A warning is not an error. It means Broken Link Fixer could not get a clear answer from the address, so it asks you to look instead of calling the link broken. This guide explains the common causes and what to do.
What You’ll Learn
- Which answers become warnings
- Why a working link can still show one
- How to check a warning by hand
- How to keep a warning from coming back
What Causes a Warning
- 401, 403, or 429 – the website asks for a login, refuses automated visitors, or limits how many requests it accepts. Large sites and social networks do this all the time.
- 999 – a status some sites use to turn scanners away.
- Timeout – the website did not answer in time. It may be slow right now.
- Secure connection problems – an expired or mismatched certificate on the other side.
In Pro, two more messages are warnings on purpose: Possible soft 404, and Mixed content. They are covered in Finding soft 404 pages and Fixing mixed content.
Checking a Warning by Hand
Open the address in your browser. If the page loads, the link is fine and the website only turned the scanner away. Click Dismiss to stop seeing it. If the page is gone, click Edit URL or Unlink like you would for a broken link. If you are not sure, click Recheck later, because a timeout is often temporary.
Fewer Warnings
- Turn off Check External Links in Options if you only care about your own site.
- Add websites that always block scanners to Exclude URLs, one per line.
- In Pro, set a Request Throttle so the scan waits between requests. Some websites only block you when you ask too fast.
This is available in Broken Link Fixer Free and Broken Link Fixer Pro.