diff --git a/linkcheck/src/main/org/apache/maven/plugin/linkcheck/validation/OnlineHTTPLinkValidator.java b/linkcheck/src/main/org/apache/maven/plugin/linkcheck/validation/OnlineHTTPLinkValidator.java
index 7a01e124..23455664 100644
--- a/linkcheck/src/main/org/apache/maven/plugin/linkcheck/validation/OnlineHTTPLinkValidator.java
+++ b/linkcheck/src/main/org/apache/maven/plugin/linkcheck/validation/OnlineHTTPLinkValidator.java
@@ -41,10 +41,10 @@ public final class OnlineHTTPLinkValidator
     private final static int MAX_NB_REDIRECT = 10;
 
     /** Use the get method to test pages. */
-    private final static String GET_METHOD = "GET";
+    private final static String GET_METHOD = "get";
 
     /** Use the head method to test pages. */
-    private final static String HEAD_METHOD = "HEAD";
+    private final static String HEAD_METHOD = "head";
 
     private String proxyHost;