A broken link checker helps you find links on a website that no longer work. These links can lead visitors and search crawlers to missing pages, server errors, expired external resources, or pages that time out. Use this free website broken link checker to scan a public webpage, identify internal and external URLs, and review links that may need to be repaired, removed, or redirected.

Broken links are common on websites that publish regular articles, update products, change website structures, migrate domains, or link to external sources. A link can fail because a page was deleted, a URL changed, a domain expired, an external publisher removed a resource, or a server returned an error. Finding these issues early helps keep navigation useful and makes website maintenance more manageable.

How this broken link finder works

This tool crawls the links available from the URL you submit and checks the HTTP response returned for each discovered URL. It separates internal links, which point to pages on the same website, from external links, which point to other websites. The results show the link URL, available status information, and whether the link should be reviewed.

A broken link scan is a snapshot. Results can vary because websites change, servers can be temporarily unavailable, a security service may block automated requests, or a third party page may redirect visitors differently. Review important errors manually in a browser before making a permanent change. A reported issue is a useful signal for investigation, not an automatic instruction to delete every link.

Why broken links matter for SEO

Broken links create a poor experience when a visitor expects useful information and instead sees a missing page or error message. They can also make it harder for search crawlers to discover important pages efficiently. A website with many outdated internal links may signal weak maintenance and can make navigation less clear for visitors.

Fixing broken links does not guarantee ranking growth. It is one part of technical SEO and website quality. Good SEO also requires helpful content, clear site architecture, fast pages, accessible design, secure HTTPS delivery, relevant internal linking, accurate structured data, and a trustworthy user experience. Regular link maintenance supports these broader goals.

Internal broken links and external broken links

An internal broken link points to another URL on the same domain. These links are especially important because you control the destination. Common internal issues include old blog URLs, renamed products, deleted categories, changed file paths, and links that use an outdated website migration path. Internal broken links should normally be repaired by updating the link, restoring the content, or creating a relevant redirect where appropriate.

An external broken link points to a different website. External links can fail when a source removes a page, changes its URL, blocks access, or closes its domain. Replace the link with a current authoritative source when possible. If no equivalent page exists, remove the link or change the surrounding text so visitors are not promised a resource that no longer exists.

How to find broken links on a website

Start with the homepage and major pages that receive visitors or link to many internal resources. Then scan important category pages, resource pages, blog archives, product pages, and recently updated articles. Prioritize links that affect conversions, navigation, documentation, legal pages, downloads, or key SEO landing pages.

When you identify a 404 link, decide what the visitor should find instead. Update the source link when a new destination exists. Redirect an old URL only when the replacement is genuinely relevant. Avoid redirecting unrelated missing pages to the homepage because it can confuse visitors and search engines. If a page should no longer exist, remove the old internal links that point to it.

Common HTTP responses in a broken link audit

A 404 Not Found response usually means the requested URL does not exist. A 410 Gone response means the resource was intentionally removed. A 500 error indicates a server problem. A timeout can mean the destination server was slow, unavailable, blocked, or temporarily overloaded. Redirects can be valid, but long redirect chains should be reviewed because they slow visitors and make maintenance more difficult.

Do not treat every non-200 response as identical. A temporary server error may resolve without changes, while a permanent 404 needs an update. Review the context of the source link, the importance of the destination, and whether a useful replacement exists.

Broken links, AI SEO, and Google E-E-A-T

AI search systems and traditional search engines benefit from websites that are clear, accessible, maintained, and useful for people. A broken link checker helps identify technical maintenance issues, but it does not create expertise or authority by itself. Strong AI SEO and Google E-E-A-T practices also require accurate information, original experience, transparent ownership, clear contact details, responsible updates, and honest explanations of tool limitations.

Use this broken link audit tool as part of a maintenance process. Keep important resources current, verify external references, update outdated claims, and make it easy for visitors to reach relevant pages. Do not claim that removing broken links alone will guarantee rankings, traffic, revenue, or better search visibility.

Recommended broken link maintenance schedule

Scan an active website at least once each month. Run an additional scan after a major content update, redesign, migration, CMS change, plugin change, product catalog update, or domain change. Websites with frequent publishing, large resource libraries, or many external citations may need more regular checks.

Keep a simple record of broken links found, the page where each link appears, the action taken, and the date of the change. This makes future maintenance faster and helps a team avoid repeating the same mistakes. After fixing important links, scan again to confirm the updated page now points to a working destination.

Broken Link Checker FAQ

What is a Broken Links Finder?

A Broken Links Finder is an online tool that scans a website and identifies broken or dead links that return errors such as 404 Not Found, helping improve SEO and user experience.

Why are broken links bad for SEO?

Broken links can reduce crawl efficiency and create a poor visitor experience. They are a maintenance issue that should be reviewed as part of technical SEO.

How does a Broken Links Finder work?

The tool crawls available internal and external links, checks the response from each URL, and reports links that return errors such as 404, 500, or timeout responses.

Can I check both internal and external broken links?

Yes. The scan separates internal links within your website from external links that point to other websites.

How often should I scan my website for broken links?

Scan at least once a month and after major content, migration, navigation, or website structure changes.

Is a Broken Links Finder free to use?

This tool provides a free public link check. Large websites and deep scheduled monitoring may require additional tools or a more detailed crawling process.

What should I do after finding a broken link?

Update the source link, restore the correct page, add a relevant redirect when appropriate, replace the external source, or remove the link if no useful destination exists.

Does a 404 error always mean a link should be removed?

No. A 404 can often be fixed by updating the destination or redirecting an old URL to a closely related replacement page.