Only scan websites you own or have permission to check. Pages are fetched by our server on your behalf; scanned content is not stored.
🧭 How to use the Broken Link Checker
- Enter your website address, for example
https://yourwebsite.com. - Choose how many pages to check and press Scan website. The tool reads your
sitemap.xmland follows internal links from your homepage. - Review the report. Each broken link is listed together with the page it appears on.
- Fix or remove the links, then scan again to confirm everything is clean.
📋 What the report shows
Broken links
Links that lead to a page returning an error (such as 404 Not Found or a server error), a page that fails to load, or a "soft 404" — a page that loads but says the content was not found.
Links to redirecting URLs
These still work, but they send visitors and search engines through a redirect. Updating them to the final address saves a request and keeps your internal linking clean — especially after you merge or move pages.
Empty links
Links with href="#" or javascript: that do not lead anywhere. They are often left behind by page templates or "coming soon" placeholders.
Orphan pages
Pages listed in your sitemap that no other page links to. Search engines find these harder to discover and may treat them as less important.
💡 Why fixing broken links matters
Broken links frustrate visitors and waste the time search engines spend crawling your site. A site with many dead links looks poorly maintained, which can hurt how it is judged for search quality and for programs such as ad networks that review site quality. Regular checks after publishing, merging, or deleting pages keep your site healthy.
⚠️ Limits of this tool
- It checks up to 100 pages per scan and reads only what a normal visitor's browser would see — pages behind a login cannot be checked.
- Links created by JavaScript after the page loads are not seen.
- Some websites block automated requests, so an external link reported as broken may still work in a browser.
- Pages disallowed for bots or slowed by firewalls may show as errors.
- If your site answers with "429 Too Many Requests", wait a few minutes and scan fewer pages at a time.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is a broken link?
A link that points to a page or file that no longer exists or cannot be reached. Clicking it shows an error such as 404 Not Found.
What is the difference between internal and external links?
Internal links point to other pages on your own website. External links point to other websites. You control internal links fully, so fix those first.
Should I fix redirecting links?
Yes, if you can. Point the link straight to the final URL. It is not an error, but it removes an unnecessary step for visitors and crawlers.
Why did the scan stop before finishing?
The scan is limited by the number of pages you selected and by a fair-use limit per visitor per hour. If you reach the limit, wait and run the scan again, or scan fewer pages at a time.
Does this tool store my website's content?
No. Pages are fetched to build the report and are not saved. Only a hashed request count is kept temporarily to enforce the usage limit.
An external link is reported broken but works for me. Why?
Some sites block automated checks or respond differently to bots. Open the link in your browser to confirm before removing it.