Find And Fix Broken Links using WordPress

Broken links are one of the silent killers of website performance, hurting your search engine rankings, user experience, and even your brand’s credibility. Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or developer, learning how to regularly find and fix broken links is crucial for keeping your website healthy and search-friendly.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What broken links are and why they matter
• How broken links impact SEO and user experience
• The best tools and methods to identify them
• Step-by-step instructions to fix and prevent broken links
• Pro tips for ongoing website health

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What Are Broken Links?

Broken links, sometimes called “dead links”, are hyperlinks on your website that no longer lead to their intended destination. When a visitor clicks on a broken link, instead of reaching useful content, they end up on an error page. The most common error is a “404 Not Found” message, which means the web page can’t be found at that address.

Broken links can happen for many reasons:

• The target page has been deleted or unpublished.
• The URL was changed or mistyped.
• The linked website is no longer active or has changed its structure.
• Files (like PDFs or images) have been moved or removed.

These links can be internal (pointing to other pages on your own website) or external (pointing to other websites). Both types are important for user experience and SEO.

What Is Link Rot?

Link rot is the gradual process where links across the internet—or even just within your own website—become broken over time. This happens naturally as websites evolve:

• Businesses rebrand and move or delete content.
• Old blog posts, resources, or downloadable files are removed.
• External sources you once trusted may disappear or reorganize their pages.

Even well-maintained websites can’t escape link rot forever. The longer your website is online and the more content you publish, the more likely you are to encounter broken links as part of regular site aging.

Why Are Broken Links Bad for SEO and User Experience?

1. Poor User Experience

When a visitor clicks a link on your site, they expect to reach helpful content—not an error page. Broken links lead to frustration and disappointment.

• Users may feel lost or think your website is out of date.
• Even one broken link can cause a visitor to leave immediately, especially if it’s on an important page (like your homepage or product section).
• High numbers of broken links can quickly erode trust, making visitors less likely to return.

Result: Higher bounce rates and lower overall engagement—meaning less time spent on your site and fewer chances to convert visitors into customers.

2. Negative SEO Impact

Search engines like Google care about delivering the best results to their users.
When Googlebot crawls your site and finds broken links, it sends a signal that your site may not be well maintained or user-friendly.

• Too many 404 errors (pages not found) can lower your website’s trust in Google’s eyes.
• Broken links make it harder for search engines to properly index your content, which can mean less visibility in search results.
• Sites with regular link maintenance are rewarded with higher rankings and better crawling.

Result: Allowing broken links to linger can gradually hurt your position in Google search, making it harder for potential customers to find you.

3. Lost Conversions

Every link on your site is a pathway to a possible conversion—a sale, a signup, a download, or an inquiry.

• If a key link (like a product page, booking form, or lead magnet) is broken, you’re losing real business opportunities.
• Visitors are unlikely to go looking for an alternative; they’ll simply leave and try a competitor’s site instead.

Result: Missed sales, lost leads, and wasted marketing efforts—all because of broken links.

4. Link Equity Loss

Link equity (sometimes called “link juice”) is the SEO value passed from one page to another via hyperlinks—especially when you have backlinks from other reputable websites.

• When external sites link to your content, they’re boosting your authority in Google’s algorithm.
• If the page those links point to is broken, that valuable SEO power is wasted.
• Instead of building your site’s authority, those links become dead ends.

Result: You lose out on one of the most important factors for strong search rankings—and it can take time (and effort) to rebuild lost link equity.

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How to Find Broken Links on Your Website

Catching broken links early prevents SEO and user experience headaches down the line. There are two main approaches: manual checks and automated tools. Here’s how to use both:

Manual Checks

Manual checking is useful for spot-checking your most critical pages or newly published content.

How to Do It:

• Regularly visit your key pages (homepage, services, main blog posts, contact page) and click through all links to make sure they work.
• Pay special attention to your navigation menus, footer links, and resource/download buttons—these are high-traffic spots where a broken link could have big impact.
• If you have a small site or a new piece of content, open your browser’s “Inspect” tool (right-click > Inspect, then check the Console tab) to look for obvious link errors or failed network requests.

Pro Tip:
Manually check after big site changes, like a redesign or migration.

Automated Tools (Recommended for All Sites)

For most websites—especially as your content grows—automated tools are the fastest and most thorough way to catch every broken link.

1. Google Search Console (Free & Essential)

• Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that monitors your site’s health and crawlability.
• It automatically tracks broken internal and external links that Googlebot encounters.
• How to use:
  • Sign in and select your site.
  • Go to “Pages” (under “Indexing”) to see all indexed and non-indexed URLs.
  • Look for any “404 Not Found” errors or “Not Found (404)” under “Why pages aren’t indexed.”
  • Click to see which pages link to the broken URL for fast fixing.

