Broken Link Checker

Broken links are URLs that return error status codes (typically 404 Not Found, but also 403 Forbidden, 500 Internal Server Error, connection timeouts, etc.). Broken links occur when a page has been deleted, moved, or never existed. They create poor user experience, hurt SEO, and reduce website credibility.

When users click on a broken link, they're typically shown an error page (most commonly "404 Not Found"). This frustrates users, wastes their time, and creates a negative impression of your website. Broken links also waste search engine crawl budget, as search engine crawlers spend time trying to access pages that don't exist instead of indexing valuable content.

Broken links can occur for many reasons: pages being deleted or moved without proper redirects, URLs being mistyped in content, external websites changing or removing their pages, server errors or downtime, and expired domains. Regular broken link checking helps identify and fix these issues before they impact users and SEO.

How Broken Links Affect Your Website

Broken links have significant negative impacts on your website:

1. Poor User Experience: Users click on links expecting to find content, but instead encounter error pages. This frustrates users, wastes their time, and creates a negative impression of your website's quality and reliability.
2. SEO Impact: Broken links waste search engine crawl budget, as crawlers spend time on non-existent pages instead of indexing valuable content. They can also negatively impact search rankings and reduce the authority passed through internal linking.
3. Credibility Loss: Websites with many broken links appear unprofessional and poorly maintained. This reduces trust and credibility, which can lead to lower conversion rates and lost business.
4. Lost Traffic: Broken links prevent users from accessing content, resulting in lost page views and engagement. They also prevent search engines from discovering and indexing pages.
5. Conversion Impact: Broken links on important pages (product pages, pricing pages, contact pages) can prevent users from completing conversions, directly impacting revenue.
6. Mobile User Impact: Broken links are particularly frustrating on mobile devices, where users have less patience and are more likely to abandon sites with errors.

Types of Broken Links

Broken links serve many purposes: identifying pages that need to be fixed or redirected, monitoring website health and maintenance needs, improving user experience by removing dead links, protecting SEO by ensuring crawlers can access content, maintaining credibility by keeping links up-to-date, and preventing revenue loss from broken links on important pages. Understanding broken links is essential for website maintenance, SEO optimization, and user experience improvement.

Broken links aren't just minor annoyances—they have serious consequences for your website's performance, user experience, and business success. Here's why broken links matter:

1. User Experience and Trust

Broken links create frustrating user experiences. When users click on links expecting to find content, encountering error pages damages trust and credibility. Users may assume the website is poorly maintained or unprofessional, leading them to leave and potentially never return. First impressions matter, and broken links create negative first impressions.

2. SEO and Search Rankings

Broken links negatively impact SEO in several ways. They waste search engine crawl budget, as crawlers spend time on non-existent pages instead of indexing valuable content. They can reduce the authority passed through internal linking structures. Search engines may view websites with many broken links as poorly maintained, potentially affecting rankings. Regular broken link checking helps maintain healthy internal linking.

3. Lost Traffic and Revenue

Broken links directly result in lost traffic and revenue. When links to important pages (product pages, pricing pages, contact pages) are broken, users can't access those pages, preventing conversions and sales. Broken links on landing pages can reduce conversion rates. Broken links on blog posts prevent users from accessing related content, reducing engagement and time on site.

4. Professional Reputation

Websites with many broken links appear unprofessional and poorly maintained. This damages brand reputation and credibility. For businesses, broken links suggest a lack of attention to detail and care for users. Regular broken link checking and fixing demonstrates professionalism and commitment to providing a quality user experience.

5. Mobile User Impact

Broken links are particularly problematic on mobile devices. Mobile users have less patience and are more likely to abandon sites with errors. Broken links on mobile create extra friction, as users must wait for error pages to load. With mobile traffic often exceeding desktop, ensuring mobile users don't encounter broken links is critical.

6. Legal and Compliance

In some cases, broken links can have legal implications. Broken links to terms of service, privacy policies, or compliance documents can create legal issues. Broken links in contracts or agreements can cause problems. While not always the case, maintaining working links to important legal documents is good practice.

Our broken link checker makes it easy to find and fix broken links on your website. Follow these simple steps:

Preventing broken links is better than fixing them. Here are best practices for preventing broken links: