Broken destinations
Start with the exact product URL and repair the path shoppers follow.
FIELD GUIDE INDEPENDENT STORES
When a product path breaks, start here.
A practical way to investigate broken product links and visible out-of-stock listings, decide what to fix, and check the result from a shopper’s point of view.
Jump to the recovery stepsVisible stock signals
Compare the page wording with the real inventory in your store admin.
Public rechecks
Review what a completed storefront check can confirm after your fix.
01 PRODUCT LINKS
Repair a broken product link
A broken-link finding means the destination was rejected as an invalid web address or its public page signals that it is missing. Follow the URL back to the place it is shared, then fix the route shoppers take.
- 01
Open the exact destination
Use the affected URL in your saved report. Check it in a normal browser window and compare it with the product page shoppers should reach.
- 02
Choose the right repair
If the product moved, update the menu, collection, or campaign link and redirect the old path when your store platform supports it. If the item is gone, remove the stale link or point shoppers to a relevant replacement.
- 03
Check the public destination again
Make sure the corrected page opens without a store login. Run another public check after the change and review the next completed report.
02 AVAILABILITY TEXT
Review a visible out-of-stock listing
Treat this as a page signal, not an inventory count. The public listing may need a closer look even when the product is available in your own system.
- 01
Confirm stock in your store admin
Open the product and the relevant variant in your own store platform. Linkspindle reports availability wording visible on the public page; it does not verify your stock count.
- 02
Fix the source of the mismatch
If the item is available, check its inventory settings, variant mapping, and storefront availability label. If it is sold out, keep the listing accurate and guide shoppers to an available alternative when useful.
- 03
Review the listing as a shopper
Reopen the public product page and check the variant shoppers select. After the page reflects the intended status, run another public check to review its visible text.
03 LINKSPINDLE REPORTS
Start with the highest-priority path
Linkspindle starts at the saved storefront URL, reads publicly accessible pages, and checks product links it discovers. A broken finding means the destination was rejected as an invalid public web address or its page title or heading identifies a missing page. An out-of-stock finding comes from availability text visible on the product page. A page that cannot be read may be marked unavailable, which does not confirm that the product is gone.
Completed scans are saved in daily reports. Within a report, broken-link findings are listed before visible out-of-stock findings, with affected URLs and suggested next steps to help you decide where to start.
These checks do not sign in to your storefront or verify authenticated inventory. Linkspindle does not provide email delivery for these findings.
READY FOR A PUBLIC CHECK?
Start with the storefront page shoppers can see.
For more detail about coverage and saved scans, visit the Linkspindle FAQ.