Broken Link Checker
Crawls the first 40 unique links on a page and HEAD-checks each one.
Quick Facts
- ✅ Method: real HTTP requests, not regex guessing
- ⚡ Speed: Parallel checks across all links
- 💰 Cost: 100% free — unlimited scans
- 📊 Output: status code per link
- 🌐 Coverage: internal and external links
- 🔄 Last Updated: June 2026
What Is Broken Link Checker?
A broken link is a link that returns an error instead of a page, most commonly a 404 not found or a 5xx server error. This free checker fetches every link on a page and reports the real HTTP status code returned by each destination, so you see genuine failures rather than pattern-matched guesses. Broken links waste crawl budget, break the flow of authority through your site, and create dead ends for readers — all of which are easy to fix once you know exactly which URLs are failing.
What Does Broken Link Checker Check?
Broken Link Checker is a free SEO tool from SEOAcademys that performs real-time analysis on any live URL. It evaluates 8+ signals using the same methodology trusted by 2.4M+ marketers worldwide — with no signup, no credit card, and zero data stored on our servers.
Live HTTP status check for every link on the page
Live HTTP status check for every link on the page
Detects 404 not found, 410 gone, 5xx server errors and timeouts
Detects 404 not found, 410 gone, 5xx server errors and timeouts
Covers both internal and external destinations
Covers both internal and external destinations
Parallel requests so large pages finish quickly
Parallel requests so large pages finish quickly
Distinguishes redirects from true failures
Distinguishes redirects from true failures
Highlights the anchor text of each broken link for fast fixing
Highlights the anchor text of each broken link for fast fixing
Works on any public URL including competitor pages
Works on any public URL including competitor pages
Exportable results for handing to a developer
Exportable results for handing to a developer
Why Broken Link Checker Matters for Google Rankings in 2026
Every broken internal link severs a path a crawler was following, and every broken external link signals a page nobody has maintained. Both are cheap to fix and disproportionately visible to quality-assessment systems.
How to Use Broken Link Checker
- 1
Step 1: Enter Your URL
Paste any public URL into the field above. Broken Link Checker accepts both
http://andhttps://and auto-resolves redirects. - 2
Step 2: Run the Analysis
Click Analyze. Our edge servers fetch the live HTML in under 8 seconds and run a deep parse — no caching, always fresh.
- 3
Step 3: Fix the Issues
Review the prioritized fix list, copy the recommended snippets, and re-run Broken Link Checker after deploying to confirm the score change.
What Broken Link Checker Checks — Full List
Broken Link Checker vs Dead Link Checker: Why Free Wins
Paid SEO suites cost $99–$449/month. Broken Link Checker runs the same on-page checks in real time, completely free.
| Feature | SEOAcademys | Dead Link Checker | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | $139.95/mo | $129/mo |
| Signup required | No | Yes | Yes |
| Live URL fetching | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI crawler signals (GPTBot, ClaudeBot) | Yes | No | Partial |
| Daily limit | Unlimited | 100 reports | 500 credits |
| Data stored | Nothing | Indefinitely | Indefinitely |
| Export CSV / JSON | Yes | Yes (paid tier) | Yes (paid tier) |
Common Broken Link Crawler Issues Found
Deleted pages with no redirect
Removing a URL without a 301 turns every existing link into a dead end. Redirect to the closest relevant page.
External sites that moved
Outbound links rot over time. Re-check external references quarterly and replace or remove failures.
Typos in hand-written hrefs
Manually written links frequently carry a stray character or missing slash. A status check catches these instantly.
Links to staging or localhost
Development URLs pushed live return errors for every visitor. Scan after each deploy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Broken Link Checker
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Broken internal links hurt by wasting crawl budget and cutting authority paths between pages. A handful of broken outbound links will not trigger a penalty, but at scale they signal a neglected site.
What is the difference between 404 and soft 404?
A 404 returns a proper not-found status code. A soft 404 shows an error page to the user while returning 200 OK, which confuses crawlers because the page appears valid.
Should I redirect every 404?
Redirect a 404 when a genuinely relevant replacement exists. Otherwise let it return 404, since mass-redirecting unrelated URLs to the homepage is treated as a soft 404.
How often should I check for broken links?
Monthly for most sites, weekly for large or frequently updated ones, and immediately after any migration or bulk content change.
Why does a link work in my browser but fail here?
Some servers block automated requests or require cookies and JavaScript. Those show as errors here even though a browser loads them, so verify flagged externals manually.
Does the checker crawl the whole site?
It checks every link found on the URL you submit. Run it on your key hub pages and sitemap-linked templates for broad coverage.
Is it really free?
Yes, with no signup, no scan cap and no credit card.