What is a broken link checker?

A broken link checker is a tool that scans websites to identify links that no longer work, returning HTTP status codes like 404 (Not Found) or 500 (Server Error).

How does a broken link checker work?

The tool crawls your website by following internal links and validating the HTTP status of each URL, reporting any URLs that return error codes or timeouts.

Why are broken links bad for SEO?

Broken links create a poor user experience, waste search engine crawl budget, and signal to search engines that your site is poorly maintained, which can hurt rankings.

How often should I check for broken links?

For active websites, we recommend checking for broken links at least once a month. Large e-commerce sites benefit from weekly checks.

What are 404 errors and how do I fix them?

404 errors occur when a URL cannot be found on the server. Fix them by setting up a 301 redirect to the most relevant page, restoring deleted content, or correcting typos.

Is the broken link checker completely free?

Yes, our Broken Link Checker is 100% free to use with no registration, limits, or payment required.

What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another that tells search engines and browsers the page has permanently moved, passing ~99% of link equity.

What is a soft 404 error?

A soft 404 occurs when a missing page displays a 'not found' message to the visitor but returns a 200 OK status code to search engines, confusing crawlers.

Broken Link Checker

Audit webpages for broken links, 404 dead ends, redirects, and network timeouts with real-time status code reporting.

TL;DR: Broken Link Checker is a free, browser-based tool that lets you audit webpages for broken links, 404 dead ends, redirects, and network timeouts with real-time status code reporting.

Real Validation • Zero Fake Data • Client-Side Privacy

Enter Webpage URL or Target URLs to Check

Tip: You can paste a single webpage URL or multiple URLs separated by commas or line breaks.

Advanced Scan Settings & Filters

Link Types to Inspect

Hyperlinks (<a href>) Image Assets (<img src>) Scripts & Stylesheets

Crawl Scope & Limits

Max Links:

Timeout:

Browser Security Notice

Direct browser requests to 3rd-party servers are subject to standard CORS restrictions. Inaccessible cross-origin responses are accurately flagged as Unable to verify from browser.

Why Use This Tool?

Broken Link Checker crawls HTML code, anchor links, image tags, and stylesheets to detect broken 404 links, invalid relative URLs, server timeouts, and malformed href attributes.

Getting Started with the Broken Link Checker

Enter a website URL or paste raw HTML code.
Click 'Extract & Validate Links' to parse all anchor tags.
Review link status breakdown (200 OK, 301 Redirect, 404 Broken, Timeout).
Export broken links report to fix dead links on your site.

Pro Tips & Best Practices

Fix Broken User Journeys: Dead links frustrate visitors and lead to high bounce rates.
Preserve Crawl Budget: Search engine bots stop crawling deeper when hitting chains of broken 404 links.
Check Image & Asset Links: Identify broken `<img>` and `<script>` links that slow down page rendering.

Related Guides & Tutorials

What Is Schema Markup Json Ld — Learn in-depth concepts, best practices, and expert tips.
Robots Txt Rules Best Practices — Learn in-depth concepts, best practices, and expert tips.

Live URL Analysis & Privacy

When auditing a live URL, public webpage markup is fetched via our secure proxy service. When using Paste HTML or file upload mode, all analysis runs 100% locally in your browser with zero network requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

: A broken link checker is a tool that scans websites to identify links that no longer work, returning HTTP status codes like 404 (Not Found) or 500 (Server Error).
: The tool crawls your website by following internal links and validating the HTTP status of each URL, reporting any URLs that return error codes or timeouts.
: Broken links create a poor user experience, waste search engine crawl budget, and signal to search engines that your site is poorly maintained, which can hurt rankings.
: For active websites, we recommend checking for broken links at least once a month. Large e-commerce sites benefit from weekly checks.
: 404 errors occur when a URL cannot be found on the server. Fix them by setting up a 301 redirect to the most relevant page, restoring deleted content, or correcting typos.
: Yes, our Broken Link Checker is 100% free to use with no registration, limits, or payment required.
: A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another that tells search engines and browsers the page has permanently moved, passing ~99% of link equity.
: A soft 404 occurs when a missing page displays a 'not found' message to the visitor but returns a 200 OK status code to search engines, confusing crawlers.

Cite This Tool

Referencing this tool in a paper, article, or bibliography? Copy a ready-made citation below.

NexLove.org. (2026). Broken Link Checker [Software]. https://nexlove.org/tools/broken-link-checker.html

“Broken Link Checker.” NexLove.org, 2026, nexlove.org/tools/broken-link-checker.html.

NexLove.org (2026) Broken Link Checker. Available at: https://nexlove.org/tools/broken-link-checker.html (Accessed: 2026).

@misc{nexlove_broken_link_checker,
  title = {Broken Link Checker},
  author = {{NexLove.org}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://nexlove.org/tools/broken-link-checker.html}
}

Embed This Tool

Add the live Broken Link Checker tool to your own website with this snippet — it loads the real, working tool in an iframe, not a static screenshot.

<iframe src="https://nexlove.org/embed/broken-link-checker.html" width="100%" height="600" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px" title="Broken Link Checker — NexLove.org" loading="lazy"></iframe>