# Every link checked, on every page.

> Frank tests every internal and external link on every page, follows redirects, and flags 404s, server errors and dead development links.

https://www.usefrank.io/features/broken-link-checker

Frank follows every link on every page in your sitemap, internal and external, and tells you which are broken, how serious it is, and exactly where each one sits.

## A broken link is the first thing clients click.

- **First impressions**: A nav link that 404s on launch day undoes weeks of careful design in one click.
- **Leftover dev links**: Links to localhost or a staging domain work on your machine, and nowhere else.
- **Links go stale**: External pages move. A link that worked when you built the page can be dead by launch.

## What counts as broken.

Frank sorts what it finds by how serious it is, so the fixes that matter come first.

### Major and minor, sorted for you

Server errors and unreachable links are major issues. Client errors like a 404 are minor. Timeouts after 8 seconds, DNS and SSL failures, redirect loops and links to localhost or private addresses all count as unreachable.

- Server errors (5xx): major
- Unreachable links: major
- Client errors like 404: minor

### Built to ignore the noise

Sites like LinkedIn block automated checkers, so Frank deliberately ignores 403, 429, 451 and 999 responses. Redirects aren't errors either: Frank follows up to five hops and judges where the link finally lands.

- Each link checked once per page
- Shown with its URL, text and status code
- Highlighted on a screenshot of the page

## Frequently asked questions about broken link checking

### Which links does Frank check?

Every link on the page (every `<a href>`), internal and external. Anchor links, email, phone and SMS links, and links back to the same page are skipped.

### Does Frank check buttons?

A button doesn't point anywhere, so there's nothing to follow. Instead, Frank's [accessibility check](https://www.usefrank.io/features/accessibility-checks) flags buttons and links that have no readable name.

### Why isn't my LinkedIn link flagged?

Some sites, LinkedIn included, return 403, 429, 451 or 999 to block automated checkers even when the link works. Frank deliberately ignores those codes so you don't chase false alarms.

### Are redirects flagged?

No. Frank follows up to five redirects and judges the final destination. A redirect loop counts as unreachable.

### What does each issue show?

The link URL, its text, the status code and its position highlighted on a screenshot of the page. If the same link appears more than once on a page, it's checked and reported once.