How to Find and Fix Broken Links on a Website

How to Find and Fix Broken Links on a Website starts with one principle: find broken links using evidence from the actual page, file, or report rather than assumptions. The most useful checks cover internal versus external broken links, temporary errors and access restrictions, and what to do after the first result. Use the AltHunt Broken Link Checker to support the relevant check, then review the output in context before changing your site.

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What broken link checker means for website audit

A broken link checker workflow is a way to find broken links while keeping the underlying evidence visible. It matters because a result that looks correct in a dashboard may still hide an issue with internal versus external broken links. A strong workflow distinguishes what was measured, what was inferred, and what still requires manual confirmation.

For website audit, the goal is not to collect the largest number of warnings. It is to identify a change you can justify and verify. Use the output to guide a specific next action rather than treating every warning as a ranking factor.

When to find broken links

Run this check when publishing a new page, migrating a website, investigating a traffic change, or auditing an established property. It is especially relevant when you need to understand internal versus external broken links or assess temporary errors and access restrictions.

Example scenario: A team changes a site template and wants to know whether the change introduced a technical issue. They record the original state, run a focused check, compare results, and confirm the outcome after deployment. The same process works for smaller one-page changes and larger site-wide reviews.

Before you begin: gather the right inputs

Before using a broken link checker, define exactly what you are checking. Record the canonical URL or relevant source input, expected outcome, environment, and any known limitations. For multi-page tasks, start with a representative sample rather than assuming every URL behaves identically.

A practical preparation checklist:

1. Confirm you have the correct public URL or source data.
2. Identify whether the page requires authentication, JavaScript, or redirects.
3. Decide what a successful result would look like.
4. Note any existing configuration that might explain temporary errors and access restrictions.
5. Keep a copy of the original result so you can compare it with the final check.

Step-by-step: find broken links

Step 1: Define the question. Write down what you want to establish. For this tool, a useful question is whether you can find broken links reliably for the page or dataset in scope.

Step 2: Open the verified AltHunt tool route. Use the Broken Link Checker listed in the AltHunt Free Tools directory. The implementation must link to the actual route from the codebase rather than a guessed URL.

Step 3: Provide accurate input. Enter the URL, text, file, or configuration the interface requests. Avoid mixing test and production sources unless you label them.

Step 4: Review the output. Look specifically at internal versus external broken links. Separate confirmed findings from warnings or missing evidence.

Step 5: Make the smallest useful change. Address a specific issue rather than changing multiple variables at once.

Step 6: Recheck and document. Repair links and rerun the crawl. Save the before-and-after evidence, including the date and affected pages.

How to interpret internal versus external broken links

Interpreting the result requires context. For example, internal versus external broken links may look different depending on the page type, website platform, and whether the response is publicly accessible. A warning should trigger investigation, not an automatic change.

Use this decision table as a starting point:

Common mistakes and false positives

Mistake 1: Treating all warnings as equally urgent. Prioritize findings based on actual impact and affected pages.

Mistake 2: Ignoring temporary errors and access restrictions. This can create false positives or misleading conclusions.

Mistake 3: Changing a live site without a baseline. Record the original state first so you can tell whether the fix worked.

Mistake 4: Assuming a clean report guarantees rankings. Technical hygiene is useful, but it does not replace helpful content or relevant search intent.

Mistake 5: Forgetting to retest. A proposed fix is not confirmed until the relevant check is repeated.

Practical examples for real websites

Example: a new landing page

A marketer publishes a landing page and wants to find broken links. The team checks the page, reviews internal versus external broken links, and records the output. If the result conflicts with the intended configuration, they correct the page and run the same check again.

Example: a site migration

During a migration, the same workflow is applied to a representative sample of old and new pages. This makes it easier to distinguish an isolated error from a template-level problem. Pay particular attention to temporary errors and access restrictions.

Example: a recurring audit

An SEO lead uses a saved checklist to compare results after each major release. The most valuable artifact is not a one-time score; it is the record of what changed and whether the issue was resolved.

How this fits into a wider SEO workflow

Combine the Broken Link Checker with adjacent checks instead of treating it as an isolated task. For example, the HTTP Status Code Checker can support a related review, while the Redirect Chain Checker may help validate a different signal. Link these tool names to their verified AltHunt routes during implementation.

The order matters: confirm the page or dataset exists, establish what is happening, make a targeted change, and verify the result. This avoids a cycle of unrelated edits that cannot be evaluated.

Frequently asked questions

What does a broken link checker actually check?

It helps you find broken links using observable inputs. Interpret the results alongside internal versus external broken links; it does not replace reviewing the live page or configuration.

Can I rely on one broken link checker result?

Not always. Recheck unusual findings, especially when temporary errors and access restrictions may affect what the tool can observe.

How often should I find broken links?

Repeat the check after meaningful releases, migrations, content changes, or when monitoring reveals unexpected behavior. Choose a cadence based on how often the underlying site changes.

Will using a broken link checker improve rankings automatically?

No. A diagnostic or generation tool can reveal opportunities, but search visibility depends on implementation, relevance, crawlability, content quality, and other factors.

What should I do when the result is unexpected?

Confirm the input, reproduce the issue, inspect the source evidence, and apply the smallest corrective change. Then rerun the check to verify the outcome.

Final checklist and next steps

The best next step is to find broken links for one representative page or dataset, verify internal versus external broken links, and document what changed. Use the AltHunt Broken Link Checker through its verified Free Tools route, then continue with related checks only when the evidence supports them.

Final takeaway: Good website audit work is specific, evidence-led, and repeatable. Focus on what you can confirm, prioritize meaningful issues, and retest rather than assuming a successful tool run guarantees a business or search outcome.

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