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How many levels deep to crawl (1-5)
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Crawl your website and check all internal and external links
Identify 404s, 500s, timeouts, and other errors
Track redirect chains and identify unnecessary redirects
Download results as CSV or JSON for further analysis
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Why Check for Dead Links?
Broken links (also known as dead links) negatively impact your website's SEO, user experience, and credibility. Search engines like Google consider broken links as a sign of poor website maintenance, which can hurt your rankings. Our free dead link checker helps you identify and fix these issues quickly.
Key Benefits:
- Improve SEO: Fix broken links to maintain healthy link juice flow and search rankings
- Better User Experience: Prevent users from hitting 404 errors and dead ends
- Maintain Credibility: Show visitors and search engines that your site is well-maintained
- Save Time: Automatically scan your entire website instead of manual checking
- Identify Redirects: Find redirect chains that slow down page load times
How to Use the Dead Links Checker
- 1. Enter Your Website URL: Type or paste your website URL (including http:// or https://)
- 2. Configure Settings: Set the crawl depth (how many pages deep to scan) and choose whether to check external links
- 3. Start Scan: Click "Scan Links" to begin. You'll see real-time progress as the tool crawls your site
- 4. Review Results: Once complete, view all links categorized by status (broken, redirect, valid, warnings)
- 5. Filter & Export: Use filters to focus on specific issues, search for URLs, and export reports as CSV or JSON
Understanding Link Status Codes
Success Codes (200-299)
- 200 OK: Link is working perfectly
- 204 No Content: Valid but returns no content
Redirect Codes (300-399)
- 301 Moved Permanently: Update link to new location
- 302 Found: Temporary redirect
- 307/308: Other redirect types
Client Error Codes (400-499)
- 404 Not Found: Page doesn't exist - fix immediately
- 403 Forbidden: Access denied
- 410 Gone: Page permanently removed
Server Error Codes (500-599)
- 500 Internal Server Error: Server issue
- 502 Bad Gateway: Server communication problem
- 503 Service Unavailable: Temporary server issue
Best Practices for Link Management
- Regular Scans: Check for broken links monthly or after major site updates
- Fix Priority: Address 404 errors first, then optimize redirect chains
- Update Internal Links: Use absolute URLs for internal links when possible
- Monitor External Links: External sites change - recheck them periodically
- Redirect Chains: Avoid multiple redirects; update links to final destination
- Use 301 Redirects: For moved pages, use permanent redirects to preserve SEO value
- Custom 404 Page: Create a helpful 404 page with navigation links
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep should I crawl my website?
For small to medium sites (under 1000 pages), depth 2-3 is sufficient. For larger sites, start with depth 2 and increase if needed. Higher depths take longer but find more links.
Should I check external links?
Yes, but note that external sites may have rate limiting or temporary outages. External link checking helps you maintain quality outbound links but takes longer.
What do I do with redirect chains?
Update your links to point directly to the final destination URL. Multiple redirects slow page load times and dilute SEO value.
How often should I check for broken links?
Monthly checks are recommended for active sites. After major updates, content migrations, or site redesigns, run immediate scans to catch any issues.