Internal failure
A CMS Max page, product, category, blog, file, or other local destination no longer resolves as intended.
Repair or redirect
SEO Max link health
Find and Fix Broken Links
Turn dead ends into deliberate destinations before customers or crawlers find them.
CMS Max scans supported content and interface resources for links, checks eligible destinations in queued batches, and reports failures with source context so the team can repair the link where it is managed.
- Source context
- Internal and external URLs
- Queued scanning
- Approved exclusions
Know what the scanner covers
A useful broken-link report connects the failed destination to the content that owns it.
CMS Max gathers links from supported public resources and additional managed interface content such as sections, popups, promotional bars, and menus. Common non-web actions such as anchors, email, telephone, fax, JavaScript, and data URLs are excluded from HTTP checking.
External failure
A vendor, partner, social, documentation, or referenced website changed, blocked, or removed the destination.
Verify manuallyApproved exception
A known URL or pattern can be excluded when automated checks are not reliable and a human owner accepts the result.
Document the reasonRemediation workflow
Scan, confirm, repair, and prove the path from the source.
The right repair depends on why the link exists and whether a relevant destination still serves that intent.
- 01
Run one controlled scan
Start the Broken Links scan and let the queued work finish. CMS Max prevents overlapping scans from wiping active results.
- 02
Open the source context
Review the content or interface resource that contains the link and confirm what the label promises.
- 03
Choose the repair
Update the URL, restore the content, redirect a moved internal URL, remove obsolete material, or document an exclusion.
- 04
Retest from the source
Click the repaired link as a visitor, confirm the final URL and content, then rerun the scanner after the release.
Decision guide
Match the repair to the visitor intent.
Sending every retired URL to the homepage hides the problem without restoring the promised path.
Update the link
Use when a current, relevant destination exists and the source content should point to it directly.
Create a 301 redirect
Use for a permanently moved internal URL when the replacement satisfies substantially the same intent.
Remove or rewrite
Use when the reference is obsolete, no equivalent destination exists, or the surrounding claim is no longer true.
Inside CMS Max
Fix the content and the navigation system together.
Because CMS Max manages pages, commerce content, blogs, events, menus, sections, popups, and promotional bars, teams can repair many sources in the same operating environment that discovered the issue.
Primary references
Use current standards when the details matter.
Google documents how HTTP and network errors affect crawling. CMS Max source evidence documents the platform scan scope, exclusions, queue controls, and result workflow.
Broken link FAQ
Questions teams ask while fixing the issue.
Treat every result as a content decision, not just a status-code cleanup.
What does CMS Max scan for broken links?
CMS Max collects eligible links from supported content models and managed interface resources, removes invalid or excluded patterns, and checks the resulting destinations in queued crawl jobs.
Why can a working external link appear unreliable to a scanner?
Some destinations block automated requests, rate-limit checks, require authentication, or behave differently by region or request method. Confirm important external links manually before removing them.
Should every broken internal URL redirect to the homepage?
No. Redirect to the most relevant replacement when one exists. If there is no equivalent content, update or remove the source reference instead of creating a misleading destination.
What is the whitelist for?
The Whitelisted Links view stores approved URLs or patterns that should be excluded from reporting. Each exclusion should have a clear owner and reason and should be reviewed periodically.
When should a broken-link scan run?
Run it after migrations, URL changes, navigation work, bulk imports, content retirement, and major releases, then schedule periodic review based on publishing volume.
Build search quality into operations
Make SEO maintenance part of the CMS, not a cleanup project.
CMS Max combines content, commerce, integrations, hosting, and practical SEO workflows so teams can improve the website as they operate it.
Building Relationships with Web Developers and Marketing Agencies that want better results
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