--- title: "Links status analytics" slug: "links-status" description: "Optimize your knowledge base with Document360's broken link checker, enhancing SEO and user experience through efficient link validation and management." updated: 2026-07-23T06:31:45Z published: 2026-07-23T06:31:45Z canonical: "docs.document360.com/links-status" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.document360.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Links status analytics **Link status** analytics in Document360 is a built-in broken link checker that validates and monitors all internal, external, and media file links across your knowledge base. It helps you identify broken, redirected, and unknown links so you can fix them before they affect your readers or your search engine rankings. Validation can be run on a schedule, triggered manually, or performed at the individual article level. --- ## Why use link status analytics - Use it after a content restructure or article deletion to catch internal links that now point to missing pages. - Use it to identify redirected URLs that should be updated to point directly to the correct destination. - Use it to exclude placeholder or example links from validation reports so your broken link count stays accurate. --- ## Understanding the link status overview In the knowledge base portal, navigate to **Analytics** () and click **Link status**. The overview page shows all link data for the selected workspace and language, divided into two sections: **Links status tiles** and the **Links list**.
Overview of link status showing total, internal, external, and broken links.
### Links status tiles
Link status tiles showing total, internal, external, and ignored link counts.
The top tiles show link counts (**Total links**, **Internal**, **External**, **Ignored**) and current validation state:
Status Description
Working The link is functional and points to the intended webpage or file.
Broken The link no longer works due to a URL change, incorrect URL, removed page, or restricted article. Applies to both URLs and media files.
Redirect URL The link has been temporarily or permanently routed to a different URL.
Unknown The link did not return a status during validation.
When a reader encounters a broken link, they see a 404 error page. A broken media file is replaced by a broken image thumbnail in the article.
Broken image thumbnail icon displayed in place of a missing media file.
### Links list The links list shows all links used across the workspace, with the following fields:
Links list showing article name, link type, URL, redirect URL, and status.
Field Description
Article name The article containing the link. Hover over the title and click Open editor in new tab ( ) to open it in the portal editor.
Link type Links: Internal, External, Secured, Unsecured. Media files: Internal file, External file.
URL The destination web address of the link.
Redirect URL The new destination if the original link has been redirected.
Status Working, Broken, Redirected, or Ignored.
:::(Info) (

NOTE) If you delete an article after validation, it appears grayed out in the list with a trash icon next to its name. ::: Click **Filter** to narrow the list by **Source**, **Visibility**, **Link type**, and **Status**, then click **Apply**. You can also click any status tile directly to instantly filter the list by that type.
Filter options for the links list including source, visibility, link type, and status.
Click **Export CSV** to download the links list. The exported file includes: **Article title**, **Media URL**, **Internal URL** (`true`/`false`), **URL**, and **Redirect URL**. --- ## Run link validation All three validation types are accessed from the **Validation type** dropdown on the Link status page.
Link status page controls including validation type, report date, manage links, and validate links.
:::(Info) (

NOTE) Manual and scheduled validation analyze all links at the project level for broken, unknown, and working status. ::: ### Scheduled validation Scheduled validation runs automatically every 7 days based on your plan tier. Select **Scheduled** from the **Validation type** dropdown to view the latest report. To review an older report, select a date from the **Report date** dropdown. Hover over the info ( ) icon next to the dropdown to see the next scheduled validation date. ### Manual validation Manual validation runs an on-demand check of all project-level links. 1. From the **Validation type** dropdown, select **Manual**. 2. Click **Validate links** in the top-right corner. :::(Info) (

NOTE) Running consecutive manual validations within 24 hours overwrites the earlier report for that day. Overwritten data cannot be recovered. Only team members with the **Validate link analytics** permission can run validations. ::: 3. In the confirmation prompt, review your remaining monthly manual validations and click **Confirm**. 4. Once complete, you receive an email confirmation. The updated report is available on the Link status overview page. ### Article-level validation Article-level validation checks links within a single article or category page and is unlimited. 1. Open the article or category page in the portal editor. 2. Click the **More** () icon in the top-right corner. 3. Click **Analytics**. The **Article analytics** panel appears. 4. Click **Validate now**. To review past article-level validations, select **Article level** from the **Validation type** dropdown. The page is empty if no article-level validations have been run yet. To know more on article-level analytics, read [Article analytics](https://docs.document360.com/docs/article-analytics){target=`_blank`}. --- ## Manage links Click **Manage links** on the Link status page to open the panel. Here you can search for a specific URL, check each link's **type**, **dependency count** (how many articles reference it), and **status** (Ignored or Included). ### Ignore or include links 1. Select the checkbox for the links you want to manage. 2. Set the status to **Ignored** or **Included** from the **Status** dropdown, or click **Ignore** above the list.
Manage links panel showing ignored and included tabs.
Ignored links move to the **Ignored** tab and are excluded from future validation reports. To re-include a link, go to the **Ignored** tab, select it, and click **Include** (). Click **Export CSV** above the links list to download the full Manage links list. --- ## Considerations - **Manual validation limit:** Set by your plan and resets on the first day of each month. The usage bar on the Link status page shows how many validations remain. The limit applies to both internal and external links. - **Link analytics limit:** Set by your plan. When exceeded, the **Links analytics limit exceeded** message replaces the usage bar. Only links within the allowed limit are validated. Links beyond the limit are excluded from scheduled, manual, and article-level validation. For example, with a 10,000-link limit and 10,500 links in your project, only the first 10,000 are validated. - **Scheduled validation reports:** Updated once every 7 days. Previous reports are accessible via the **Report date** dropdown. - **Manual validation overwrite:** Multiple validations run within 24 hours overwrite earlier reports for that day. Overwritten data cannot be recovered. To increase your manual validation or link analytics limit, contact the Document360 support team. --- ## Best practices - **Run a manual validation after major content updates.** After deleting, moving, or renaming articles, trigger a manual validation to catch newly broken internal links before readers encounter them. - **Start with the Broken tile.** Clicking it instantly filters the list to broken links only, so you can prioritize fixes without scrolling through working links. - **Ignore placeholder and example links.** Add URLs like `example.com` to the Ignore list to keep your broken link count free of false positives. - **Export and filter by Internal URL before deleting an article.** Check the **Internal URL** column in the export to find every article that links to the one you plan to remove, then update those links first. - **Monitor the validation usage bar.** If you are nearing your monthly limit, use article-level validation for recently edited articles instead of running a full project validation. --- ## FAQ

