Frequently asked questions

Your YouTube video descriptions, link-in-bio pages (Linktree/Beacons-style), podcast show notes, and blog or newsletter posts (via RSS -- Substack, Beehiiv, WordPress, Ghost), for links that have silently stopped earning: dead redirects, out-of-stock products, and stripped affiliate/tracking tags.

A confirmed issue has real evidence behind it -- a page that genuinely shows out-of-stock text, or a tracking parameter that's genuinely missing after redirects resolve. "Needs review" means the check was inconclusive (often an anti-bot block or rate limit, not an actual problem) -- LinkSentinel never labels an inconclusive result as a confirmed loss.

Every flagged link gets one of five tags, shown as a small badge wherever it appears in your dashboard, reports, and emails. Here's exactly what triggers each one:

• Dead link

  The link resolves to a 404 or 410 -- the only statuses that unambiguously mean the page itself no longer exists.

• Broken link

  The URL itself is malformed or cut off in the original text -- caught before any request is even made, so it's never actually been reachable to check.

• Out of stock

  The page loads fine, but its own visible text says the product is out of stock or discontinued -- only checked on known retail/e-commerce sites.

• Tracking tag lost

  The link still works for visitors, but the affiliate or tracking parameter it started with is missing once redirects resolve -- so you stop getting credit even though nothing looks broken.

• Needs review

  The check came back inconclusive -- a timeout, a redirect that didn't resolve, or any other non-200 response besides 404/410. Often an anti-bot block, not a real problem, so it's never counted as a confirmed issue.

From your dashboard, enter your channel's handle. If it's not already tracked under an admin account, you'll be asked to verify ownership by placing a short generated code in your channel's About description -- the same pattern Google Search Console uses. Remove the code afterward if you like; it's only checked once.

On a tiered schedule weighted by content age and known-issue status -- newer and already-flagged content is checked more often than old, quiet content. You can also trigger a manual scan anytime.

It's an estimate, not a verified figure -- a flat assumption applied only to confirmed issues, never to inconclusive ones. It's meant to give a sense of scale, not a precise accounting number.

There's a genuine free tier: your top 10 highest-traffic videos, tracked automatically, no time limit and no card required. Paid plans raise that cap and add faster, more frequent checks.

Just what's needed to run the service -- your email for sign-in, and public channel/link data for channels you've verified you own. No advertising, no third-party tracking. Full details in the Privacy Policy, including how your data is protected.

Yes, anytime, from your account settings -- deleting your account removes your data, not just your access to it.