Broken link checker that tells you where each dead link lives
A broken link frustrates visitors and wastes search engine crawl time, and they pile up quietly as pages move and other sites disappear. With this to-do your todo.is agent crawls your site, tests every link, and lists each 404 or redirect with the page it sits on, the link text and a suggested replacement.
The prompt
- Check [WEBSITE] for broken links. Crawl up to [NUMBER OF PAGES] pages. Test every internal link, outbound link and image. Report links that return 404, 410, 5xx errors or time out, plus redirect chains of 2 or more hops. For each problem give: the page it is on, the link text, the broken URL, the status code and a suggested fix (the new URL if the page moved, or a similar live page). Ignore [LINKS TO SKIP]. Save it as an Excel file sorted by how many pages each broken URL appears on. Then repeat [HOW OFTEN] and message me on [WHERE TO SEND IT] only when new broken links appear.
What to change
- [WEBSITE]: Your site, e.g. "trailnotes.blog".
- [NUMBER OF PAGES]: e.g. "500" or "all pages". Big sites take longer.
- [LINKS TO SKIP]: e.g. "social share buttons and links to /login", or write "nothing".
- [HOW OFTEN]: e.g. "every Monday at 7:00" or "on the 1st of each month". Say "do not repeat" for a one-off check.
- [WHERE TO SEND IT]: Email, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Discord.
Example result
- Broken link report · trailnotes.blog (example)
- Pages crawled: 412 · Links tested: 6,830 · Checked Oct 8
- Summary
- • 23 broken links (17 internal, 6 outbound)
- • 8 redirect chains of 2 or more hops
- • One old URL causes 11 of the 17 internal errors
- Fix first
- • /gear/best-tents-2023 returns 404 and is linked from 11 pages. A newer page exists at /gear/best-tents. Add a 301 redirect, then update the links.
- • /maps/dolomites.pdf returns 404 on 3 posts. The file was likely renamed to /maps/dolomites-route.pdf.
- Internal broken links (sample)
- • On: /hikes/tre-cime · Link text: "our packing list" · URL: /packing-list-old · Status: 404 · Fix: /packing-list
- • On: /about · Link text: "newsletter" · URL: /subscribe · Status: 500 · Fix: server error, check the form plugin
- Outbound broken links (sample)
- • On: /hikes/madeira-levadas · URL: a regional trail office page · Status: 404 · Fix: found the moved page on the same site, new link in the sheet
- • On: /reviews/stove · URL: a brand product page · Status: 410 (product discontinued) · Fix: link to the brand's current stove range or remove
- Redirect chains
- • /blog → /posts → /journal (2 hops). Link directly to /journal.
- Ignored as asked
- • Share buttons and /login links
- Next check
- Monday 7:00. I will message you only if new broken links appear.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your site, the page limit and the schedule.
- Paste it into todo.is or message it to your agent on Telegram or Discord.
- Your agent crawls the site, tests each link and re-checks timeouts so you don't get false alarms.
- Fix the URLs that appear on the most pages first, then let the weekly check catch new ones.
Tips for a better result
- A single 301 redirect from a moved page often fixes dozens of broken links at once. Look at the "appears on" count.
- Outbound links break most on news sites and government pages. Ask your agent to find the moved page before you remove the link.
- Short redirect chains: link straight to the final URL to speed up pages and save crawl budget.
- Some sites block automated checks and return 403. Your agent marks these so you can check them by hand.
broken link checker: FAQ
- How do I find broken links on my website? Ask your agent to crawl your site and test every link. You get a list of 404s and errors with the page each one is on and a suggested fix.
- Do broken links hurt SEO? A few won't sink a site, but many broken internal links waste crawl time and leave visitors stuck. Fixing them also passes link value to the right pages.
- Should I redirect or remove a broken link? If the content moved, redirect the old URL with a 301 and update the links. If it is gone for good, link to the closest useful page or remove the link.
- Can it check links in a PDF or Word file? Yes. Attach the file and ask your agent to test every link inside it.
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