Broken links can frustrate visitors, interrupt navigation, and make your website harder to maintain. If you run a WordPress blog, online store, business website, or portfolio, checking your links regularly is an important part of website maintenance. Free AI Tools to Make Money Online in 2027
A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to a missing page, an unavailable resource, or an incorrect destination. These links can appear when you delete a blog post, change a URL, move a website, or link to an external page that no longer exists. 6 Emerging Trends in SaaS That Developers Need to Know
The good news is that you do not need an expensive SEO subscription to start finding broken links. Several free tools can help you identify link problems, review affected pages, and decide what needs fixing. Discover the Top 10 SaaS Ideas!
In this guide, you will discover five free broken link checker tools, learn how to use them, and find out how to fix common link errors. Whether you are a beginner blogger or an experienced website owner, these practical steps can help you maintain a more reliable website and improve the experience you provide to readers. Learn Web Design for Free with a Certificate on Udemy (2026 Guide)
What Are Broken Links, and Why Do They Matter for SEO?
A broken link is a link that does not take a visitor to the intended content. For example, imagine you publish a blog post containing a link to another article on your website. Later, you delete that article but leave the original link unchanged. Visitors who click it may encounter a 404 error. Making eCommerce Sites Faster: Key Takeaways From Speed Testing Reports
Broken links generally fall into two categories:
- Internal broken links: Links between pages on your own website that lead to missing or unavailable destinations.
- External broken links: Links from your website to pages on other websites that are no longer accessible.
Both types deserve attention, although the best solution depends on the cause of the problem.
How Broken Links Affect Your Website
Broken links can make it harder for readers to find useful information. Visitors may leave your website when they cannot access a page they expected to see.
They can also interfere with website maintenance and internal navigation. For example, broken internal links may prevent visitors from discovering related articles, services, or products. 7 Powerful Free Websites to Find Freelance Jobs Beyond Fiverr & Upwork
However, it is important to understand that fixing broken links does not automatically improve Google rankings. Google does not treat every broken external link as a ranking penalty. The goal is to maintain helpful navigation, correct genuine errors, and make important content accessible.
Regular link audits can help you discover these problems before they accumulate.
5 Free Broken Link Checker Tools You Can Use
The following tools offer different ways to identify link problems. Some are suitable for beginners, while others are better for technical website audits. Easy Guide to Schedule Posts with Facebook Creator Studio
1. Google Search Console
Best for: Finding indexing issues and missing pages on your website
Google Search Console is a free service that helps website owners monitor how their websites appear in Google Search. It is not a dedicated broken link checker, but it can help you identify missing URLs that Google has discovered while crawling your website. 5 Free Tools for Creating Professional Resumes & CVs
Key Features
- Reports indexing issues affecting website URLs.
- Helps identify pages returning a 404 (not found) response.
- Shows search performance data, including clicks and impressions.
- Allows you to inspect individual URLs and request indexing when appropriate.
How to Use Google Search Console
- Open Google Search Console.
- Select your website property.
- Open the Page indexing report.
- Review the reasons listed for pages that are not indexed, including any reported 404 errors.
- Inspect affected URLs and determine whether the pages were intentionally removed or should still exist.
- Fix incorrect links, restore missing pages when appropriate, or redirect permanently moved pages to relevant alternatives.
Keep in mind that this report does not identify every broken link on your website. It reports issues Google has discovered, and some URLs may be excluded from indexing for valid reasons.
Why Bloggers Should Use It
Google Search Console is especially useful for bloggers who want to understand which pages Google can access and index. It can also help you investigate missing article URLs after a website redesign or permalink change.
If your goal is to get your content discovered by Google, combine Search Console with a dedicated link crawler rather than relying on it alone. Free tools to build an online store (start selling today)
2. Broken Link Checker for WordPress
Best for: WordPress bloggers who want to check links from their dashboard
If your website runs on WordPress, a broken-link-checking plugin may be a convenient option. The Broken Link Checker plugin family includes tools designed to monitor links in WordPress content and flag problems for review. Features and availability depend on the specific plugin and version you install.
Key Features
Depending on the plugin, you may be able to:
- Check links in blog posts and pages.
- Identify links that return errors.
- Review problematic URLs from a WordPress dashboard.
- Edit or remove broken links without opening every post individually.
Some plugins perform checks through an external service, while others scan links from your WordPress installation. Check the plugin’s current documentation, pricing, and compatibility before installing it.
How to Use a WordPress Plugin
- Sign in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Open Plugins → Add New Plugin.
- Search for a reputable broken link checker.
- Review its description, recent updates, compatibility, and user feedback.
- Install and activate it if it suits your needs.
- Follow the plugin’s instructions to scan your website.
- Review flagged links and correct the ones that are genuinely broken.
