Broken Link Checker:
Find dead links on your website
Scan pages on your own website for broken internal and external links. See exact HTTP status codes, 404 errors, redirects, and server failures. Due to browser security (CORS), most external sites cannot be scanned.
Browser security limitation: This tool runs 100% in your browser with no server. Most websites block cross-origin requests (CORS), so scanning external sites like Google, GitHub, or Cloudflare-protected pages will fail. Scanning your own website works perfectly — same-origin requests are not restricted.
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Recommendations
Some links could not be fully verified
Cross-origin restrictions prevent reading exact status codes for external links. Results marked "Likely OK" or "Likely Broken" are best-effort estimates. For critical links, manually verify by clicking them.
How it works
Enter your page URL
Type a page address from your own website. Choose whether to check external links and image sources too.
Run the scan
The tool extracts all links from the page and tests each one. Internal links get exact status codes. External links are checked in compatibility mode.
Fix broken links
Review the results table, filter by status, and fix or remove broken links. Re-scan to confirm everything is clean.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Best Answer Hub Broken Link Checker?
The Best Answer Hub Broken Link Checker is a free browser-based tool that scans any webpage and tests every link to see if it still works. It checks internal links (pointing to pages on the same site) and external links (pointing to other websites). For each link, it reports whether the destination loads correctly, returns a 404 error, redirects to another URL, or fails entirely. The tool runs directly in your browser — no account, no subscription, and no data is stored on any server.
Is the Broken Link Checker free to use?
Yes, the Broken Link Checker is completely free with no usage limits and no signup required. You can scan as many pages as you want, as often as you want. Unlike paid tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Screaming Frog, there are no monthly fees, no crawl credit limits, and no forced account creation. Every scan runs directly between your browser and the target website.
How does the Broken Link Checker work?
You enter a webpage URL and the tool fetches that page's HTML directly from the target server. It extracts every link found in the HTML — including navigation links, footer links, content links, and image source URLs if you enable that option. It then tests each link by sending a request to the destination server. For links on the same website, the tool reads the exact HTTP status code. For links on other websites, the tool uses a compatibility mode that detects whether the server responds without reading the specific status code, due to browser security restrictions. Results are displayed in a sortable table with color-coded status indicators.
What are broken links and why do they matter?
A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page or resource that no longer exists or is unreachable. When a user clicks a broken link, they see a 404 error page instead of the expected content. Broken links matter for three reasons. First, they create a poor user experience and reduce trust in your website. Second, they waste the crawl budget that search engines allocate to your site, meaning Google may not discover your good content because it spent time following dead links. Third, broken internal links interrupt the flow of link equity (ranking power) through your site, potentially lowering the rankings of important pages.
What causes broken links?
Broken links are caused by several common scenarios. The destination page was deleted or moved without setting up a redirect. The URL was typed incorrectly when the link was created. The destination website changed its domain name or URL structure. The destination server is temporarily down or permanently offline. The link points to a resource that was hosted on a third-party service that shut down or changed its API. Seasonal content like event pages or promotional landing pages are often deleted after their campaign ends, leaving links that pointed to them broken.
How do broken links affect SEO?
Broken links hurt SEO in multiple ways. They waste crawl budget — search engine bots have a limited amount of time to crawl your site, and every broken link they follow is time they could have spent indexing your valuable content. They interrupt internal link equity flow — when a page that receives backlinks links to a broken page, that ranking power is lost. They signal poor site maintenance to search engines — Google's quality raters guidelines explicitly mention broken links as a sign of a low-quality website. They increase bounce rate — users who click broken links leave immediately, sending negative engagement signals. Industry research consistently shows that well-maintained link structures correlate with better search performance and user trust.
What is the difference between internal and external broken links?
Internal broken links point to pages within your own website — for example, a link from your homepage to a blog post that was deleted. These are the most important to fix because you have full control over them, and they directly affect how link equity flows through your site. External broken links point to pages on other websites — for example, a link from your blog post to a research paper whose URL changed. While you cannot fix the destination itself, you should replace the link with an alternative source or remove it entirely. External broken links still hurt user experience and credibility, even though they do not directly waste your crawl budget.
How often should I check for broken links?
For small websites under 50 pages, check once per month. For medium websites between 50 and 500 pages, check once every two weeks. For large websites over 500 pages or e-commerce sites with frequent product changes, check weekly. You should also run a broken link check immediately after any major site restructuring, content migration, or platform change. Many SEO professionals schedule automated scans using tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs Site Audit, but this browser-based tool is perfect for quick ad-hoc checks without setup.
Can the tool check links on any website?
The tool can check links on most public websites. However, some websites block external requests using CORS policies or bot protection services like Cloudflare. When this happens, the tool cannot fetch the page HTML to extract links, or it cannot verify the status of external links. For those sites, the tool provides as much information as possible and marks unverifiable links clearly. For a complete audit of a heavily protected site, use a desktop crawler like Screaming Frog that does not operate within browser security restrictions.
What does "CORS blocked" or "Unable to verify" mean?
CORS stands for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing. It is a browser security feature that prevents websites from reading data from other domains without permission. When our tool tests a link to another website, the destination server may refuse to share its status code with our tool. In these cases, the tool attempts a compatibility check using a no-cors request. If the server responds at all, the link is marked as "Likely OK." If the server does not respond, it is marked as "Likely Broken." These are best-effort results. For critical links, you should manually verify by clicking them.
What is a 404 error?
A 404 error means the server could not find the page or resource you requested. It is the most common type of broken link. When a user or search engine bot visits a URL that returns 404, the destination does not exist. This could be because the page was deleted, the URL was mistyped, or the page was moved without a redirect. From an SEO perspective, 404 errors on internal links are the highest priority to fix. You should either restore the missing page, redirect the URL to a relevant replacement, or remove the broken link entirely.
What is a 301 redirect and should I fix it?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved to a new URL. Redirects are not broken links — they still work — but they create inefficiency. Every redirect adds a small delay for users and wastes a small amount of crawl budget. If your site has many internal links that go through redirects, you should update those links to point directly to the final destination URL. This is especially important for redirect chains, where one redirect leads to another redirect. Google recommends keeping redirect chains under 5 hops, but ideally you should have zero internal redirect chains.
How do I fix broken links?
For internal broken links, you have three options. First, restore the missing page if it contained valuable content. Second, set up a 301 redirect from the broken URL to the most relevant existing page on your site. Third, remove or replace the broken link in your content. For external broken links, find an alternative source and replace the link, or remove it if no replacement exists. After fixing links, run the Broken Link Checker again to confirm all issues are resolved. If you use WordPress, plugins like Broken Link Checker or Redirection can automate this process.
What are the best tools for finding broken links?
The best tool depends on your site size and budget. For quick, no-setup checks on any device, browser-based tools like this one are ideal. For comprehensive automated monitoring, Ahrefs Site Audit, Semrush Site Audit, and Screaming Frog are the industry leaders. For WordPress sites, the Broken Link Checker plugin scans continuously in the background. For small static sites, W3C Link Checker is a free online option. For command-line users, wget and curl can spider a site and report broken links. This tool fills the gap between manual checking and expensive automated suites — it is free, instant, and requires no installation or account.
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