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Use the Broken Link Checker
Fetch one page, extract links, and check up to 80 internal and external URLs for failed status codes or redirect hops.
Free SEO tools
Broken Link Checker
Fetch one page, extract links, and check up to 80 internal and external URLs for failed status codes or redirect hops.
No paid SEO API requiredLive URL fetches, deterministic generators, CSV analyzers.
- Free tools solve the first problem.
- PageOptimized keeps history, workflows, Xavier, and proof.
- No fake traffic, backlink, or SERP databases.
How the Broken Link Checker works
A broken link checker should help you find links that waste crawl paths, frustrate visitors, and weaken the trust of a page. This tool fetches the page, extracts real links from the HTML, checks their HTTP response, and separates clean links from failures and redirects so you know exactly what to fix.
The core formula or decision logic
Decision = live HTTP evidence + extracted HTML signals + tool-specific rules. The tool reports the response it can retrieve; it does not infer proprietary rankings or traffic.
Variables and inputs
- Requested URL: the exact page or origin the tool attempts to retrieve.
- HTTP response: the status, final URL, redirects, and headers returned to the checker.
- HTML signals: the visible and machine-readable elements available in the response.
- Tool rules: transparent pass, warning, and failure conditions for this focused check.
Worked step-by-step example
- Enter the example URL shown in the Broken Link Checker.
- Run the check so the server can fetch the live response and follow any permitted redirects.
- Review failed checks before warnings, then verify the affected source HTML or HTTP header.
- Publish the correction and rerun the same URL to confirm the result changed.
How to interpret the result
Decision guide
- A 200-level status usually means the link is reachable.
- A 300-level response means the link works through a redirect, but the source URL may still be stale.
- A 400 or 500-level response is usually a repair candidate.
- External broken links are still user-experience problems even when they are outside your site.
Recommended next actions
- Fix failures that block access, indexability, or the primary page meaning.
- Review warnings in the context of page intent rather than treating them as automatic errors.
- Rerun the URL after publishing and save evidence for recurring checks.
What the tool evaluates
Signals checked
- Internal and external links found in the live page HTML.
- HTTP status codes for up to 80 discovered links.
- Links that fail, time out, or return server/client errors.
- Redirected links that may be worth updating to their final target.
- Anchor text, target URL, and whether the link is internal.
How to use it
- Paste the page URL you want to inspect.
- Run the checker and wait while each discovered URL is tested.
- Review broken links first, then redirected links.
- Update the source page or destination URL in your CMS.
- Run it again after publishing to confirm the fixes worked.
Edge cases and limitations
Review these nuances
- It does not claim to crawl your entire site from one URL.
- It does not invent backlink data or link indexes.
- It does not spend paid crawl credits or third-party SEO API calls.
- Some sites block automated link checks; blocked responses are reported as they happen.
Move from one answer to a repeatable process.
A free tool is useful for one decision. PageOptimized is for the recurring version of that decision: saving the check, attaching it to a project, turning evidence into work queue tasks, keeping history, and showing clients what changed without rebuilding the story in a spreadsheet.
Put this in PageOptimizedFrequently asked questions
What is the Broken Link Checker?
Broken Link Checker is a free PageOptimized tool that helps with fetch one page, extract links, and check up to 80 internal and external urls for failed status codes or redirect hops.
Who should use the Broken Link Checker?
Use it when you need a quick SEO answer before opening a full project, building a report, or assigning work to a team member.
Does this tool use paid SEO API data?
No. The free tools are designed around live page fetches, pasted exports, deterministic generators, and transparent calculations instead of hidden paid databases.
How is this different from working in a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet can hold rows, but it does not understand the process around the rows. PageOptimized connects checks, evidence, work items, workflows, reports, and project history.
Is this a full website broken link audit?
No. This free checker audits links discovered on one page. A full project audit belongs inside PageOptimized, where crawl history, affected pages, severity, and assigned fixes can live together.
Why check redirected links if they still work?
Redirected links usually work for users, but they can signal stale internal linking. Updating them saves crawl hops and makes the page easier to maintain.