A quick field guide
From a check
to a better page.
Internal links help people move from the page they are reading to the next thing they need. This free internal link checker inventories one page’s links, separates their placement and makes the anchors visible. Use it to review a new article, inspect a template or check important paths after a change.
- 01
Read one page
Fetch a public URL or paste HTML with its original address so relative links resolve correctly.
- 02
Separate the different jobs
Filter content links, internal destinations, external references and anchors that need a closer look.
- 03
Verify the useful paths
Optionally request up to 30 unique internal destinations, then export an inventory for your edits.
A closer look / 03
A link count needs context.
Occurrences and destinations answer different questions
A page can link to the same address in its menu, article and footer. That is three link occurrences but one unique destination. The report keeps both views available rather than treating a repeated menu item as three different pages receiving support. The content-link count describes occurrences found inside main or article landmarks, after more specific navigation and footer landmarks are considered.
Internal means the same exact hostname. Protocol differences remain visible as distinct URLs. A subdomain is a different host, and www is not automatically merged with the bare domain. Relative addresses are resolved using the page URL and a valid base element when present. Query strings are preserved because they can identify different resources; fragments are removed from destination identities. Same-page fragment navigation is counted separately.
Review the words around each link
An anchor should give a reader a useful expectation about the destination. Google recommends descriptive, reasonably concise text relevant to both pages. The checker flags empty accessible anchors and a small list of generic phrases such as “click here.” It uses text, linked-image alt text and accessible labels as available evidence.
A generic label is a review prompt, not proof that the whole page is bad. A card may have a clear heading nearby, while an isolated sentence may need a more specific phrase. Read the source context before rewriting. You do not need one identical anchor everywhere, and this tool does not impose a keyword percentage or a fixed links-per-page rule.
Links are also a technical discovery path. Real anchor elements with href values are the basis of this inventory. Buttons, script click handlers and navigation assembled only after JavaScript runs are outside the fetched source. The Technical SEO learning path explains how access, rendering and discovery relate.
Check responses without overinterpreting them
The optional response check requests at most the first 30 unique internal destinations in source order. It follows a limited number of redirects and reports the final HTTP response. An observed redirect can be worth tidying by linking directly to the intended destination. A 404, 410 or server error needs investigation at the time it was returned.
Login restrictions, refusals, rate limits and timeouts are marked unverified. A server refusing an automated request is not enough evidence to call the visitor’s link broken. A successful HTTP response also does not prove the destination is useful: a soft 404, irrelevant landing page or incorrect canonical needs a content review. External references are inventoried but not requested.
Switch to the destination view to see repeated targets and their different anchors together. Placement and hostname filters separate the different jobs. The small connection diagram shows outgoing links from this page only. The CSV export includes all observed links, including same-page fragments, not just the current filter. Use placement, anchor and destination together to prepare edits. For an HTML issue behind the link inventory, the On-Page SEO Checker can examine the source page’s headings and metadata separately.
Know when a full-site crawl is necessary
This checker sees outgoing links from one page. It cannot know which other pages link back, determine sitewide click depth or identify a truly orphaned page. Those questions need a broader crawl and, for orphan candidates, comparison with other inventories such as a sitemap. Use this tool for a focused page review, then expand the evidence when the question is about the whole site’s structure.
Worth knowing
Your questions,
answered.
Can this find orphan pages?+
No. Orphan detection requires an inventory of pages and links across a defined site scope. A single page’s outgoing links cannot establish that no other page links to a destination.
Why are internal link counts different in other tools?+
Tools may merge www hosts, remove query strings, count fragments or report unique destinations instead of occurrences. This checker shows its exact-hostname rule and keeps occurrence and destination counts separate.
What is the right number of internal links?+
There is no universal target. Add links where a reader needs a related explanation or next step. Review the page’s purpose, the destinations and the surrounding context instead of aiming for a fixed count.
Are pasted HTML links checked online automatically?+
No. Pasted HTML is analyzed in your browser. Only the optional status button sends up to 30 public internal destination URLs to the server. Fictional examples cannot trigger those live requests.