How to Use Broken Link Checker the Right Way (2026)

Getting broken links (404 errors) right isn't complicated, but it does have a correct order of operations — skip a step and the rest of the work doesn't hold up as well.

Start here:
1. Prioritize fixing internal broken links first — they're fully within your control and directly affect crawl efficiency across your own site.
2. For broken external links in old content, either update to the current URL, link to an archive.org snapshot, or remove the link entirely.
3. Set up a recurring check (monthly for an active site) rather than a one-time audit — links break continuously as other sites reorganize.
4. When a page is permanently gone, 301-redirect its old URL to the closest relevant replacement instead of just letting it 404.

Once that's in place, the real value comes from doing it consistently rather than once. Broken Link Checker is one of those tasks that pays off more from a regular check-in than from a single perfect pass.

A mistake worth calling out specifically: Fixing the visible symptom (the link) without checking whether the destination page itself has other structural problems. This is common enough that it's worth a deliberate check, not just an assumption that it isn't happening.

This pairs naturally with Meta Tag Generator best practices — the two are frequently part of the same technical SEO pass, and fixing one without the other leaves an easy win on the table.

Broken Link Checker does the mechanical part of this for you — the judgment calls above still matter, but the setup and checking becomes a couple of minutes' work instead of a spreadsheet.

Everything in this guide runs directly in your browser — no signup, no install.