Bonus: Google Search Console will alert you via email when new crawl errors appear.

2. Ahrefs Broken Link Checker (Paid, Very Powerful)

• Ahrefs is a premium SEO tool, but its site audit and broken link features are among the best.
• Crawl your entire website and filter the report for “404 not found” pages or “broken outbound links.”
• Find out exactly which pages are linking to the broken URLs, so you can fix them quickly.
• Especially useful for large sites, agencies, or anyone with lots of external links.

Pro Tip: Ahrefs will also show you which lost links are costing you the most in terms of SEO value.

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3. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free & Paid)

• Screaming Frog is a desktop app that crawls your website like a search engine would.
• Free for up to 500 URLs—perfect for small to medium websites; paid license removes the limit.
• How to use:
  • Enter your website URL and click “Start.”
  • After the crawl, go to the “Response Codes” tab and filter for “Client Error (4xx)” to see all broken links.
  • You’ll see both the broken URL and the page(s) where it’s linked.

Bonus: Screaming Frog can also find broken images and other media, not just pages.

4. WordPress Plugins

• If you’re using WordPress, plugins like Broken Link Checker can scan your whole site for dead links and notify you when they appear.
• These plugins typically show broken links in your dashboard, often with suggestions for fixing or removing them.
• Caution: On very large or high-traffic sites, real-time link-checking plugins can slow your website or increase server load. Consider running checks during off-peak hours or use cloud-based tools for enterprise sites.

Alternatives: Some SEO plugins (like Rank Math or SEOPress) have built-in link checker modules for a lighter approach.

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How to Fix Broken Links: Step-by-Step

Fixing broken links is about more than patching up errors—it’s about restoring trust, SEO value, and a smooth experience for your visitors. Here’s exactly how to do it:

1. Identify the Broken Link

Start by compiling a list of all broken links on your website.

• Use the automated tools and plugins described above (Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, WordPress Broken Link Checker, etc.).
• Export the list of broken URLs, and take note of which page each broken link is found on (most tools provide this).

Pro Tip: Prioritize high-traffic pages and important sales or signup funnels first.

2. Check If the Target Page Exists

Not every broken link is a dead end—sometimes the target page has simply moved.

• If the page exists elsewhere:
  • Search your site (or Google) for the content’s new URL.
  • Update the link on your page to the new, working address.
• If the page is permanently gone:
  • Decide if there’s a closely related page or updated resource you can link to instead.
  • If not, it’s often best to simply remove the link to avoid misleading users.

3. Set Up Redirects (If Necessary)

A 301 redirect is a server instruction that automatically sends anyone who visits the old (broken) URL to the new, correct page.
Redirects are important for:

• Preserving SEO value (“link juice”) from backlinks
• Making sure users don’t get lost if they land on an outdated link
• Cleaning up after site migrations, redesigns, or content reorganizations

How to Add Redirects:

• In WordPress: Use a plugin like Redirection, Rank Math, or Yoast SEO Premium.
• Via Hosting Control Panel: Many hosts offer a “Redirects” tool—just follow their prompts.
• With .htaccess: For advanced users, add a line like
  Redirect 301 /old-page/ /new-page/
  in your .htaccess file (be careful, and always back up first!).

Pro Tip: Always use a 301 redirect (not 302 or meta refresh) for permanent changes.

4. Fix Internal and External Links

Internal Links (within your own website):

• Update your content directly—swap the broken URL for the new one.
• If you have many instances, use the “Search and Replace” function in your CMS or a dedicated plugin to save time.

External Links (to other websites):

• If the destination has simply moved, update your link to the new page.
• If there’s no replacement, either remove the link or—if the content was valuable—link to an archived version (for example, using archive.org’s Wayback Machine).

Pro Tip: For resources that routinely disappear, consider linking to official sites or stable references.

5. Resubmit to Google

Once you’ve fixed your broken links (updated URLs, added redirects, or removed dead links):

• Go to Google Search Console for your website.
• Navigate to the “Pages” or “Crawl Errors” section.
• Locate the fixed URLs and click “Validate Fix” or “Request Indexing.”
• This prompts Google to re-crawl your pages, ensuring that your fixes are recognized faster—helping recover lost SEO value and improving your site’s health.

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Preventing Broken Links in the Future

Broken links are easier to prevent than to fix after the fact. By making a few smart habits part of your website routine, you can keep your site healthy, user-friendly, and SEO-strong.

1. Regularly Audit Your Website

Why: Even well-managed websites are constantly changing—new pages, updated content, and removed resources can all introduce broken links over time.

How:

• Schedule a recurring monthly or quarterly check for broken links using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Screaming Frog.
• If you run a large site or eCommerce store, consider weekly audits.
• For smaller sites, a quarterly check is often enough.

Pro Tip: Set calendar reminders so this task never gets forgotten.