What happens when I exceed the manual validation limit?

The Validate links button becomes inactive until the limit resets on the first day of the following month. Contact Document360 support to request an increase before the reset.

How do I prevent example or placeholder links from appearing as broken in reports?

Add them to the Ignore list using the Manage links panel:

  1. On the Link status page, click Manage links.
  2. On the All links tab, select the links you want to exclude or use the search bar to find them.
  3. Click Ignore ( ). The links move to the Ignored tab and are excluded from future reports.

To re-include them, go to the Ignored tab, select the links, and click Include ( ).

Does link validation analyze the published version or the draft version of an article?

Manual and Scheduled validation analyze the most recently published version. Article-level validation checks the current draft version.

How does the Hidden visibility filter work in link analytics?

The filter checks whether the article itself is marked as hidden, not whether it belongs to a hidden category. An article that is not individually hidden appears under Visible, even if its parent category is hidden.

How do I find which articles link to a specific article?

There is no direct option, but you can use the Link status report as a workaround:

  1. On the Link status page, scroll to the Links section.
  2. Click Filter, expand Link type, select Internal URL, and click Apply.
  3. Click Export CSV to download the filtered list.

In the exported file, the Internal URL column shows true for internal links. Use the Article title column to identify the source article. Update or remove those links before deleting the target article.

:::(Internal) (Private notes) ## How validation works and its limitations Link validation sends an automated request to each URL and records the response. Because some websites treat automated requests differently from a real reader's browser, the reported status may occasionally differ from what your readers experience. Use the scenarios below to interpret the report accurately. ### Why a working link may appear as Broken or Unknown
Scenario Status shown What to do
The destination website blocks automated requests for security reasons (bot detection), even though the page opens normally in a browser. Broken or Unknown Open the link in an incognito/private browser window. If it works, add it to the Ignore list to exclude it from future reports.
The destination requires a login or is on a restricted network (for example, SharePoint, intranet pages, or SSO-protected sites). The validator cannot authenticate, so the request is denied. Broken or Unknown Verify the link manually while signed in. If it works for your intended readers, add it to the Ignore list.
The destination server responds too slowly, and the validation request times out before receiving a status. Unknown Check the link in a browser. If it loads, re-validate later or add it to the Ignore list if the site is consistently slow.
The article contains a placeholder or example URL (for example, example.com) that is not meant to resolve. Broken Add it to the Ignore list so your broken link count stays accurate.
The reverse can also occur: a link that redirects to a login page can appear as **Working** because the login page itself loads successfully. This is common for internal links in private projects. If your project is private, spot-check internal links marked as Working after any restructure or article deletion. ### What is included in validation - **Links inside code blocks are validated.** URLs that appear as example text in code blocks (including `href` and `src` attributes shown as sample code) are treated as real links. If they are not meant to resolve, add them to the Ignore list. - **Heading anchors are not validated.** For a link such as `/docs/article-slug#heading-name`, only the article slug is checked. A broken `#heading-name` anchor is not detected, so verify anchor links manually after renaming headings. - **Custom domain links are classified as External.** Links pointing to your knowledge base through a configured custom domain are treated as external URLs, not internal ones. Keep this in mind when filtering by link type. - **Deleted articles remain in the report.** If an article is deleted after validation, it appears grayed out with a trash icon. Its links remain in the report until the next validation run. ### Report freshness - Manual and Scheduled validation check the most recently **published** version of each article; edits in draft are not reflected until published and re-validated. - If your project exceeds the link analytics limit, links beyond the limit are not re-validated. A link you have already fixed can continue to show its earlier **Broken** status until it falls within the validated set. Treat statuses on reports near the limit as potentially outdated, and consider using article-level validation for recently edited articles. - The report reflects the state at the time of the selected report date. After fixing links, run a manual or article-level validation to refresh their status. :::