Results Summary
How to use the Broken Link Checker
Broken links waste crawl budget, frustrate users, and signal site neglect to Google. A 5-minute audit can surface dozens of fixes that compound over time.
Enter a starting URL
Either a single page or your homepage to crawl from. The tool fetches the page and follows every <a href>, image src, and CSS/JS reference.
Set the crawl scope
Internal-only (same domain), external-only (links to other domains), or both. For most audits, both — internal 404s hurt UX, external 404s hurt content quality signals.
Review the broken-link report
Each broken link shows: the URL, the HTTP status (404, 410, 5xx, timeout), and which page it's linked from. Sort by error count to find sources of repeated bad links.
Fix or remove
Internal 404s: redirect 301 to the new URL or remove the link. External 404s: replace with a working source or remove. Don't 301 redirect external 404s — fix at the source.
Why broken links quietly kill SEO
A handful of 404s is fine — every site has them. But broken-link debt compounds: redirects pile up, internal 404s waste crawl budget that should go to indexable content, external 404s erode user trust and content freshness signals.
Where broken links hurt
- Crawl budget waste — Google spends fetches on URLs that don't exist instead of new content.
- Internal authority loss — links to 404s pass PageRank into the void.
- Bounce rate spike — 404 pages have ~80% bounce rate, signaling poor experience.
- Outdated content signal — Google can detect stale outbound links.
- User frustration — direct CSAT and conversion impact.
Common sources of broken links
- Site migrations or redesigns — old URLs stop working but content still references them.
- Deleted blog posts — removing a post but leaving inbound links.
- Renamed product slugs — /product/old-name → 404.
- External sites that went offline.
- Linked images that moved on the source site.
- HTTP → HTTPS migrations done incompletely.
Should you 301 every 404?
For internal 404s where the page genuinely moved, yes — 301 to the new URL. For internal 404s where the page is gone, return 410 (Gone) instead of 301-ing to homepage. Bulk 301-to-homepage is treated by Google as soft 404s and provides zero ranking signal. For external 404s, don't 301 — fix the link at the source.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I check for broken links?
Quarterly for stable sites, monthly for active sites with frequent content publishing or external links. Set up an automated check after major site changes (migrations, redesigns, content deletions) to catch breakage immediately.
Do broken links hurt my SEO?
A handful is fine — every site has them. Sustained broken-link debt is harmful: wasted crawl budget, lost internal PageRank, bounce-rate spikes on 404 pages, and erosion of content quality signals. Fixing them is a high-leverage, low-effort win.
Should I fix internal or external broken links first?
Internal first — they're under your control and directly affect crawl budget and PageRank flow. Then external — they affect content quality signals. Replace dead external links with current alternatives or remove the reference entirely.
What's the difference between 404 and 410?
404 means "not found right now — maybe come back later." 410 means "permanently gone, don't bother retrying." For deleted pages you don't plan to restore, return 410 — Google deindexes it faster and stops re-crawling.
Should I 301-redirect 404 pages to my homepage?
No. Google treats bulk 301-to-homepage as soft 404s and provides no ranking signal. If the page genuinely moved, 301 to the new URL. If it's gone, return 410. Mass 301-to-homepage is a common and counterproductive pattern.