Broken Link Checker

Find all broken links (404 errors) and redirect chains on any webpage. Check up to 50 internal and external links fix dead links before they hurt your SEO.

Why use our Broken Link Checker

Instant results, no waiting

Scan up to 50 links on a page and get every broken link and redirect chain back in 10–20 seconds, no queue, no email required.

100% free, no signup needed

Check broken links online without creating an account or entering a credit card, unlike most 'dead link checker' tools that gate results behind a paywall.

Real HTTP status codes

See the actual 404, 403, 500, or timeout status for every link, not a guess, so you know exactly which links to fix first.

Checks internal and external links

Most free tools only check links on your own domain. This one flags broken outbound links to other sites too, both hurt your SEO and user experience.

Website URL *

Checks up to 50 links per page. For full-site crawl, use the SEOMentor scan.

Why broken links hurt your SEO

404 errors waste crawl budget: Every time Googlebot hits a broken link, it wastes crawl budget on a dead end. Sites with many 404s get crawled less frequently, meaning new content takes longer to index.

Broken links lose link equity: If an external site links to a page that now 404s, that link equity (PageRank) is lost. Redirecting old URLs to relevant content reclaims that equity.

Redirect chains dilute authority: Each redirect hop dilutes the link equity passed through. A→B→C passes less equity than A→C directly. Audit and flatten redirect chains to one hop maximum.

User experience = ranking signal: Broken links frustrate users. High bounce rates from 404 pages tell Google your site provides poor user experience, which contributes to ranking drops over time.

Real Broken Link Checker example: before vs. after

A real result from scanning an old blog post that hadn't been checked in over a year.

Before · First scan

/old-guide-2022 → 404 Not Found
partner-site.com/resource → 404 Not Found
docs.tool.io/api → redirected 3 hops
12 healthy links

3 dead links and a 3-hop redirect chain were quietly wasting crawl budget and frustrating readers who clicked through.

After · After fixing

/old-guide-2022 → updated to /guide-2026
partner-site.com/resource → removed, dead resource
docs.tool.io/api → updated to direct link
15 healthy links

All broken links fixed or removed, and the redirect chain flattened to a single direct link, no more wasted crawl budget or dead ends for readers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a broken link?

A broken link (dead link) is a hyperlink that points to a page that no longer exists or returns an error (usually 404 Not Found). They hurt both user experience and SEO.

How often should I check for broken links?

Monthly for active sites, quarterly for smaller ones. Every time you redesign a site or change URL structure, run a full broken link check immediately.

What's the difference between 404 and 301?

404 means the page doesn't exist: a broken link. 301 means the page permanently moved to a new URL: this is a redirect, not broken, but chains of 301s dilute link equity.

Should I fix broken external links?

Yes. Remove or update links to external pages that return 404. Linking to broken external resources makes your page look outdated and provides poor user experience.