2. Use Consistent URL Structures

Why: Changing your URLs (permalinks) can easily create broken links across your own site and from other websites linking to you.

How:

• When publishing new content, use clear, consistent, and SEO-friendly URLs that you won’t need to change later (e.g., example.com/services/seo-audit/).
• If you ever need to update a URL (after a rebrand or content reorganization), always set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
• Avoid using dates or numbers in URLs unless truly necessary, as these often change with content updates.

Pro Tip: Plan your URL structure early, and train your team to follow the same rules.

3. Update Content and Links Proactively

Why: Pages get moved, deleted, or combined over time. If you don’t update links in your content, broken links will quickly multiply.

How:

• Whenever you remove or move a page, make it a standard process to update all internal links that pointed to it.
• Review and refresh old blog posts, cornerstone content, and landing pages—update their links to reflect your current site structure and resources.
• When updating downloadable resources (PDFs, images, etc.), ensure all references point to the latest version.

Pro Tip: Use your CMS’s search function to quickly find all instances of a URL across your site.

4. Monitor with Alerts

Why: Even with careful management, things can go wrong—external sites you link to may disappear, or someone might accidentally break a link during an update.

How:

• Set up automated alerts in Google Search Console to notify you when new 404 errors or crawl issues appear.
• For WordPress sites, consider using a plugin that checks for broken links and can send you email alerts (just watch server resources on large sites).
• Some SEO tools (like Ahrefs or SEMrush) can send scheduled site audit reports straight to your inbox.

Pro Tip: Respond to alerts quickly, so you can fix broken links before users (or Google) notice.

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Broken Links and WordPress: Extra Tips

WordPress makes content creation easy, but as your site grows, so does the risk of broken links. With the right approach, you can keep your WordPress site healthy, fast, and SEO-friendly.

1. Use a Reliable Plugin for Monitoring Links

WordPress offers several plugins that can help you automatically scan your site for broken links.
Popular options include:

• Broken Link Checker: Scans posts, pages, comments, and even custom fields for dead links, and lets you edit links directly from the plugin dashboard.
• WP Link Status: Another simple tool for small to medium-sized sites.

Important:
While these plugins are powerful, they can consume significant server resources—especially on large or high-traffic sites. To minimize slowdowns:

• Run link checks during off-peak hours.
• Consider disabling continuous monitoring and running manual scans on a set schedule (e.g., monthly).
• For enterprise or WooCommerce sites, prefer external link audit tools like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog for deeper scans without affecting site speed.

2. Automate Fixes and Logging with Redirection or SEO Plugins

Manual link updates are time-consuming. For advanced site owners, these tools can automate the process and help keep your link structure healthy:

• Redirection: The most popular free redirect manager for WordPress. Easily set up 301 redirects for broken or changed URLs, track 404 errors, and log all redirects for audit purposes.
• Rank Math Pro: A premium SEO plugin that includes a built-in 404 monitor and redirection manager. It can alert you to broken links, help you bulk-fix or redirect them, and provide reports on SEO issues.
• Yoast SEO Premium: Another powerful tool with redirection and 404 management built in.

Pro Tip:
Set up automated rules for common URL patterns (e.g., /old-blog/ to /blog/) to fix future broken links before they even occur.

3. Educate Your Content Team: Double-Check Every Link

Even with automation, human habits matter:

• Whenever you or your team publish new content, always preview and click every link to ensure it’s working as expected.
• When removing or moving pages, update any internal links pointing to them right away.
• Keep a simple checklist for content uploads and page edits: “Are all links verified and live?”
• For guest authors or contributors, make it clear that checking links is part of your editorial process.

Pro Tip:
Consider using collaborative tools like Google Docs for initial drafts and include a “link status” column for every resource. This way, you catch issues before publishing.

4. Extra: WordPress Multisite or WooCommerce Stores

• For WordPress Multisite: Run broken link checks at the network level and set up global redirect rules if possible.
• For WooCommerce stores: Pay special attention to product and category pages—outdated links can hurt both SEO and sales. Schedule audits more frequently on high-turnover stores.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Broken links are more than just minor annoyances—they can harm your SEO, frustrate your visitors, and even cost you leads or sales. The good news is that with regular checks, the right tools, and a few smart habits, keeping your website free of broken links is easier than ever.

By making link maintenance a routine part of your website care, you protect your search rankings, deliver a better experience to every visitor, and show search engines that your site is well maintained and trustworthy.

Remember:

• Audit your site regularly using Google Search Console and other tools.
• Fix or redirect broken links as soon as you find them.
• Build preventative steps into your publishing and site update process.

If you need help with a full broken link audit, setting up the best plugins, or want peace of mind that your WordPress site is running at its best, reach out for a free consultation. As a certified WordPress expert, I’m here to help you keep your website healthy, SEO-friendly, and performing at its peak.