want to check. For checking entire websites, you would need to check multiple pages individually or use a more comprehensive website crawling tool.

Are redirects considered broken links?

No, redirects (301, 302 status codes) are not considered broken links as they successfully redirect to another page. However, excessive redirects can impact SEO, so it's good practice to update links to point directly to the final destination when possible.

How often should I check for broken links?

It's recommended to check for broken links at least monthly, or more frequently if you frequently update your website content. Regular checks help maintain a healthy website and good user experience.