Broken Link Checker
Find the links on a page that lead nowhere. Enter the address of a page, and each link on it is requested from our server. You get a list of the broken ones first, followed by redirects and links that could not be verified.
- Encrypted connection
- No sign-up
- Free to use
How to use Broken Link Checker
- Enter the address of the page you want to check.
- Tick the option to include images, scripts and stylesheets if you want those tested too.
- Select Check links and wait while the links are requested.
- Review the broken links, switch between the groups with the filter buttons, and download the CSV if you need a record.
Broken Link Checker features
Live requests
Each link is actually requested; nothing is taken from a cache or an index.
Clear grouping
Broken, unreachable, redirected, unverifiable and working links are separated and counted.
Internal and external
Every link is labelled as pointing inside the same site or to another one.
Images and assets
Optionally tests image, script and stylesheet addresses for missing files.
Fair to other servers
Uses lightweight HEAD requests first and limits the number of links and parallel connections.
CSV export
Download the full result with status codes and final addresses.
When to use Broken Link Checker
- Checking an article or landing page before or after publishing.
- Reviewing a resources page with many outbound links that age over time.
- Testing key pages after a site migration or a change of URL structure.
- Finding missing images and files after moving a site to a new host.
Broken Link Checker FAQ
What counts as a broken link?
A link whose target answers with a client or server error, most often 404 Not Found or 410 Gone, or whose host cannot be reached at all because the domain no longer resolves, refuses connections or times out.
Why are some links marked “Could not verify”?
Some sites reject automated requests with codes such as 403 or 429, or show a bot challenge. The link normally works for a person using a browser, so it is not reported as broken, but it cannot be confirmed either. Social networks and large shops are typical examples.
Does the tool check my whole website?
No. It checks the links found on the single page you enter, up to 60 of them. This keeps the load on other servers small and the result quick. For a full crawl of a large site, use a desktop crawler that you run with your own limits.
Are redirected links a problem?
They work, so visitors are not affected much. Still, each redirect adds a delay, and a redirect is often the first stage before a link breaks for good. Updating internal links to point directly to the final address is good housekeeping.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
A few dead outbound links do not cause a penalty, but they waste visitors' time and signal neglect. Broken internal links matter more: they stop crawlers from reaching pages and lose the value of links pointing to addresses that no longer exist.
Why did a link that works in my browser fail here?
The request comes from our server without cookies or a login. Pages that require a session, are limited to certain countries, or block data-centre addresses can fail here while working for you.
Why links break and how to deal with them
Links decay. Pages are renamed, products are discontinued, companies change their domain, and blog platforms shut down. Studies of older web pages regularly find that a large share of their outbound links no longer work. Nobody edits the linking page, so the error stays until someone checks. For a visitor, a dead link is a small disappointment; a page with several of them looks abandoned.
On your own site, broken internal links usually trace back to a change you made: a page moved without a redirect, a typing mistake in an address, an image deleted from the media library. These are the most valuable to fix, since you control both ends. Either correct the link or add a permanent redirect from the old address, which also rescues visitors arriving from bookmarks and other sites.
For external links there are three options. If the content has moved, update the link to the new address. If it has disappeared, look for an equivalent source, or link to an archived copy when the original was important to your text. If neither exists, remove the link and adjust the sentence so it still reads well.
The checker uses HEAD requests where possible, which ask a server only for the status and headers and not for the page, and falls back to a small GET where a server does not support HEAD. Requests are limited in number and rate on purpose. A link checker that hammers other people's servers is a nuisance, and the results it gets are often blocked responses that prove nothing.