No. A broken link tool reports that a link returns an error. Link Signals does that too, but it also asks where a link leads now and whether it belongs, and flags a destination that has turned into casino, pharmacy or other unrelated content, with the reason.
A link can return a perfectly healthy page and still be the problem.
What a broken link tool covers, and what is left
| Question | Broken link tool | Link Signals |
|---|---|---|
| Does the link return 404 or an error? | Yes | Yes. 404 and 410 are Broken, and 5xx errors are Investigate. |
| Does it work for your internal links? | Usually yes | No. Only links to other sites are evaluated. |
| Is the destination on a blocklist? | No | Yes. A match is a confirmed Not safe. |
| Is a link hidden from visitors, or shown only to crawlers? | No | Yes, for inline styles, a sample of pages compared as a crawler sees them, and script-written links. |
| Is the linked domain unregistered, expired, new or parked? | No | Yes, where the registry publishes the date, and for parking pages. |
| Does the destination fit the page linking to it? | No | Yes. A link to gambling from a gardening page is out of context. |
Why the difference matters
A link that worked last year can be dangerous today. A partner’s domain lapses, someone registers it, and your page now sends readers to whatever they put there. A page that returns 200 passes a broken link tool. Link Signals checks the registration, re-checks links to unregistered, expired or parked domains on every monitoring check, and judges the page they land on.
This domain isn’t registered. Anyone can register it and take over this link. It was a partner’s, and the page still sends readers there.
/links · Anchor text “partner resources”How a scan differs from a re-check
A scan reads the pages in your sitemap and finds every outbound link. A re-check reads only the pages that carry flagged links, so it is much quicker and shows whether a fix worked. A re-check does not look for new problems elsewhere.
What it does not do
- It does not find broken internal links. Use a crawler that follows your own links for those, and hidden internal links are not evaluated either.
- It is not a malware scanner for your server or a replacement for a security plugin. It watches where your pages point.
- It does not read pages outside the sitemap.
Broken links themselves still count. They appear as Priority 4 by default and take a small number of points from LinkSignal, Link Signals’ own score for a site’s links, which is not a search engine’s measure.
Where to read more
- Verdicts explained: every verdict, from Not safe to No known issues.
- Unregistered domains: why a link to a lapsed domain is a risk.
- Hidden links: what concealed links look like in a report.
- Google on outbound links: the search engine’s guidance on how to mark links you do not vouch for.
Questions
Can I use a broken link checker as well?
Yes, and for internal links it is the right tool. The two answer different questions: one checks that your own pages connect, the other checks where your links to other sites lead.
Why are broken links not the first thing listed?
A dead link is a dead end for visitors, but it is not a way for someone else to use your page. Parked, unregistered and out-of-context links come first by default because they can send readers somewhere you did not intend.
Does it catch a redirect that leads somewhere new?
Yes. Redirects are followed the way a browser does, up to 10, keeping the cookies a site sets, and the final destination is the one judged.
Scan your sitemap and look at the findings that are not broken links.
