Key Takeaways
- General web crawlers (Screaming Frog, Ahrefs) miss links inside Shopify’s content API — a significant blind spot
- Google Search Console is free but reactive — it only shows links Google has already crawled
- Shopify-native apps have API access that lets them find broken links general tools can’t reach
- The right tool depends on your store size, budget, and whether you want monitoring or a one-time audit
If you search for broken link checker tools, you’ll find dozens of options — most designed for general websites, not specifically for Shopify. The problem is that Shopify stores have a structure that makes some tools significantly less effective than others.
This comparison covers the main tools merchants use, what each one actually does and doesn’t catch, and how to choose based on your specific situation.
Why Shopify Requires a Different Approach
Standard web crawlers work by visiting URLs and following the links they find in HTML source code. This works well for traditional websites but has a specific limitation on Shopify: it only finds links in rendered HTML.
Shopify stores have content in two places:
- Rendered HTML — what appears in the browser when a page loads
- The Shopify Admin API — the database behind your store
Links in product descriptions, blog post content, and custom pages live in Shopify’s Admin API. Whether they appear in rendered HTML depends on how your theme is built. Themes with JavaScript rendering or complex metafield structures may serve content that standard crawlers can’t read.
A Shopify-native app with authenticated API access can read your content directly from Shopify’s database — finding broken links that web crawlers would miss entirely.
With that context, here’s how the main tools compare.
Google Search Console
Cost: Free Type: Reactive monitoring
What it does: Shows URLs on your store that returned 404 errors when Googlebot crawled them. Found under Pages → Not found (404).
What it catches:
- Broken URLs that Googlebot has already attempted to crawl
- External links pointing to broken URLs on your store
- Patterns of 404s across your domain
What it misses:
- Broken links in content that Googlebot hasn’t recently crawled (new content, low-priority pages)
- The specific location of each broken link in your content — GSC shows the broken URL but not always where the link lives
- Internal broken links that Google hasn’t followed yet
Best for: Getting a baseline view of what Google already knows about. Good starting point, not sufficient on its own.
Verdict: Use it as a supplementary tool and for monitoring. Don’t rely on it as your primary broken link finder.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Cost: Free for up to 500 URLs; $259/year for unlimited Type: Desktop web crawler
What it does: Crawls your store like Googlebot, following links in HTML and reporting the response code for each URL found. Industry standard for technical SEO audits.
What it catches:
- Broken links in navigation, header, footer
- Broken links in product and collection page HTML
- Broken links visible in page source code
- Redirect chains and redirect loops
What it misses:
- Links in JavaScript-rendered content (unless you enable the paid JavaScript rendering mode)
- Links inside Shopify metafields not surfaced in HTML
- Links in content loaded dynamically via AJAX
Shopify-specific note: Some Shopify themes render product description content via JavaScript. On those themes, Screaming Frog’s free version will miss every broken link in every product description — which is often the richest source of broken links on a store.
Best for: One-time technical audits on stores with simple HTML rendering. Good for finding navigation and structural broken links. Less reliable for content links on complex Shopify themes.
Verdict: A solid tool for web professionals who know its limitations. Not the most reliable for thorough Shopify content scanning.
Ahrefs Site Audit
Cost: Included with Ahrefs plans ($99+/month) Type: Cloud-based web crawler with scheduling
What it does: Similar to Screaming Frog but cloud-based, with scheduling, historical comparison, and integration with Ahrefs’ broader SEO toolkit.
What it catches:
- Everything Screaming Frog catches
- Can be configured to crawl on a schedule (weekly, monthly)
- Shows broken links alongside other technical issues in one dashboard
What it misses:
- Same JavaScript rendering limitations as Screaming Frog unless configured with browser rendering (slower, higher credit cost)
- Shopify Admin API content not surfaced in HTML
- Doesn’t have Shopify-specific context about your URL structure
Best for: Teams that already pay for Ahrefs and want broken link monitoring as part of a broader technical SEO workflow.
Verdict: Good if you’re already an Ahrefs user. Overkill if broken link detection is your primary need.
Semrush Site Audit
Cost: Included with Semrush plans ($119+/month) Type: Cloud-based web crawler
What it does: Web crawler similar to Ahrefs, integrated into Semrush’s SEO platform.
What it catches and misses: Essentially the same profile as Ahrefs. Strong technical SEO overview, same Shopify content API blind spot.
Best for: Teams already using Semrush for keyword research and competitor analysis.
Verdict: Same assessment as Ahrefs — good if you’re already on the platform, not the most thorough option for Shopify-specific content scanning.
Relink (Shopify App)
Cost: Free plan available; paid plans from $7.99/month Type: Shopify-native app with API access
What it does: Uses Shopify’s authenticated Admin API to read your store’s content directly — product descriptions, blog posts, pages, and metafields — then checks every link found against your live store. No web crawler; direct database access.
What it catches:
- Broken links in product descriptions (including dynamically-rendered ones)
- Broken links in blog post content
- Broken links in custom pages
- Broken links in content stored in metafields
- All of the above without needing to configure JavaScript rendering
What it misses:
- External links pointing to your store from other websites (use GSC for that)
- Broken links hardcoded in your theme’s Liquid files (requires a developer)
Shopify-specific advantages:
- Knows your store’s complete URL structure — can verify whether any URL in your store actually resolves
- Can scan on a schedule (daily) so new broken links are caught immediately
- AI-powered fix suggestions that consider the context of each broken link
- Can apply fixes in bulk or automatically
Best for: Shopify merchants who want thorough, automated broken link monitoring without needing technical SEO expertise.
Verdict: The most thorough option for Shopify-specific content scanning. Designed for this exact use case.
Tool Comparison Summary
| Tool | Cost | Finds Content Links | Scheduled Scans | Shopify-Specific | Fix Suggestions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Free | Partially | No (reactive) | No | No |
| Screaming Frog (free) | Free | Partially | No | No | No |
| Screaming Frog (paid) | $259/yr | Partially | No | No | No |
| Ahrefs Site Audit | $99+/mo | Partially | Yes | No | No |
| Semrush Site Audit | $119+/mo | Partially | Yes | No | No |
| Relink | Free–$7.99/mo | Yes (API) | Yes (daily) | Yes | Yes (AI) |
Which Tool Should You Use?
You’re running a quick one-time audit and already have Ahrefs or Semrush: Use your existing tool’s site audit. It’ll catch the structural broken links. Supplement with Relink for the content API blind spot.
You’re a solo merchant without existing SEO tools: Relink is the most straightforward option. Install, scan, see results, apply fixes. No configuration required.
You’re a developer or SEO professional auditing a client’s store: Use Screaming Frog for structural analysis and Relink for content-specific scanning. Google Search Console for historical context.
You want ongoing monitoring, not just a one-time audit: Relink’s scheduled daily scanning is the only option in this list that catches new broken links as they appear. This matters most for stores that regularly add, update, or remove products.
You have a large catalog (500+ products): The Shopify API approach becomes increasingly valuable at scale. General crawlers may miss more content links, and at scale a comprehensive audit matters more.
The Case for Using Multiple Tools
The most thorough approach combines:
- Relink for content-layer broken links (product descriptions, blog posts, pages)
- Google Search Console for historical 404 tracking and external link monitoring
- Screaming Frog or Ahrefs for structural/navigation audits if you do periodic deep-dives
For most merchants, Relink plus GSC covers the vast majority of broken link scenarios. Adding Screaming Frog is worthwhile for large stores or after significant structural changes like theme migrations.
Relink scans your Shopify store’s products, pages, and blog posts via the Shopify API — catching broken links that general web crawlers miss. Install free.