Free Link Analyzer — audit internal, external & broken links
The Link Analyzer is a free on-page SEO tool that maps every link on a web page in
seconds. Enter any URL and this link analyzer fetches the page, extracts every
<a href>, and classifies each link as an internal link or an
external link relative to the final host. It flags every nofollow link and runs a
bounded broken link checker across a capped sample of your links, giving you a clear, evidence-based
view of how a page is connected to the rest of the web — and whether any of those connections are broken.
What is a link analyzer?
A link analyzer reads the anchor tags in a page’s HTML and turns them into a structured report. Instead of manually hovering over dozens of links, you get an instant breakdown of your internal links, external links (also called outbound links), which links are dofollow versus nofollow, and which links may be broken. Because the tool observes the live HTML directly, nothing is guessed — every link in the report was actually present on the page.
How the Link Analyzer works
Analyzing a page’s links takes three simple steps:
- Enter your URL. Paste any public web page address into the box above and click Analyze.
- We fetch and extract every link. The tool retrieves the live HTML, finds every
<a href>, and classifies each as internal or external against the page’s final host — following redirects so the comparison uses the real destination. - You get an instant link report. Each link is listed with its type, whether it is nofollow, and — for a capped sample — whether it responded successfully. Links that were not probed are clearly marked as unchecked.
Internal vs external links — and why the balance matters
Every link on a page falls into one of two buckets. Internal links point to another page on the same
website, while external links (outbound links) point to a different domain. The Link Analyzer decides
which is which by comparing each link’s host against the page’s final host after redirects, so the labels stay
accurate even on sites that redirect between www and non-www or HTTP and HTTPS.
Why internal links matter
Internal linking is how search engines discover your pages and understand how they relate. A strong internal link structure spreads ranking signals from your most authoritative pages to deeper content, helps important pages get crawled more often, and guides visitors to the next logical step. Pages with too few internal links can become “orphaned” and struggle to rank.
Why external links matter
Thoughtful external links to high-quality, relevant sources add context and credibility for readers and search engines alike. The risk is balance: too many outbound links — especially to low-quality or unrelated domains — can dilute a page and look spammy. Seeing your internal-to-external ratio at a glance helps you keep pages focused.
Dofollow vs nofollow links
By default, a link is dofollow — it passes ranking signals to the page it points to. Adding
rel="nofollow" (or the related rel="sponsored" and rel="ugc" values) tells search
engines not to pass those signals. Nofollow is the correct choice for paid links, affiliate links, and untrusted
user-generated content such as blog comments. The Link Analyzer flags every nofollow link it finds, so
you can confirm that the links you want to count — for example links to your own key pages — are dofollow, and
that sponsored or paid links are correctly attributed.
Why broken links hurt SEO, crawl budget and user experience
A broken link points to a page that no longer exists or returns an error. Broken links waste crawl budget when search engine bots follow them to dead ends, frustrate visitors who hit a 404 page, and weaken the trust signals of an otherwise good page. On large sites, broken internal links can strand content that would otherwise rank. That is why a regular broken link checker pass is part of good on-page SEO hygiene.
How the bounded broken-link check works
To stay fast and to remain a polite visitor to your server and to third-party sites, the broken-link check is bounded: it probes only a capped sample of about the first 25 unique links on the page. Links inside that sample are reported as working or broken based on their actual response. Every link outside the sample is reported as unchecked — it is never assumed to be healthy. This honest labelling means you always know the difference between “verified working” and “not yet checked,” rather than being given false confidence.
Anchor text best practices
Anchor text — the visible, clickable words of a link — helps both readers and search engines understand what the destination page is about. Good anchor text is descriptive and natural: it tells the user where the link leads before they click.
- Use descriptive, relevant anchor text instead of generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.”
- Keep anchor text concise and human-readable; avoid stuffing exact-match keywords into every link.
- Vary your anchor text naturally rather than repeating the identical phrase site-wide.
- Make sure the anchor text matches the actual content of the page you link to.
Internal linking strategy
A deliberate internal linking strategy turns a collection of pages into a well-connected site. Link from high-authority pages to the pages you most want to rank, group related content into topic clusters, and make sure every important page can be reached in a few clicks from your home page. Use the Link Analyzer to confirm your key pages actually receive the internal links you intended — and that those links are dofollow and not broken.
Link best-practices checklist
- Give every important page enough internal links so it is easy to discover and crawl.
- Keep a sensible balance between internal and external links on each page.
- Use descriptive anchor text that reflects the destination page.
- Mark paid, affiliate and untrusted links as nofollow,
sponsoredorugc. - Confirm your most valuable links are dofollow so they pass signals.
- Run a broken link checker regularly and fix or redirect any dead links.
Common link mistakes
- Broken internal links pointing to pages that were moved or deleted.
- Orphaned pages that receive no internal links at all.
- Generic “click here” anchor text that describes nothing.
- Accidentally adding
nofollowto important internal links. - Too many outbound links to low-quality or unrelated sites.
- Assuming links are fine without ever checking them for a valid response.
Want a wider audit? Pair this link analyzer with our free Website SEO Checker to review headings, content, structured data and more in one report, or use the HTTP Header Checker to inspect the status codes and redirects behind the links you find. Fix the issues, then re-run this Link Analyzer to confirm every link checks out.
Frequently asked questions
What is a link analyzer?
A link analyzer is a free on-page SEO tool that fetches a web page, extracts every <a href> link it finds, and classifies each one as internal or external relative to the page’s final host. It also flags links marked rel="nofollow" and runs a bounded broken-link check on a capped sample of the links, so you can quickly see how a page is linked and whether any of those links are broken.
What is the difference between internal and external links?
Internal links point to another page on the same website (the same host), while external links (also called outbound links) point to a different website. Internal links help search engines crawl your site and spread ranking signals between your own pages; external links send visitors and reference authority to other domains. The link analyzer labels each link so you can see the balance at a glance.
What are nofollow and dofollow links?
A dofollow link is an ordinary link that passes ranking signals to its destination. A nofollow link carries rel="nofollow" (or rel="sponsored" / rel="ugc"), which asks search engines not to pass those signals. Nofollow is commonly used on paid, user-generated, or untrusted links. The link analyzer flags every nofollow link it finds so you can confirm your important links are dofollow.
Does the link analyzer check every link for broken links?
No. To stay fast and polite, the broken link checker probes only a capped sample — about the first 25 unique links on the page. Any link it did not probe is reported as unchecked, never assumed to be healthy. This keeps results honest: an unchecked link is clearly labelled as unchecked rather than silently marked as working.
Is the link analyzer free and does it change my site?
Yes, it is completely free with no signup, and it never modifies your website. The tool only reads the public HTML of the URL you enter and reports the links it observes. To fix issues, edit the links in your own page’s HTML, then re-run the analyzer to confirm.