lintpage
~/tools/broken-link-checker

Broken Link Checker

Find the dead internal links on any page before Google does. Broken links waste crawl budget, frustrate visitors, and signal a neglected site to search engines.

§ what this tool checks

Rules applied to every scan.

Broken internal links are dead ends — they waste your crawl budget, strand link equity on pages that no longer exist, and tell both visitors and Google that a site isn't being maintained. They creep in quietly every time a page is renamed or removed. This tool follows every internal link on a page, checks the live HTTP status of each one, and reports the ones returning 404s and server errors.

Every internal link on the page
Live HTTP status of each link (404, 500, etc.)
Links returning 404 Not Found
Links returning 5xx server errors
Links returning 4xx client errors (401/403)
Links that time out or cannot be reached
§ faq

Questions, answered.

How do broken links hurt SEO?
Broken internal links waste crawl budget — search engines spend time requesting URLs that return nothing instead of discovering your real content. They also strand link equity: any ranking signal that flowed through that link is lost. And a site full of 404s signals low quality and poor maintenance, which can drag down how search engines assess your domain overall.
What is the difference between a 404 and a soft 404?
A 404 returns the correct "Not Found" HTTP status code, so search engines know to drop the URL. A soft 404 is worse: the page says "not found" to humans but returns a 200 OK status, so search engines keep trying to index an empty page. This tool checks the actual HTTP status code, which is what search engines act on — not just what the page displays.
How often should I check for broken links?
Check after any significant content change — migrations, redesigns, bulk deletions, or URL structure changes — since those are when links break in bulk. For an active site, a monthly scan catches the slow drip of links that break as referenced pages are renamed or retired. Fixing them promptly keeps crawl budget focused on pages that matter.
How do I fix a broken internal link?
If the target page moved, update the link to the new URL (or 301-redirect the old URL to the new one). If the page is gone for good, either remove the link or point it at the most relevant remaining page. Avoid linking through redirect chains — link directly to the final destination so no crawl budget or link equity is wasted on the way.
§ run the full audit

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