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Free tool

Broken link checker. Free, no signup.

Check every link on a page and see which are broken, redirected or fine.

01What it does

Find the dead links on any page in seconds.

The broken link checker reads one page the way a search engine does, collects every link on it and then visits each link to see what comes back. A link that answers with an error code, or does not answer at all, is marked as broken. A link that sends the visitor somewhere else first is marked as redirected, together with the address where it finally ends.

Broken links hurt in two ways. Visitors who click them land on an error page and often leave. Search engine crawlers that follow them spend time on addresses that lead nowhere instead of on your real pages. On a small site a handful of dead links is easy to miss, because nobody clicks every link after each update.

The check is free and runs on our own crawler. Paste the address of a page, press the button and you get a short fix list: the broken links first, then the redirected ones, then the links that are fine.

  • Internal and external links

    Links to your own pages and links to other websites are both tested, and each row says which kind it is.

  • The real status code

    You see the code the link finally returns, such as 200, 404 or 500, or the reason there was no answer.

  • Redirects followed to the end

    Each redirected link shows the final address, so you can point the link straight there.

  • Anchor text on every row

    The clickable text of each link is shown, so you can find it in your editor quickly.

  • Broken links on top

    Results are sorted by urgency: broken, then redirected, then OK.

links checked per page
30
redirect hops followed per link
10
numbers in the summary: links, checked, broken, redirected
4

02How to use it

How to check a page for broken links.

You only need the address of the page. No login, no plugin and no access to your server.

  1. Paste the full page address

    Use the complete address including https://, for example https://northgate-plumbing.example/services/. Pick a page that matters: the home page, a service page or an old article with many links.

  2. Press Check links

    Our crawler loads the page, reads its HTML and lists every http and https link it finds. Then it visits the links, several at a time, and follows any redirects hop by hop.

  3. Read the summary first

    Four numbers tell you how many links the page has, how many were checked, how many are broken and how many redirect. If the page has more links than were checked, a note says so.

  4. Work through the table

    Broken links are at the top. Use the anchor text to find each one, then fix the address, point it to a working page or remove it.

  5. Update redirected links

    For links that redirect, copy the address from the Ends at column and use it as the new link target. Run the check again to confirm the page is clean.

03How it works

How the checker tests each link.

  1. Stage 1

    Read the page

    The page is fetched and parsed. Links are collected in the order they appear.

  2. Stage 2

    Pick the links

    The first 30 web links are queued for testing.

  3. Stage 3

    Follow every hop

    Each link is requested and redirects are followed one hop at a time, up to ten.

  4. Stage 4

    Classify and sort

    Each link becomes broken, redirected or OK, and the list is sorted with the broken ones first.

First we fetch the page you entered with our own crawler and parse its HTML. Every link that starts with http or https is collected, along with its anchor text and whether it points to the same site (internal) or to another site (external). Links such as mailto: or tel: are not web addresses and are not tested.

Each link is then requested without downloading the full page behind it. We only need the status line and the Location header. If the answer is a redirect (301, 302, 303, 307 or 308), we follow it to the next address and ask again, up to ten hops. The last answer decides the result.

For safety, a redirect that points to a private or internal network address is stopped, and a link that keeps sending us back to an address we already visited is reported as a redirect loop.

04Reading the results

How to read the results.

Every number and column on the result screen means one specific thing. Here is what each one tells you and what to do about it.

FieldWhat it means
Links on the pageAll web links found in the page HTML. Navigation, footer and in-text links all count.
CheckedHow many of those links were tested in this run. When it is lower than Links on the page, a note under the table tells you.
BrokenLinks that returned 400 or higher, or gave no answer at all. Fix these first.
RedirectedLinks that work but pass through at least one redirect before the final page. Not urgent, but worth cleaning up.
LinkThe address in your HTML, with the anchor text under it. Use the anchor text to find the link on the page.
StatusThe final status code. Green means a working page, amber a redirect, red an error. Instead of a code you may see a reason, such as no answer or a redirect loop.
TypeInternal means the link points to your own site; external means another website. Internal broken links are fully in your control.
Ends atFor redirected links, the address where the visitor finally lands. This is the address the link should point to.
What to do nextShort suggestions based on your result, for example how many broken links to fix and how many redirected links to update.

05Who it is for

When to use a broken link checker.

Maintenance

After a redesign or migration

Moved pages and new URL structures are the most common source of dead internal links. Check your key pages right after launch.

Content

Old blog posts

Articles written years ago often link to sources that have since moved or disappeared. A quick check shows which references need a new target.

Agencies

Client onboarding

Run the home page and main service pages of a new client to find quick wins you can fix in the first week.

Link building

Pages that link to you

Check a resource page that is supposed to link to your site and see whether the link still works and where it lands.

06Tips

Tips for fixing broken links.

  • Fix internal links first

    They are entirely under your control, and they guide both visitors and crawlers through your site.

  • Replace, do not just delete

    If the target moved, link to its new address. If it is gone, link to the closest useful page instead of leaving a gap in the text.

  • Redirect deleted pages of your own

    If other sites link to a page you removed, a 301 redirect to the closest live page keeps those visitors and that link value.

  • Link to the final address

    Each redirect hop adds a round trip. Use the Ends at address so visitors arrive in one step.

  • Watch for http links

    A link to http:// that redirects to https:// works, but updating it removes a hop on every click.

  • Recheck after editing

    Run the page again after your changes to confirm that the broken count is zero.

07Good to know

What this free check does not do.

09FAQ

Questions about the broken link checker.

Why do broken links matter?

They waste visitors' time and crawl budget, and they make a site look neglected.

What counts as broken?

A link that returns a 4xx or 5xx error, or does not answer at all.

How many links are checked?

Up to 30 links per page. Site audit in the app crawls the whole site.

Should I fix redirected links?

Yes, when you can. Linking straight to the final address is faster and cleaner.

Why does a link work in my browser but show as broken?

Some sites block automated visitors or need JavaScript to load. Open the link yourself before you remove it.

Does it check images?

No, only links. Site audit in the app checks images too.

How many redirects are followed?

Up to ten hops per link. A link that keeps returning to an address already visited is reported as a redirect loop.

Is a 403 a broken link?

It counts as broken because the visitor cannot see the page. Some sites return 403 only to automated visitors, so confirm it in a browser.

Can I check the whole site?

Site audit in the app crawls every page and lists every broken link.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The check runs on our servers; you only paste the page address.

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