Avoid installing several plugins that perform the same task. Excessive plugins can complicate maintenance, and some link-checking tools may use significant resources or external services. Best Free Tools for Building a Personal Brand Online
Why It Is Useful for Bloggers
A WordPress plugin can simplify link maintenance if you regularly publish articles, update existing content, or add links to products and resources.
For example, if you manage a blog with dozens of articles, a checker can help you find an outdated link without manually opening every post. You should still review each result before making changes because temporary server errors or access restrictions can sometimes produce misleading results. How to Start a Digital Career as a Beginner in 2026 (Complete Guide)
3. Dead Link Checker
Best for: Quick checks of website links without installing a WordPress plugin
Dead Link Checker is a web-based service associated with checking websites for broken links. It can be useful when you want to investigate link problems without installing desktop software.
Its current scanning limits and available features may change, so check the service’s website before starting a large audit.
Key Features
Depending on the available service options, you can use a web-based checker to:
- Scan a website or a specified page for links.
- Identify links that appear to return errors.
- Review the affected URLs.
- Investigate missing pages and incorrect destinations.
How to Check Your Website
- Visit the Dead Link Checker website.
- Enter your website address or the URL you want to inspect.
- Choose the available scanning option.
- Start the scan and allow it to finish.
- Review the reported URLs and their response information.
- Open each affected page to confirm whether the link is genuinely broken.
For a large website, check the service’s scanning limits before relying on it for a complete audit.
Why It Is Useful for Beginners
A browser-based tool can be a simple starting point if you only want to check a few pages. It can help you spot missing destinations without learning a complicated SEO platform.
Remember that a temporary outage, website security restriction, or server configuration may cause a URL to appear unavailable. Verify important links manually before deleting or replacing them.
Why It Is Useful for Beginners
A browser-based tool can be a simple starting point if you only want to check a few pages. It can help you spot missing destinations without learning a complicated SEO platform. How to Create Forms Using Google Forms (Beginner Guide)
Remember that a temporary outage, website security restriction, or server configuration may cause a URL to appear unavailable. Verify important links manually before deleting or replacing them.
4. Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
Best for: Investigating broken backlinks and link-building opportunities
Ahrefs provides SEO tools for examining backlinks, keywords, and website performance. Its free broken-link checking resources can help you investigate link problems, particularly when you want to understand links pointing to your website or explore broken-link opportunities.
The free checker and the full Ahrefs platform do not necessarily provide the same features. Some reports and advanced analysis require a paid plan.
Key Features
Depending on the tool you use, Ahrefs can help you:
- Find broken pages or links within supported reports.
- Investigate backlinks pointing to missing pages.
- Understand which referring websites link to a broken destination.
- Identify opportunities to recover lost link value by restoring or redirecting useful pages.
How to Use Ahrefs
- Visit the Ahrefs Broken Link Checker.
- Enter the website or URL you want to investigate.
- Review the available results.
- If you have access to Site Explorer, explore the relevant broken-page or backlink reports.
- Identify missing pages that previously received useful links.
- Restore valuable content or redirect a permanently moved page to the closest relevant replacement.
The exact reports available depend on your account and the tool you are using.
Why It Is Useful for SEO
Imagine that an older article on your website has earned links from other websites, but the article URL now returns a 404 error. You may be losing visitors who follow those links.
If the article is still valuable, restoring it may be the best option. If its URL has permanently changed, a suitable redirect can help visitors reach the replacement page.
Ahrefs is particularly useful for investigating backlink-related problems, but it should not be treated as a substitute for a complete internal-link audit.
5. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Best for: Detailed website crawls and technical SEO audits
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop website crawler used to examine URLs, response codes, links, and other technical SEO details.
Its free version has traditionally allowed crawls of up to 500 URLs per website, although you should confirm the current licensing limits on its official website.
Key Features
- Crawls website URLs and collects response-code information.
- Helps identify internal URLs returning client or server errors.
- Provides reports for reviewing links and affected pages.
- Supports filtering and exporting crawl data for further analysis.
How to Find Broken Links
- Visit the Screaming Frog SEO Spider website and download the software.
- Install and open it on your computer.
- Enter your website’s URL.
- Start the crawl and wait for it to finish.
- Review the Response Codes tab and filter for client errors, such as 404 responses.
- Use the relevant reports to identify the pages containing links to those URLs.
- Correct the links or investigate the affected pages before making changes.
Why It Is Useful for Website Owners
Screaming Frog is helpful when you need more detailed information than a simple online checker provides. For example, after changing your WordPress permalink structure, you can crawl your website to find internal links that still point to old URLs.
The software may take some time to learn, but it offers a useful starting point for bloggers who want to understand technical SEO.
For larger websites or advanced features, you may need a paid licence.
Which Broken Link Checker Should You Choose?
