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Broken Link Checker & Site Health Audit — User Guide

The Broken Link Checker scans any public webpage, extracts hyperlinks, and verifies the accessibility and HTTP health status of destination URLs. When broken links or redirects are detected, the tool provides instant error code explanations, technical root cause diagnoses, and actionable resolution steps.

Key Features

1. Automated Link Extraction & Verification

  • Smart Link Deduplication: Extracts <a href="..."> anchors while automatically ignoring mailto:, tel:, javascript:, and duplicate URLs.
  • HEAD & GET Fallback Engine: Uses fast HTTP HEAD requests to verify link availability without downloading large payloads. If a destination server rejects HEAD (HTTP 405/501), it automatically falls back to GET.
  • SSRF & Security Guard: Blocks requests to internal IP ranges (127.0.0.1, 10.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x) to prevent local network scanning.

2. Deep HTTP Error Diagnosis & Issue Explanations

For every broken, redirected, or failing link, click to expand the detailed diagnosis card to view:

  • Status Code & Title: e.g., 404 Not Found, 403 Forbidden, 500 Server Error, 502 Bad Gateway, 504 Gateway Timeout, or BLOCKED.
  • Issue Reason & Impact: Plain English explanation of why the destination failed to load (e.g. deleted page slug, missing permalink, rate limits).
  • Technical Details: HTTP protocol context, Web Application Firewall (WAF) blocks, or network connection timeout details.
  • Recommended Resolution Steps: Step-by-step guidance on how webmasters and developers can resolve the broken link (e.g. configure 301 redirects, update URL slug, restore missing page, update server permissions).

3. Site Health Score & Audit Filters

  • Link Health Score Percentage: Visual health score badge calculated based on healthy vs. broken/failing links.
  • Status Filter Toolbar: Instantly filter audited links by:
    • All Links
    • Broken Links Only (4xx / 5xx / Network Failures)
    • Redirects (3xx permanent & temporary moves)
    • Healthy Links (200 OK)
  • Quick Search: Search results live by URL string, anchor text, or error title.

4. CSV Audit Report Exporter

  • Export a full site link audit report as a .csv file containing:
    • Anchor Text
    • Target URL
    • HTTP Status Code
    • Error Category
    • Issue Reason
    • Suggested Fix Action

Safety & Limits

  • Rate Limits: Capped at 30 links per page audit to ensure fast response times and prevent server abuse.
  • SSRF Safeguards: All page fetches and outgoing link requests pass through strict SSRF host normalization checks.