Broken links can be a real pain for website owners. They can frustrate visitors and damage your SEO. That's why it's important to have a system in place to check your website for broken links regularly.
Several paid services can help you do this. Here are a few of the most popular:
Dr. Link Check ($13/month)
This service crawls through your website, and all the links are checked to see if they work properly.
It also checks for links that may be malicious. Dr. Link Check can be configured to run automatically and send reports.
- Pros: Affordable, easy to use, offers automated checks and email notifications.
- Cons: Limited features compared to some competitors may not be suitable for large websites.
Dead Link Checker ($9.95/month)
This service offers different plans and pricing options. The most popular service is Auto-Checker, which automatically checks websites for broken links.
There are three tiers of service, Standard, Premium, and Professional, which allow you to check different numbers of websites and links.
- Pros: Affordable, offers different plans with varying crawl limits, allows checking multiple websites.
- Cons: It might be slightly more complex to set up than some options and may require choosing the right plan for your website size.
Error404 (Free)
This free tool scans a website and lists broken links and their status codes. It can also check for meta titles, descriptions, and H1 tags.
- Pros: Free basic service for a quick broken link scan.
- Cons: features, no recurring checks, and no automated notifications. It's not ideal for ongoing website maintenance.
Oh Dear ($17/mo)
This website monitoring tool can monitor uptime, SSL certificates, broken links, scheduled tasks, and more. It can also notify users via various channels when there are issues.Oh Dear offers a free trial.
- Pros: It monitors various website aspects beyond links (uptime, SSL, etc.) and offers notifications for various issues.
- Cons: expensive than some basic link-checking services and may be overkill if you are only concerned with broken links.
Linkok (Pricing varies)
This broken link checker offers automated scans and email notifications to help you find and fix broken links.
- Pros: Offers automated scans and email notifications and flexible pricing plans.
- Cons: Specific pricing details required when contacting the service may not be as transparent as other options.
Issue Detector ($20 Pay-as-you-use)
This website issue checker can monitor your website for changes, identify broken links and missing headings, and analyze your website's SEO performance.
- Pros: Pay-as-you-go option for cost-conscious users, offers SEO analysis alongside broken link checking.
- Cons: Frequent checks may be less cost-effective compared to monthly subscriptions, with limited details available.
Sitechecker ($49.99/mo)
This website checker tool is designed for agencies and multi-product companies. It monitors a website for technical and SEO issues.
It compiles data from Google Search Console and Google Analytics to give users insights. Users can track website rankings and fix crawl errors. This can help improve organic search traffic. Agencies can use the tool to generate reports for clients.
- Pros: Designed for agencies and larger websites, offers comprehensive website monitoring and SEO data.
- Cons: More expensive than basic link checking services, may be excessive for personal or small business websites.
SERanking ($55.00/mo)
SERanking.com is a comprehensive SEO platform that offers various tools for keyword research, competitor analysis, website audits, rank tracking, and more.
While its core focus isn't solely on broken link checking, it is included as a feature within its website audit tools.
This makes SERanking.com a suitable option for users who need a broader SEO toolkit and can benefit from broken link checking alongside other features.
Here's what to consider with SERanking.com:
- Pros: Provides a wide range of SEO tools beyond broken link checking, potentially offering good value for those needing a comprehensive solution.
- Cons: It may be overkill for users who only need broken link checking; other options on this list may be more cost-effective.
Ahrefs ($129/mo)
Ahrefs is an SEO tool that offers various tools to help with tasks such as keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink checking.
- Pros: Powerful SEO toolkit with many features beyond broken link checking, ideal for advanced SEO users.
- Cons: The pricier option may be too comprehensive for users who only need to check broken links.
SEMrush ($129.95/mo)
Semrush is an online marketing tool that offers tools for SEO, content marketing, market research, advertising, and social media. Users can track their competitors’ marketing strategies. Many large companies use Semrush.
Choosing the right service for you will depend on your needs and budget. A free or low-cost service may be sufficient if you have a small website. However, you may need a more powerful service if you have a large website or a lot of traffic.
- Pros: It is an extensive SEO and marketing platform offering a wide range of tools, ideal for agencies and large businesses.
- Cons: The most expensive option listed, similar to Ahrefs, may be overkill for just broken link checking.
Additional factors to consider when choosing a broken link checker:
- Ease of use: How easy is the service to use?
- Features: What features does the service offer?
- Accuracy: How accurate is the service?
- Customer support: Does the service offer customer support
In conclusion, broken links can be a significant roadblock for your website visitors and SEO efforts. By implementing a recurring broken link checker, you can ensure a smooth user experience and maintain a healthy website for search engines.
When choosing a service, consider your website's size, traffic volume, and budget. By investing in a solution that fits your needs, you'll be taking a proactive step towards a more user-friendly and search-engine-optimized website.
