What Is the Broken Link Checker?
The Broken Link Checker crawls a page and tests every link it finds — internal and external — reporting which ones return a working response and which return an error such as a 404 Not Found, 500 Server Error, timeout, or DNS failure. It's a spider in miniature: instead of crawling an entire site, it focuses on one page at a time so you can get an answer quickly.
Broken links are one of the most common forms of technical debt on any website. Pages get deleted, domains expire, third-party resources move, and nobody notices until a user — or a search engine crawler — hits a dead end. This tool exists to surface those dead ends before they quietly erode user trust and crawl efficiency.
How the Broken Link Checker Works
After you submit a URL, the checker downloads the page and parses every anchor tag to build a complete list of outbound and internal links referenced on that page.
It then sends a request to each linked URL and records the HTTP status code returned — 200 for a healthy link, 301/302 for a redirect, 404 for a missing page, and 500-series codes for server errors. The results are grouped so you can see working links, redirected links, and broken links at a glance, along with the anchor text and location of each one so you know exactly what to fix.
Why Use This Broken Link Spider
Every broken link on a page is a small dead end for both users and search engine crawlers. Users who hit a 404 often leave the site entirely, and crawlers that repeatedly encounter dead links waste crawl budget that could otherwise be spent indexing your good content. Running the Broken Link Checker regularly keeps that from piling up unnoticed.
It's especially useful after a site migration, a content purge, or a redesign — three of the most common events that silently break large numbers of internal links at once. Combine it with the Redirect Checker when you find broken links that used to redirect somewhere.
On larger sites, broken links tend to cluster around the same recurring causes — deleted category pages, expired external resources, or a single mistyped internal link copied across a template — so fixing the root cause often resolves several flagged links at once.
Key Features of the Broken Link Checker
The checker is built to make link auditing fast even on content-heavy pages.
Full Page Crawl
Scans every anchor tag on the submitted page automatically.
Status Code Reporting
Shows the exact HTTP response — 200, 301, 404, 500, and more — for each link.
Internal vs External Grouping
Separates links pointing within your domain from third-party links.
Anchor Text Context
Displays the visible link text so you can locate the broken link quickly.
Connection Failure Detection
Flags timeouts and DNS errors, not just standard HTTP error codes.
Instant Results
Most single-page scans complete in a few seconds.
Benefits of Using the Broken Link Checker
A clean link profile pays off in ways that are easy to underestimate.
Better User Experience
Visitors don't hit dead ends while navigating your content.
Preserved Crawl Budget
Search engines spend more time indexing live pages instead of chasing errors.
Protected Link Equity
Internal links pointing to real, working pages pass authority as intended.
Fewer Support Complaints
Catch dead links before users report them.
Cleaner Analytics
Reduce 404 noise in your server logs and crawl reports.
Faster Troubleshooting
Pinpoint exactly which link and page needs a fix, without manual clicking.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Use the Broken Link Checker
Checking a page for broken links only takes a minute.
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1
Enter the page URL
Paste the address of the page you want to scan.
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2
Start the scan
The tool fetches the page and extracts every link automatically.
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3
Wait for the crawl to finish
Each discovered link is tested for its response status.
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4
Review the broken link list
Focus first on 404s and 500s flagged in the results.
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5
Fix or remove each one
Update the link, restore the page, or add a redirect as appropriate.
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6
Re-scan to confirm
Run the check again after fixes to verify every link now resolves.
Best Practices for Broken Link Spider
Consistent link hygiene is far easier than a large cleanup after years of neglect.
Scan high-traffic pages regularly
Prioritize your homepage, top landing pages, and cornerstone content.
Fix broken internal links immediately
These are fully within your control and cost nothing to repair.
Redirect deleted pages
Point old URLs to the closest relevant replacement instead of leaving a 404.
Audit external links quarterly
Third-party sites change or disappear without notice.
Check after every migration
Domain moves and CMS switches are the most common source of new broken links.
Avoid linking to unstable resources
Prefer authoritative, long-lived domains for outbound citations.
Common Use Cases
Different teams reach for this tool at different points in the content lifecycle.
Post-migration audits
Verify internal links survived a domain or platform move.
Content pruning
Check old blog posts for links to pages that no longer exist.
Editorial QA
Confirm every link in a new article resolves before publishing.
Partner/resource pages
Keep curated link lists and resource pages up to date.
SEO health checks
Include link status as part of a broader technical SEO review.
Pro Tips to Get the Most Out of the Broken Link Checker
A few habits make link maintenance far less painful over time.
Check new content before it publishes
It's much cheaper to fix a link pre-launch than after it's indexed.
Keep a redirect map during migrations
Document old-to-new URL mappings so nothing gets missed.
Don't ignore redirect chains
Use the Redirect Checker to see if a working link is hopping through multiple hops unnecessarily.
Re-check evergreen content periodically
Old posts accumulate broken links as the web around them changes.
Prioritize by traffic
Fix links on your most-visited pages first for the biggest impact.
Document recurring offenders
If one external domain repeatedly breaks, consider replacing it site-wide.
Conclusion
Broken links are a quiet tax on both user experience and crawl efficiency, and they only get more expensive to fix the longer they're left alone. The Broken Link Checker gives you a fast way to find and eliminate them before they cost you traffic or trust.
Make it a routine part of publishing and site maintenance, alongside the Redirect Checker and SEO Checker, to keep every page in top technical health.