The best tool depends on your website and what you need to investigate.
| Google Search Console | Google-discovered indexing and 404 issues | Yes |
| WordPress broken-link plugin | Checking links in WordPress content | Usually |
| Dead Link Checker | Quick browser-based checks | Yes |
| Ahrefs | Backlink and broken-page investigation | Yes for basic checks |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Detailed technical website crawls | Takes some learning |
My recommendation: If you are a beginner blogger using WordPress, start with Google Search Console and a suitable broken-link checker. Use Screaming Frog when you need a more detailed crawl, and consider Ahrefs when you want to investigate backlinks.
You do not need to use all five tools at once. Choose one or two that fit your needs, then establish a manageable maintenance routine.
Best Practices for Finding and Fixing Broken Links
Finding broken links is only the first step. To maintain a healthy website, you need a clear process for reviewing and correcting the problems your tools discover.
1. Check Internal and External Links
Start by checking links within your own website. Internal links help readers navigate between articles, categories, services, and product pages.
Next, review external links to other websites. If a linked resource has moved, look for its updated address. If the original page no longer exists, find a trustworthy alternative that provides similar information.
Do not replace every unavailable link with your homepage. Choose a relevant destination that meets the reader’s original need. Integrating Payment Options within Event Registration Forms
2. Fix 404 Errors Correctly
A 404 error means that the requested page was not found. However, not every 404 URL needs to be redirected.
Use the appropriate solution:
- Restore the page if the content was removed accidentally.
- Update the link if the destination has a new URL.
- Add a 301 redirect if a page has permanently moved to a relevant replacement.
- Remove the link if the destination is no longer useful and no suitable replacement exists.
Avoid redirecting unrelated URLs to your homepage simply to eliminate errors. Keep the solution relevant to the original page.
3. Schedule Regular Link Audits
Broken links can appear whenever you update your website, delete articles, change URLs, or rely on external resources.
For a small blog, checking links every few months is a reasonable starting point. If you publish frequently or operate an online store, you may benefit from checking more often. How to Create Your First Blog Post in WordPress (Beginner Guide)
You should also run a link audit after a website redesign, migration, or major permalink change.
4. Use Google Search Console to Monitor Important Pages
After fixing significant URL problems, use Google Search Console to inspect affected pages and review their indexing status.
If you restore a missing page or publish a replacement, you can request indexing through URL Inspection when appropriate. A request does not guarantee that Google will index the page immediately.
Remember that Search Console is a monitoring tool, not a guarantee of rankings or a complete broken-link detection system.
5. Avoid Common Link-Checking Mistakes
When reviewing reports, watch out for these mistakes:
- Fixing errors without checking them: A temporary failure does not always mean a link is permanently broken.
- Ignoring the source page: Find out which article or page contains the incorrect link.
- Removing useful content unnecessarily: A missing page may be worth restoring.
- Ignoring external links: Outdated references can frustrate readers, even when your own website works correctly.
- Installing too many plugins: Choose reliable tools that suit your website and avoid unnecessary duplication.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do broken links hurt Google rankings?
Broken links can harm user experience and make website navigation less useful. However, Google does not automatically penalize a website simply because it contains a broken link. Focus on fixing important errors, maintaining useful content, and ensuring visitors can reach the pages they need.
2. What is the best free broken link checker for WordPress?
The right choice depends on your needs. Google Search Console helps identify indexing issues, while a suitable WordPress plugin can check links in your content. Screaming Frog is useful for more detailed website crawls, and Dead Link Checker can be convenient for quick browser-based checks.
3. How often should I check my website for broken links?
For a small blog, start with an audit every few months. Check more frequently if you publish many articles, manage an online store, or frequently change website URLs. Always consider an additional audit after a migration or redesign.
4. Should I redirect every 404 error?
No. Redirect a permanently moved page when a relevant replacement exists. Restore pages that were removed accidentally, update incorrect links, and leave genuinely removed pages as 404 responses when there is no appropriate replacement.
5. Can fixing broken links guarantee faster indexing?
No. Fixing broken links can help visitors and search engine crawlers access your intended content, but it does not guarantee indexing. Google considers multiple factors when deciding whether and when to index a page.
Summary
Broken link checking is a practical part of maintaining a reliable website. It helps you discover missing destinations, correct outdated references, improve navigation, and identify pages that may need attention. How to Speed Up Your WordPress Website (Beginner-Friendly Guide)
Tools such as Google Search Console, WordPress broken-link plugins, Dead Link Checker, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog SEO Spider provide different ways to investigate link problems. Start with the option that matches your experience and website size, then build a consistent maintenance routine. Ultimate Guide to Adding Media in WordPress
If you run a WordPress blog, begin by checking your important articles and fixing internal links that lead to missing pages. Review external links as well, and use redirects only when they point visitors to relevant replacement content.
A healthy website is not built by fixing every technical warning blindly. It is built by identifying genuine problems, choosing the right solutions, and consistently providing visitors with useful, accessible content.
