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Advanced Features

Broken Link Checker for Short Links (PRO)

A short link is only as good as its destination, and destinations rot — pages move, products retire, partners restructure their sites. URL Shortify's Broken Link Checker scans the target URL of every short link, flags the ones that return errors or fail to connect, and lets you fix them from one screen. This is a PRO feature under URL Shortify → Broken Links, with an automatic scan schedule set under Settings → Links.

PRO feature

The Broken Link Checker is available in URL Shortify PRO.

The Broken Link Checker is a URL Shortify PRO tool that automatically checks the target URL behind each short link to confirm it is still reachable. It records the HTTP response per link and surfaces broken or unreachable destinations on a dedicated admin page with summary statistics, so you can repair them before visitors do.

How it works

The scanner requests each short link's target URL and records whether it responded and with what HTTP status. Results are stored per link and shown on the Broken Links page. Scans run in the background using Action Scheduler, so they do not slow down your site or your visitors.

Set the automatic scan frequency

Broken Link Checker Settings

  1. Go to URL Shortify → Settings → Links.

  2. Scroll to the Broken Links section.

  3. Choose an Automatic Scan Frequency:

    Option Behaviour
    Disabled No automatic scans — run manually only (default)
    Daily Scans all links once every 24 hours
    Weekly Scans all links once every 7 days
    Monthly Scans all links once a month

  4. Click Save Settings.

The default is Disabled, so scheduled scanning only starts once you pick a frequency.

Run a manual scan

Broken Link Checker Scan

  1. Go to URL Shortify → Broken Links.
  2. Click Run Scan.
  3. A progress bar shows real-time status; counters update live as each link is checked.
  4. Wait for the scan to finish. Large sites may take a few minutes because links are checked in batches of 5 per request to avoid server timeouts.

Review the results

The Broken Links page shows a summary dashboard at the top:

Stat Meaning
Total Links All short links in your account
Scanned Links checked at least once
Reachable Links with a 2xx/3xx HTTP response (healthy)
Broken Links with a 4xx/5xx HTTP response (page missing or server error)
Connection Errors Links the scanner could not connect to at all
Not Scanned Links not yet checked

Each row on the Broken Links table offers three actions:

Edit the target URL

  1. Click Edit in the row actions.
  2. Update the Target URL to a working address.
  3. Save the link.

After fixing a URL, verify it right away:

  1. Click Recheck in the row actions.
  2. The scanner re-checks that one link and updates its status.

Clear a scan result

To remove a result without changing the link:

  1. Click Clear in the row actions and confirm.
  2. The result is cleared and the link returns to "Not Scanned".

To clear several at once, select the rows with the checkboxes, choose Clear Scan Results from the bulk actions dropdown, and click Apply.

  • The scan runs on your chosen frequency; revisit the page after each scheduled scan to see updated results.
  • Fix 4xx/5xx destinations promptly — a broken target means a poor experience for anyone who clicks.
  • For deeper detail on what a click records, see link tracking.

How the scanner behaves

  • Scheduled scans use a 10-second timeout per URL; manual (AJAX) scans use 8 seconds.
  • Up to 5 redirects are followed automatically.
  • SSL certificate errors are ignored to reduce false positives (adjustable via the kc_us_broken_link_sslverify filter).

Conclusion

The Broken Link Checker turns silent link rot into a visible, fixable list: schedule a scan, review the summary, and repair or recheck destinations without leaving the page. Pair it with a working short link setup so every link you publish keeps sending visitors where you intended, and use the Open Graph link preview to confirm a destination looks right before you share it.

FAQs

You choose. Under Settings → Links → Broken Links, set the Automatic Scan Frequency to Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. The default is Disabled, meaning no automatic scans run until you pick a frequency. You can also run a scan on demand any time from the Broken Links page.

A link is marked Broken when its target URL returns a 4xx or 5xx HTTP response, such as a 404 for a missing page or a 500 server error. Links the scanner cannot reach at all are counted separately as Connection Errors. Healthy links returning 2xx or 3xx are shown as Reachable.

Will scanning slow down my website?

No. Scans run in the background through Action Scheduler and process links in batches of 5 per request, so they do not block your site or affect visitors. Each URL check is time-limited (10 seconds for scheduled scans, 8 for manual ones) to keep the process responsive.

Click Edit on the broken row, update the Target URL to a working address, and save. Then click Recheck on that row to confirm the fix immediately, rather than waiting for the next scheduled scan. To dismiss a result without editing the link, use Clear.

No. It is part of URL Shortify PRO. The free version does not scan short link destinations for dead targets.

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