## Broken Links Explorer Broken links can negatively affect both **user experience and SEO performance**. When a visitor clicks a link that leads to an error page, it creates frustration and can prevent search engines from properly crawling your website. CrawlRhino includes a **Broken Links Explorer** that allows you to quickly scan a website and detect links that return errors such as **404 or 500 status codes**. This page explains how to **find broken links on a website using CrawlRhino**. * * * # What Are Broken Links? A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page that no longer exists or cannot be accessed. When a broken link is requested, the server typically returns an error such as: ``` 404 Not Found 500 Server Error 403 Forbidden 405 Method Not Allowed ``` Broken links can occur for several reasons, including: - pages being deleted or moved - incorrect URLs in links - website migrations - outdated internal links Regularly scanning your website helps ensure all links remain valid. * * * # Why Broken Links Matter for SEO Broken links can impact both search engines and website visitors. ### Poor User Experience Visitors clicking a broken link will reach an error page instead of the expected content. This can increase bounce rates and reduce trust in the website. * * * ### Reduced Crawl Efficiency Search engines use crawlers to discover and index pages. Broken links waste crawl resources and may prevent important pages from being discovered. * * * ### Lost Internal Link Value Internal links distribute authority across your website. If links point to missing pages, that value is lost. * * * # Using the Broken Links Explorer CrawlRhino’s **Broken Links Explorer** allows you to scan a website and verify the status of every discovered link. The scanner checks each link and records the HTTP response returned by the server. * * * # Step 1: Enter the Website URL Open the **Broken Links Explorer** and enter the website URL into the input field. Example: ``` https://example.com ``` Click **Start** to begin scanning the website. * * * # Step 2: Scan the Website CrawlRhino will begin checking each discovered link and recording the response returned by the server. During the scan, the tool verifies: - internal links - resource links - page URLs - redirects - broken URLs The status of each link is displayed in real time. * * * # Step 3: Review Link Results Once the scan begins, CrawlRhino displays the results in a table showing: - **Found On** – the page where the link was discovered - **Link URL** – the destination of the link - **Status Code** – the HTTP response returned by the server - **Result** – the link status (OK, Redirect, or Broken) This allows you to quickly identify which pages contain broken links. * * * # Filtering Link Results CrawlRhino provides several filters to help analyze link results quickly. You can view links by category: - **All** – shows every scanned link - **Broken** – displays only links that returned errors - **Redirects** – shows links that redirect to another page - **OK** – displays links that returned a valid response These filters allow you to focus specifically on problematic links that require attention. * * * # Identifying Broken Links Broken links typically return error status codes such as: ``` 404 Not Found 500 Server Error 405 Method Not Allowed ``` When a broken link is detected, the result column will display **Broken**, allowing you to quickly locate the affected link. You can then review the **Found On** column to determine which page contains the problematic link. * * * # Fixing Broken Links Once broken links are identified, they can usually be fixed by: - correcting the link URL - updating the link to the correct page - adding a redirect to the new location - removing the link if the page no longer exists Fixing broken links improves both **website usability and technical SEO performance**. * * * # Running Broken Link Checks Regularly Websites change frequently as pages are updated, moved, or removed. Running regular scans helps ensure broken links are detected early. Using CrawlRhino to **scan your website for broken links** helps maintain a healthy internal linking structure and ensures visitors do not encounter error pages. * * * # Download CrawlRhino SEO Crawler If you want to perform detailed website audits and technical SEO analysis, CrawlRhino provides a fast and powerful alternative to traditional **SEO spider software**. You can download CrawlRhino and start crawling websites immediately. [Download CrawlRhino SEO Crawler](/content/crawlrhino-seo-crawler/index.html)