Website Design Tips & Tricks
How to Check Website Links
Another broken link - ANNOYING! How to not infuriate your visitors - check for broken links. Don't let broken links ruin your reputation or bring down your search engine ratings.
Dreamweaver Validation and Link Checker
Using Dreamweaver (formerly known as Macromedia), you will find it is very easy to check the validity of your links. You can check the entire site, or just one page. Make sure your site is defined. I am using Dreamweaver CS4.
Go to File | Check Page | Links
Or Window | Results | Link Checker where you can define
- Broken Links
- External Links
- Orphaned Files
Online Link Checkers
WC3 Link Checker - The Link Checker is part of the W3C's validators and Quality Web tools.
This Link Checker looks for issues in links, anchors and referenced objects in a Web page, CSS style sheet, or recursively on a whole Web site.
2Bone's Online Link Checker - Enter the URL to the page you want checked and they will instantly test the links on your page. It's a simple 3 step process that takes only seconds. No signup, no login required.
I like 2Bone's explanation of why you should test your links:
From 2bone.com "One of the things that will 'turn off' a visitor to your site is 'broken links'. A broken link gives the impression that you're not taking care of your site, much like a broken window in a hotel would discourage visitors.
Obviously, you probably don't control all of the web sites that you're linking to, so when a link 'breaks', it's often not your fault... but it makes you look bad regardless.
The best way to avoid this problem is to check those links on a regular basis, just like you'd change the oil in your car's engine regularly to prevent problems."
NetMechanic® Get a free test of up to 5 Web pages by filling out their online form. They also have a customized test, but you have to give them your email address.
For a Customized Test, click here.