Frequently Asked Questions

A broken link (also called a dead link) is a hyperlink that points to a webpage or resource that is no longer available. This typically results in a 404 "Not Found" error or other error codes like 500. Broken links occur when pages are deleted, moved without proper redirects, or when URLs are mistyped.

Broken links negatively impact SEO in several ways:

1. Crawl Budget Waste: Search engines waste time crawling broken URLs instead of your important pages
2. Link Authority Loss: Broken internal links prevent PageRank from flowing properly through your site
3. Poor User Experience: Visitors encountering dead ends increase bounce rates, which signals low quality to search engines
4. Site Quality Signal: Many broken links suggest a poorly maintained site, which can lower overall rankings

LinkGuard Pro is a client-side broken link checker that runs entirely in your browser. When you scan a URL, the tool:

1. Fetches the HTML content of the page
2. Extracts all links (anchor tags, images, scripts, stylesheets)
3. Checks each link by making HTTP requests
4. Reports the status (working, broken, redirect, timeout)

All processing happens locally on your device - no data is sent to external servers.

Yes, absolutely. LinkGuard Pro is privacy-first by design:

• All link checking happens in your browser
• No URLs or scan results are sent to our servers
• Scan history is stored locally using IndexedDB
• We don't track or collect any user data
• No cookies, no analytics, no third-party tracking

Your data never leaves your device.

CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) is a browser security feature that restricts how web pages can request resources from different domains. When checking external links, browsers may block requests due to CORS policies.

What works: Same-origin links (your own website)
Limited: External links (may show as "warning" status)

For best results, use LinkGuard Pro to check links on your own websites where CORS isn't an issue.

Working (2xx): Link is accessible and functioning properly
Redirect (3xx): Link redirects to another URL (301, 302, etc.)
Broken (4xx, 5xx): Link is not accessible (404 Not Found, 500 Server Error, etc.)
Timeout: Server took too long to respond
CORS Blocked: Browser security prevented checking this external link
Warning: Link may work but couldn't be fully verified

Yes! LinkGuard Pro offers two ways to check multiple pages:

1. Crawl Mode: On the home page, enable "Scan multiple pages" to crawl your site and check all internal links up to a specified depth
2. Batch Checker: Use the Batch Checker page to paste a list of URLs and check them all at once

Both features process links sequentially to avoid overwhelming servers.

After completing a scan, you'll see an "Export CSV" or "Export JSON" button on the results page. Click it to download your results in a spreadsheet-friendly format. The export includes:

• Source page URL
• Link URL
• Status code
• Link type
• Anchor text
• Response time

You can use these exports for reporting, tracking, or sharing with your team.

Yes, scan results are automatically saved to your browser's IndexedDB storage. You can:

• View past scans on the History page
• Compare results over time
• Delete individual scans or clear all history

All history is stored locally on your device and can be cleared at any time. No data is stored on remote servers.

301 (Permanent Redirect): Indicates the resource has permanently moved to a new URL. Search engines transfer link authority to the new URL.

302 (Temporary Redirect): Indicates a temporary move. Search engines keep the original URL indexed and don't transfer full authority.

For SEO, use 301 redirects when permanently moving content, and update your internal links to point directly to the final destination to avoid redirect chains.

Currently, LinkGuard Pro requires manual scanning. As a browser-based tool, it can only run when you have the page open. However, you can:

• Bookmark the tool for quick access
• Set calendar reminders to scan regularly
• Use the History feature to track link health over time

Automated monitoring with email alerts would require a backend service, which goes against our privacy-first approach.

Yes, LinkGuard Pro is completely free to use with no limits on scans or URLs checked. There are no premium tiers, no hidden costs, and no account required. We built this tool to be accessible to everyone who needs to maintain healthy links on their websites.