Free SEO extension 🔥

Broken link checker

Enter a page URL and we'll crawl its links, checking each one for 404s, server errors and redirects. Fix broken links before they hurt user experience and crawl efficiency.

Works with
  • Google

Links are checked by SeoSpidie's server. A few sites refuse automated checks (403, 429 or a timeout), so a link marked broken can occasionally be a site blocking us rather than a dead link — re-check anything important before you fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the broken link checker do?

It scans the links on a page and reports the HTTP status of each — 200 OK, 3xx redirect, 404 not found, or 5xx server error — so you can find and fix links that lead nowhere.

Why are broken links bad for SEO?

Broken links frustrate visitors, waste crawl budget and can signal a poorly maintained site. Internal 404s also strand link equity, and broken outbound links reduce trust in your content.

What's the difference between internal and external broken links?

Internal links point to pages on your own site — you can fix these directly by updating URLs or adding redirects. External links point to other sites; if they break, update or remove them since you can't control the destination.

How do I fix a 404 link?

Update the link to the correct URL, restore the missing page, or set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the most relevant live page. Remove links to pages that are gone for good.

Is this tool free?

Yes. Scan a page's links for free, no login required.

What is a broken link?

A broken link is a link that leads to a page that no longer works. Most often the destination returns a 404 "not found" error because the page was deleted or its address changed; sometimes it returns a server error, or the whole domain has expired. Broken links appear naturally over time as other websites reorganise, a process often called link rot.

Broken links hurt visitors first: someone clicks expecting an answer and lands on an error page. They also waste search engine crawling and, when the broken link points to your own pages, they stop link value from flowing through your site. A few broken links will not sink a website, but pages full of dead links look neglected to both readers and reviewers.

Checking a page regularly — especially long guides, resource lists and older blog posts with many outbound links — keeps your content trustworthy and makes sure your internal links lead where they should.

Every broken link is a dead end for a visitor and a wasted request for search engine crawlers. Internal 404s also strand the link value that should flow to your important pages, and broken outbound links make content look neglected.

How to use it

  1. Enter a page URL, or paste HTML if the page is not public yet.
  2. Run the scan — every link on the page is checked and its status code reported.
  3. Fix the 4xx/5xx results first: update the URL, restore the page, or add a 301 redirect.

Tips for better results

  • Prioritise internal links and links in navigation or footers — they appear on many pages.
  • Treat long redirect chains as a problem too; link straight to the final URL.
  • Re-scan key pages after site migrations or URL changes.

Step by step, with screenshots

  1. 1Enter the page you want to check.
    Step 1: Enter the page you want to check.
  2. 2Every link on the page is tested — broken links and redirects are flagged.
    Step 2: Every link on the page is tested — broken links and redirects are flagged.

Features of the Broken Link Checker

  • Checks every link on a page. Enter a URL and each link found on that page is tested.
  • Status code for each link. See which links work, which redirect and which return 4xx or 5xx errors.
  • Paste HTML instead. Check a page before it is published by pasting its HTML.
  • Server-side checking. Links are tested from SeoSpidie's server, so results are not blocked by browser restrictions.
  • Free, no sign-up. Run as many page checks as you need within fair-use limits.

Who is it for?

  • Bloggers: keep older posts and resource pages free of dead links.
  • Online stores: make sure category and product pages link to products that still exist.
  • SEO specialists: find internal links that point to removed pages.
  • Link builders: find broken links on other sites and suggest your page as a replacement.

Understanding your results

Fix 4xx and 5xx results first. For links to your own site, update the link to the page's current address, restore the missing page, or add a 301 redirect from the old address. For links to other sites, replace the link with a working source or remove it.

Redirect results are not errors, but updating the link to its final address makes pages slightly faster and keeps your internal linking clean. A link that fails occasionally may point to a slow server; check it again before removing it.

Example: a resource page full of outdated links

A university library in Dublin maintained a popular "Research tools" page with 120 outbound links collected over several years. Students began reporting dead links.

The Broken Link Checker found 14 links returning 404 errors, three pointing to expired domains and nine redirecting to new addresses. The librarian replaced the dead links with current resources, removed the expired ones and updated the redirected links to their final URLs. The page stayed one of the library's most visited, and several external sites that cited it kept linking.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Fixing broken links only on new content and ignoring older, high-traffic pages.
  • Deleting pages without adding redirects for the links that pointed to them.
  • Redirecting every broken URL to the homepage.
  • Removing a link to a site that was only temporarily down.
  • Checking once and never again — links break continuously over time.

More questions about the Broken Link Checker

Do broken links hurt SEO?

A few broken outbound links will not sink a page, but they hurt visitors and make content look neglected. Broken internal links also stop link value flowing to your own pages.

Should I redirect or remove a broken link?

For your own pages, update the link or add a 301 redirect to the closest replacement. For other sites, replace the link with a working source or remove it.

How often should I check for broken links?

Check important pages every few months, and always after a redesign, migration or large content clean-up.

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