Broken images

A sample of the images the pages embed, fetched to check they load. One that does not shows as a broken picture on the page.

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Images are referenced by address like any other resource, and that address can break: the file was deleted from the media library, a folder was renamed, a CDN path changed, or the site moved and the image URLs still point at the old domain. The page itself loads fine, so a broken image is easy to miss in your own testing — especially when the browser still has the file in its cache — yet every visitor sees an empty frame or a broken-picture icon in its place.

How SiteScan checks it

The scanner collects the images embedded in the crawled pages and requests a sample of up to eight of them. An image that answers with a 4xx or 5xx status counts as not loading: the row turns red and up to three of the failing paths are listed with their status codes. 405 and 501 only mean the server refuses HEAD requests, so they are not counted. The same requests also reveal images over half a megabyte, which the report raises separately as a performance issue.

How to fix

Re-upload the missing file or correct the path in the page or template. After a migration, search the database for the old domain or old upload folder and replace it. Prefer root-relative paths (/images/photo.webp) over absolute URLs with the domain. Give every image meaningful alt text, so that if it fails, the text still says what was there. See also the guide to image optimisation.