Network Tools

Link Checker — Is a URL Online and Reachable?

Verify a URL is reachable — status code, final URL, and latency from our server

How to Use This Tool

  1. Enter a full URL (https://…) or domain — we normalize unsafe targets and block internal networks.
  2. Our server issues an HTTP HEAD request with a 15-second timeout and follows redirects.
  3. Results include original URL, final URL, numeric status, ok/reachable flags, and latencyMs.
  4. 5xx responses mark the link as unreachable; 3xx/2xx typically indicate the endpoint responds.
  5. Copy JSON for tickets or compare with http-status-checker when you need method choice and header detail.

About This Tool

Broken links erode trust in emails, docs, and marketing campaigns. Rankify link checker sends a safe HTTP HEAD request to your URL from our infrastructure, follows redirects, and reports whether the link is reachable, the final HTTP status code, response time in milliseconds, and the resolved URL after any redirect chain.

Use it before publishing newsletters, after DNS migrations, or when a partner reports a 404. This is a lightweight reachability check — for full redirect auditing use redirect-chain-analyzer; for security header review use security-headers-checker.

Common use cases

  • •Confirm a landing page or API URL is up
  • •Monitor redirect chains on marketing links

Why use Rankify for ?

  • Fast HEAD probe without downloading page bodies.
  • Redirect following shows final destination after short links or HTTPS upgrades.
  • Latency helps spot slow origins versus CDN edges.
  • Safe URL validation blocks SSRF to private ranges.
  • Free with rate limits — no account required.

Link checker versus HTTP status checker

Both tools probe public URLs from our network. Link checker emphasizes quick reachability for editors — ok flag, latency, final URL. HTTP status checker adds method choice (HEAD or GET), status phrase, Content-Type, and Server headers for engineers.

Start with link checker for marketing QA; escalate to http-status-checker when you need header diagnostics.

Interpreting HTTP status codes

2xx means success for the request issued. 3xx indicates redirection — we follow chains and show the final URL. 4xx signals client-side issues such as 404 Not Found or 403 Forbidden. 5xx means server errors and we mark reachable false for alerting workflows.

Redirects and short links

Marketing short domains often chain through multiple 302 hops before landing on HTTPS content. Final URL disclosure helps confirm UTM-tagged destinations and detect hijacked shorteners.

Latency context

Latency includes DNS, TCP, TLS, and server processing for HEAD. High latency on an otherwise 200 OK may indicate origin slowness, geographic distance, or missing CDN — pair with ping-test and latency-heatmap for path context.

Authorized use

Only check URLs you own or are permitted to test. Aggressive automated scanning of third-party sites may violate terms of service.

Pairing with website down checker

Website down checker runs two spaced probes for UP/DOWN verdicts. Link checker is faster for single-shot confirmation when you already have a specific URL.

Email and documentation workflows

Paste href targets from HTML emails before send. Technical writers verify external references in knowledge bases after vendor domain changes.

API path

GET /ip-tools/api/link-check?url=https://example.com returns the same JSON shape as the on-page form.

Important notes & limitations

  • Single vantage point from our server — geo-blocking may differ from your browser.
  • HEAD may differ from GET on misconfigured servers.
  • Does not validate TLS certificate trust beyond fetch success.
  • Authentication-gated URLs return errors unless publicly accessible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Rankify offers this link checker at no cost with no account required. Results load in real time.

We do not permanently store your queries on our servers. Some tools run entirely in your browser; others fetch public data for the request only.

Yes. Open the page in any modern phone or tablet browser. Results work on Wi‑Fi and mobile data.

No. HEAD requests headers only, keeping checks fast and bandwidth low.

Geo-blocking, bot protection, or IP allowlists may block our server while your browser succeeds.

Yes if the URL is public and safe-fetch rules allow it. Many sites redirect HTTP to HTTPS.

No. Link checker tests reachability only, not threat reputation.

Redirect-chain-analyzer lists every hop and timing. Link checker focuses on final reachability.

We do not permanently store link-check queries.

Next step for your check

Continue with http status checker on Rankify.

HTTP Status Checker

Related Tools

Explore more free Rankify tools for IP, DNS, security, and network diagnostics.

Browse all toolsComparison guides