Instantly scan any website for broken links, 404 errors, and dead URLs that hurt your SEO rankings and user experience — all with a single click and no login required.
3 free reports per day — RA Pro customers get unlimited access
Broken links (also called dead links or link rot) are hyperlinks on a website that no longer lead to a valid destination. They typically return 404 “Page Not Found” errors because the target page has been deleted, moved to a new URL, or the link was entered incorrectly. Broken links can be internal (within your site) or external (pointing to other websites).
Broken links are one of the most common — and most damaging — technical SEO issues. They disrupt search engine crawling, waste crawl budget, erode link equity from valuable backlinks, and create a frustrating user experience that drives visitors away. Rank Authority’s free Broken Link Checker scans any domain instantly, identifying every dead link so you can fix them before they impact your rankings.
Every report identifies broken links across your entire site and provides the intelligence you need to fix them fast and protect your rankings.
Identifies every page returning a 404 “Not Found” error across your domain, including pages that have been deleted, moved, or misconfigured — so nothing slips through the cracks.
Maps your entire internal link structure and flags broken internal links that prevent search engines from crawling and indexing your most important pages effectively.
Scans all outbound links pointing to other websites and flags those that return errors — so you’re not sending visitors or link equity to dead destinations.
Identifies broken inbound backlinks from external sites — the links that should be boosting your Domain Authority but are instead pointing to dead pages on your domain.
Goes beyond simple 404 detection. Reports all HTTP response codes including 301/302 redirects, 403 forbidden errors, 500 server errors, and timeout issues across your entire site.
Every broken link comes with a prioritized recommendation — whether to set up a 301 redirect, update the URL, remove the link, or reclaim the lost backlink value from external sources.
Broken links are one of the most overlooked technical SEO issues, but their impact is significant. When Google’s crawlers encounter dead links, they waste crawl budget on pages that return errors instead of indexing your valuable content. For larger sites, this can mean important pages never get crawled at all.
The user experience impact is equally damaging. Visitors who click a link and land on a 404 error page are far more likely to leave your site entirely. This increases bounce rates and decreases time on site — two behavioral signals that Google monitors when evaluating page quality.
Perhaps most critically, broken links cause loss of link equity. When authoritative external sites link to pages on your domain that no longer exist, all the ranking power those backlinks provide is wasted. This directly erodes your Domain Authority and competitive position.
The good news: broken links are completely fixable. A regular scanning cadence combined with proper redirects can recover lost link equity and improve your site’s crawlability — exactly the kind of maintenance Rank Authority automates.
Search engine bots spend limited time on your site. Every broken link wastes that time on dead pages instead of indexable content.
Backlinks pointing to broken pages pass zero ranking power. You lose the SEO value other sites worked to give you.
Users hitting 404 errors leave immediately. Google interprets this as a poor-quality experience and adjusts rankings accordingly.
Broken internal links can disconnect important pages from your site structure, making them invisible to search engines entirely.
A site with excessive broken links signals poor maintenance to both users and search engines, undermining perceived authority.
Broken links accumulate silently over time. Here’s when scanning is most critical — and how different teams use this tool to protect their SEO investment.
Site migrations are the #1 cause of mass broken links. When URLs change during a redesign, CMS switch, or domain move, hundreds of internal and external links can break overnight. Run a full scan immediately after any migration to catch what redirects missed.
Discover when high-authority sites are linking to pages on your domain that no longer exist. Instead of losing that link equity, set up 301 redirects to capture the ranking power those backlinks should be providing. This is one of the fastest ways to boost DA.
Broken links accumulate naturally as external sites change, content gets removed, and URLs evolve. A monthly scan catches new issues before they compound. Rank Authority Pro automates this monitoring so you never miss a broken link.
Scan competitor domains to find their broken backlinks. When an authoritative site links to a competitor’s dead page, you can reach out and suggest your live, relevant page as a replacement — a proven link building strategy called broken link building.
Broken links are just one piece of the puzzle. Rank Authority automates your entire SEO, GEO, and AEO strategy — so you’re visible everywhere people search. Scan your site free.
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