404 Dead Link Detection • Link Equity Optimization
Broken Link Checker & Audit
Audit hyperlinks for dead 404 errors, 500 server crashes, and 301 redirect chains. Fix PageRank leaks and preserve your crawl budget.
Presets:
Total Links6
Healthy (200 OK)2
Broken (404/500)3
Redirects (301)1
| Status | Type | Anchor Text | Target URL | Action Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 OK | Internal | About Us | https://example.com/about | Healthy link |
| 200 OK | Internal | Pricing Plans | https://example.com/pricing | Healthy link |
| 404 Not Found | Internal | Legacy Feature | https://example.com/old-page | Update href to live page or implement 301 redirect |
| 404 Not Found | External | Partner Study 2021 | https://partner-firm.com/deleted-resource | Replace dead external reference or remove link |
| 301 Moved Permanently | Internal | Blog Articles | https://example.com/blog | Update link directly to final destination (/blog/) |
| 500 Internal Server Error | External | API Docs | https://unstable-api.net/docs | Destination server is down; re-test later |
Highlighting in Chrome
Highlight Dead Links Directly on Any Webpage
The OsaniRank Chrome Extension scans links on active pages, highlighting broken 404 anchors in red so you can fix them before visitors notice.
Internal vs External Broken Links: The SEO Impact
Internal Broken Links (Dead Ends)
Internal 404 links occur when a page on your site links to another missing page on your own domain. These are severe because they:
- Trap Googlebot in dead ends, consuming crawl budget without indexing content.
- Destroy PageRank flow, leaving orphaned pages with zero link equity.
- Trigger high bounce rates and frustrate human users trying to navigate.
External Broken Links (Link Rot)
External dead links point to third-party domains that have moved, expired, or been deleted. Their impact includes:
- Damaging your site\'s editorial credibility and search engine trustworthiness.
- Sending users to spammy domain parking pages or malicious takeovers.
- Weakening topical authority relevance in Google\'s knowledge graph.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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