Broken link checker
Paste a page URL and see which links lead to a 404 error or are down. We check up to 30 links, internal and external, right in your browser and with no sign up.
This can take a few seconds. We check up to 30 links on the page.
Everything about broken links
A broken link is a link that points to a page that no longer exists or is down. For the visitor, it ends on a 404 error screen. For Google, it is a sign of a poorly maintained page that can weigh on SEO. The more broken links, the worse the experience and the trust in the site.
What a broken link is
It is an <a href="..."> link whose target responds with an error instead of the expected content. The most common case is status 404 (not found), when the page was removed or the URL has a typo. A broken link also covers 410 (gone), 500 (server error) and a target that simply does not answer (expired domain, host down or a request timeout).
Why broken links hurt UX and SEO
- They frustrate visitors: someone who clicks and lands on a 404 loses the thread and tends to leave the site.
- They erode trust: many broken links make a site feel abandoned or unreliable.
- They waste crawl budget: Google spends crawling on dead URLs instead of your good pages.
- They leak authority: an internal link to a dead page throws away the SEO strength it would have passed on.
- They hurt indexing: pages full of errors have a lower chance of ranking well.
How to fix broken links
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The page changed address | Set up a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one |
| The content was removed for good | Remove the link or point it to a related page that is still live |
| Typo in the URL | Fix the href to the right address |
| External site went down | Update the link to an equivalent source or remove it |
Internal and external links
Internal links point to your own site and hurt SEO the most when they break, because you control both sides and Google expected to find content there. External links point to other sites and break outside your control, when the target page goes down. It pays to review both: internal ones you fix at the source, external ones you update or remove. This tool checks up to 30 links at a time, internal and external, and shows each one's status.
Broken link questions
Is the tool free?
Yes, free and no sign up. Paste the URL and get the list of broken links instantly.
How many links does it check?
Up to 30 links per run. If the page has more, we check the first 30 and tell you it was truncated.
What does a 404 status mean?
404 means the target was not found. Usually the page was removed or the URL has a typo.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Yes. Broken links worsen the experience, spend Google's crawling on dead URLs and waste the authority that would pass on.
Should I use a 301 or remove the link?
If the page changed address, use a 301 redirect. If the content is gone for good, remove the link or point it to a related, live page.
Is my data stored?
The check runs on demand and the page content is not stored.
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