How to Use the Broken Link Checker

Using the WebToolar Broken Link Checker is simple and does not require any technical knowledge. Just follow these steps to scan any webpage and get a complete link health report in seconds.

Step 1: Enter the website URL: Type or paste the website URL you want to scan into the input box.

Step 2: Click Scan URL: Click the Scan URL button. The tool will instantly fetch the page, read through every link present on it, and check whether each one is working correctly or not.

Step 3: View the dashboard: Once the scan finishes, you will see a clean dashboard showing the total number of links found, along with how many are internal, external, broken, redirected, or healthy.

Step 4: Check the results table: Right below the dashboard, a detailed results table lists every single link along with its status code, URL, link type, anchor text, link attribute, and final result.

Step 5: Search for specific links: If the list of links is long, use the search box above the table to quickly find a specific link, anchor text, or status.

Step 6: Copy or download the report: Once you are satisfied with the report, click Copy Result to copy the entire table for pasting into a document, or click Download CSV to save the report as a spreadsheet file for later use or for sharing with your team.

What Can This Broken Link Checker Find?

This tool is built to give you a complete picture of the health of all links on any webpage. It automatically separates links into internal links, which point to pages within the same website, and external links, which point to other domains. This separation helps you understand how much of your page content relies on your own site versus outside sources.

The scanner also detects broken links, meaning any link that returns an error response such as a missing page or a server failure. Along with this, it identifies redirected links, which are links that send visitors to a different page than the one originally linked. Finally, it reports healthy links that are loading exactly as expected, giving you confidence that those connections are safe for your visitors and search engines to follow.

In short, this single scan helps you find dead links, outdated redirects, and incorrect anchor texts that could be hurting your website without you even realizing it.

Key Features of WebToolar Broken Link Checker

WebToolar’s Broken Link Checker comes packed with features designed to make link auditing fast, accurate, and easy to understand for everyone, from beginners to experienced website owners.

Instant link scanning lets you check an entire page in seconds without installing any software or plugin on your own computer. Detailed status reporting shows the exact response code for every link, so you know precisely why a link is failing instead of just being told it is broken. Internal and external link separation gives you a clear breakdown of your site structure and your outbound connections at a glance.

The tool also displays the anchor text and link attribute for every single link, which is extremely useful when reviewing SEO signals such as nofollow tags or sponsored links. A built-in search feature allows you to filter through long reports instantly, while the copy and CSV download options let you save or share your findings without retyping anything. The entire interface is built with a clean, modern design that works smoothly across desktop and mobile devices, so you can audit your links from anywhere.

Why Broken Links Matter for SEO

Broken links are far more damaging to a website than most people realize. When a search engine crawler visits your page and finds links leading nowhere, it signals that the content may be outdated or poorly maintained. Over time, this can affect how search engines evaluate the overall quality of your website, which may lead to lower rankings.

From a user experience point of view, broken links create frustration. Visitors who click on a dead link are likely to leave the page immediately, which increases your bounce rate and reduces the time people spend on your site. Both of these are signals that search engines pay close attention to when deciding how trustworthy and useful a website is.

Broken links also waste what is known as crawl budget, meaning search engine bots spend their limited time trying to access pages that no longer exist instead of indexing your valuable content. Regularly checking and fixing broken links, along with reviewing redirects and anchor text relevance, helps preserve your link equity and keeps your SEO performance strong. This is exactly why a regular link audit using a tool like this should be part of every website owner’s routine maintenance.

Understanding Link Status Codes

Every link on the internet returns a status code when it is requested, and understanding these codes makes it much easier to know what action needs to be taken.

A status code in the 200 range generally means the link is healthy and the page loaded successfully without any issues. Codes such as 301, 302, 307, and 308 indicate a redirect, meaning the original link is forwarding visitors to a new address. While redirects are not always harmful, having too many chained redirects can slow down page loading and dilute SEO value, so it is worth reviewing them occasionally.

Status codes in the 400 range, such as 404, usually mean the requested page could not be found, which is one of the most common forms of a broken link. Codes in the 500 range point to a server side error, meaning the website hosting that link is currently experiencing technical problems. When the tool shows a connection failed result, it means the request could not reach the destination server at all, often due to the domain being expired, removed, or blocked.

Knowing what each of these codes represents allows you to prioritize fixes. For example, a 404 error might just need the link updated, while a 500 error might require contacting the other website’s owner if it is an external link.

FAQs About WebToolar Broken Link Checker

What is a broken link checker?

A broken link checker is an online tool that scans a webpage and identifies any links that are not working correctly, including dead pages, server errors, and incorrect redirects.

Is this broken link checker free to use?

Yes, the WebToolar Broken Link Checker is completely free and can be used directly in your browser without any installation or signup required.

Can this tool check both internal and external links?

Yes, the tool automatically scans and separates internal links that point within your own website from external links that lead to other domains, giving you a complete view of your page’s link health.

What does the anchor text and link attribute mean in the results?

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link, while the link attribute shows additional information attached to that link, such as instructions for search engines. Reviewing both helps you understand how your links are structured for SEO purposes.

How often should I check my website for broken links?

It is good practice to scan your important pages at least once a month, or whenever you make major content updates, since links can break over time as other websites change or remove their pages.

Can I download or save the scan results?

Yes, once a scan is complete, you can either copy the results directly or download them as a CSV file, making it easy to keep records or share the report with your team.