A rescan (the Scan again button) runs the whole scan again on the same sitemap and sets the result against the scan you started from. A re-check reads only the pages your flagged links are on, and answers one question: did the fixes work? A rescan can find new problems. A re-check cannot.
Side by side
| Rescan | Re-check | |
|---|---|---|
| What is read | Every page in the sitemap, within your plan’s limits | Only the pages the flagged links were found on |
| Finds new problems? | Yes | No, only links already flagged |
| Result | A new report labelled Rescan, compared with the original | A new report labelled as a re-check, with only the open findings |
| The original report | Keeps its findings and gains a note that it was rescanned | Left exactly as it was |
| Takes | As long as a normal scan | A minute or two |
| Counts against your allowance | Yes, like any scan | Only the links actually looked at |
| Limit | Cannot start while a scan is running | Up to 60 links, most urgent first, one re-check at a time for a report |
How a rescan is compared
Findings are matched by the address they link to, under the same priorities. A link flagged now and not before is new. A link flagged both times is still flagged, with what changed if anything we record has changed. A link flagged before and not now is no longer flagged, and Link Signals reads its page again and records what it saw.
- The link is no longer on the page, or the page itself is gone.
- The link is still there but no longer flagged. The fields that differ are listed.
- The page could not be read. It is shown as not confirmed, and never as fixed.
Those reads-again cover up to 60 links in one rescan and count towards your allowance.
Which one to use
- You fixed a handful of links: re-check them and watch the numbers change.
- You changed a lot of the site, or want to find what you have not seen: rescan.
- You want it to happen by itself: monitoring repeats the scan on a schedule and emails you about what is new.
A re-check can cover every flagged link or only the ones you have marked reviewed. A rescan shows how your LinkSignal moved since the scan before, and a re-check leaves the original scan’s score as it was. LinkSignal is Link Signals’ own metric, worked out only from what this tool finds, and it is not connected to any search engine or third-party score.
Questions
Which should I use after fixing five links?
A re-check. It reads only the pages those links are on, costs far fewer link checks and shows whether they are gone. Use a rescan later, when you want the whole site looked at again.
Does a rescan change the report it repeats?
Its findings are not changed. The original gains a note that it has been rescanned, with a button to the latest rescan, so you can always get back to what the first scan found.
What happens to a link a re-check cannot read?
It is left exactly as it was and not marked fixed. A page that will not answer tells us nothing, so try again later.
How many flagged links can one re-check read?
Up to 60, starting with the most urgent. With more than that, fix and re-check in rounds: each round clears the top of the list and the next reaches the rest.
Open a finished report to scan again or re-check the flagged links.
