How to Fix Broken Links in WordPress
Broken links can hurt your WordPress website’s SEO, degrade user experience, and impact your credibility. Whether it’s due to a removed page, a changed URL, or a simple typo, identifying and fixing broken links is essential for maintaining a healthy site. In this post, we’ll walk you through practical steps to find and fix broken links in WordPress using both manual methods and helpful plugins.
Why Fixing Broken Links Matters
Search engines like Google prioritise websites with good structure and user-friendly navigation. Broken internal links can negatively affect your SEO rankings by making your content harder to crawl. For visitors, broken links create a frustrating experience, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement.
Regularly checking your site for broken links is a best practice for WordPress maintenance and SEO optimisation.
Step 1: Identify Broken Links
The first step to fixing broken links in WordPress is identifying them. There are several methods to do this:
Use a Broken Link Checker Plugin
One of the easiest ways is to install a plugin like:
- Broken Link Checker
This popular plugin scans your entire site for broken internal and external links. It then reports the results in your dashboard, allowing you to edit or remove links directly.
How to use it:
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for “Broken Link Checker.”
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Go to Tools > Broken Links to view and fix issues.
Use Online Tools
If you prefer not to use a plugin, try external tools like:
These tools crawl your site and give you a comprehensive list of broken links, though some advanced features may require a paid plan.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console also alerts you about crawl errors, including broken internal links. Navigate to Index > Pages and filter for Not Found (404) pages to uncover potential problems.
Step 2: Fix Broken Links
Once you’ve identified the broken links, the next step is to fix them. You have a few options depending on the issue:
1. Update the Link
If a page has been moved or the URL changed, simply update the link to point to the correct location. In WordPress, use the block editor or classic editor to manually update the hyperlink.
2. Redirect the URL
For broken links that can’t be updated (such as deleted content), set up a 301 redirect to guide users and search engines to a relevant page.
Use a plugin like:
- Redirection
- Yoast SEO Premium (includes redirect manager)
This preserves SEO value and ensures a smooth user experience.
3. Remove the Link
If the resource no longer exists and there’s no relevant replacement, it’s better to remove the broken link entirely rather than keep it.
Step 3: Monitor Links Regularly
Fixing broken links shouldn’t be a one-time task. To maintain your site’s health, schedule regular link audits. Set up periodic scans with your plugin or use automated email alerts if available.
Bonus Tip: Use Permalinks and Slugs Wisely
To avoid future broken links, use consistent and SEO-friendly permalinks. If you must change a URL slug, always implement a 301 redirect to avoid link rot.
Final Thoughts
Broken links are inevitable as your WordPress site grows, but with the right tools and practices, they’re easy to manage. By regularly scanning for issues, updating or redirecting outdated links, and maintaining a strong site structure, you’ll enhance both SEO performance and user experience.
Start your broken link check today to keep your WordPress site clean, functional, and optimised!
