How to Test Navigation and Broken Links
Rihario automatically checks navigation and detects broken links during exploration. As the AI navigates your app, it follows links, checks if they work, and flags 404 errors, broken redirects, or inaccessible pages. No need to manually check every link.
How Navigation Testing Works
During exploration, the AI:
- Identifies navigation elements - Finds menus, links, buttons that navigate
- Follows links - Clicks navigation items to explore different pages
- Checks link health - Verifies links load correctly
- Detects broken links - Flags 404s, timeouts, or inaccessible pages
- Tests navigation structure - Verifies menus work, breadcrumbs are correct
What Gets Tested
Link Functionality
- Internal links - Links within your app
- External links - Links to other sites (checks if accessible)
- Anchor links - Links to page sections
- Button navigation - Buttons that navigate (not just links)
Broken Links
- 404 errors - Pages that don't exist
- Timeout errors - Links that take too long to load
- Redirect loops - Infinite redirects detected
- Access denied - Pages that return 403 or authentication errors
- Malformed URLs - Links with invalid URLs
Navigation Structure
- Menu functionality - Dropdowns, mobile menus, navigation drawers
- Breadcrumbs - If present, verifies they're correct
- Back/forward buttons - Browser navigation works
- Deep linking - Direct URL access works
How to Test Navigation
Method 1: General Exploration
Start an exploration and let the AI naturally follow navigation:
Example:
URL: https://app.com
Instructions: (leave empty or "explore the site")
Instructions: (leave empty or "explore the site")
The AI will follow navigation links as it explores, automatically checking for broken links.
Method 2: Focused Navigation Testing
Add instructions to focus on navigation:
Example:
URL: https://app.com
Instructions: "check all navigation links for broken pages"
Instructions: "check all navigation links for broken pages"
Understanding Results
When broken links are found, you'll see:
❌ Broken Link
Link: "About Us" in header navigation
URL: https://app.com/about
Error: 404 Not Found
Found on: Homepage
URL: https://app.com/about
Error: 404 Not Found
Found on: Homepage
⚠️ Slow Link
Link: "Products" in main menu
URL: https://app.com/products
Issue: Took 15 seconds to load (threshold: 5 seconds)
URL: https://app.com/products
Issue: Took 15 seconds to load (threshold: 5 seconds)
What Gets Checked
Header Navigation
- Main menu items
- Dropdown menus
- Logo links
- Mobile menu
Footer Links
- Footer navigation
- Social media links
- Legal pages (Privacy, Terms)
- Support links
In-Page Links
- Links within content
- CTA buttons that navigate
- Breadcrumb links
- Related content links
Limitations
- Not exhaustive - Explores navigation it finds, doesn't check every possible link
- Protected pages - May mark protected pages as broken if authentication required
- External links - Checks if accessible, but doesn't verify content correctness
- Dynamic links - May miss links loaded via JavaScript after initial page load
- Hash links - May not verify anchor links work correctly
Best Practices
- Test after restructuring - Run navigation checks after changing site structure
- Check important pages - Focus on critical navigation paths
- Verify manually - Always manually verify broken links are real issues
- Test across viewports - Navigation may differ on mobile vs desktop
- Check authenticated state - Some links only work when logged in
Example: Testing Site Navigation
Step-by-Step Process:
- Start exploration on homepage
- AI identifies header navigation menu
- AI clicks "Products" link → verifies page loads
- AI clicks "About" link → finds 404 error → flags as broken
- AI continues exploring other navigation items
- AI checks footer links
- AI reports all broken links found