How to Find and Fix Broken Website Links

What are Broken Links?

A broken link is a hyperlink on a website that leads to a page that is not available. This typically happens when:

the target page has been deleted

the URL structure has changed

the page has moved without a redirect being set up

the URL was incorrectly entered

No one likes broken links, but they happen. It’s not the end of the world, but as broken links accumulate, they become the thin end of a potentially larger problem.

Why Broken Website Links Matter

All good things come in threes — also all bad things. Broken links are no exception.

First, broken links cause frustration for your visitors; they degrade the user experience of your website.

Second, search engines (probably) rank websites with multiple broken links lower, which can lead to lower rankings. Honestly, does anyone know what search engines do?

Finally, a website with working links sends the right message. It’s professional and trustworthy. It’s useful. Broken links, on the other hand, say the opposite.

When people, or search engines, encounter a broken link, they usually see an error message such as “404 Not Found.” The 404 error message means that the desired page cannot be found.

Broken links happen, and they’re a wake-up call for you. Don’t hit snooze, but also don’t lose sleep over every broken link you encounter.

“…you don’t have to fix every link. Broken links are a natural part of the internet. …But fixing the good ones, fixing the ones with high authority, with freshness signals, and redirecting to relevant URLs or the original URLs, those are the ones that are going to have value…”
Moz.com

Fixing Broken Links

There are several ways to identify and fix broken links. All of them are fairly simple; only the implementation requires some work.

In addition to WordPress plugins, many online tools are available. It’s best to test which tools best suit your workflow and your team.

Online Tools for Finding Broken Links

If you use an SEO tool to regularly optimize your website, you can also use it to track broken links.

A big advantage of online link checkers is that they don’t burden your website. And you get a good overview of which links are faulty in a short space of time.

The downside of this option over a WordPress plugin is you still need to open each affected page and fix the error manually.

Here are some of our recommendations:

Broken Link Checker: probably the best-known tool, it displays all broken links on a dashboard along with information on their causes for easy troubleshooting. (Free)

W3C Link Checker: the validation tool not only detects broken links but also lets you specify the depth of the site crawl for thorough analysis. (Free)

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: the crawler tool identifies SEO issues like broken links, duplicate content, and incorrect meta tags, providing detailed insights for optimization. (Free)

Ahrefs Site Explorer: the analysis tool allows you to check for broken links and assess your website’s backlink profile. (Limited Free Results)

SEMrush Site Audit: a user-friendly tool that quickly identifies both internal and external broken links, helping to streamline site audits. (Limited Free Results)

WordPress Plugins for Finding Broken Links

How many plugins does your WordPress install already have? With all of those plugins, here’s a function worth having.

“Some sites run just fine with five plugins while other sites need 50 to function. What’s the best number for your own website? How many do you need for your client’s site?”
Rocket.net – How Many WordPress Plugins is Too Much?

Broken Link Checker: The broken link checker plugin has been downloaded over 600,000 times and is available in 31 languages. This is a great plugin to start with.

Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO: This plugin monitors internal and external links, scanning your entire website for broken links. It offers 20x faster detection than other plugins and provides pinpoint accuracy.

Fixing a Broken Link with a 301 Redirect

Whether you’re redirecting with a plugin or directly in your htaccess file pointing an old URL to a new one is quick and easy. Do it once and you own it.

The most common redirect is the 301. This HTTP status code tells browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location.

SEO value is preserved with 301 redirects. Search engines transfer most of the original page’s ranking power to the new URL (again, we hope)

Your visitors automatically land on the correct page

Links existing on other websites pointing to the old URL still work

When You’ll Need to Redirect

When moving to a new domain

When restructuring your website’s URLs

When consolidating multiple pages into one

When switching from HTTP to HTTPS

When merging multiple websites

How to Implement a 301 Redirect

Using .htaccess (Apache):

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

This could also redirect to another domain:

Redirect 301 /old-page https://www.anotherdomain.com/new-page

Using an SEO or Broken Link Checker WordPress plugin:

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

This could also redirect to another domain:

Redirect 301 /old-page https://www.anotherdomain.com/new-page

Using PHP:

header(“HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently”);

header(“Location: https://www.example.com/new-page”);

exit();

Using Node.js:

res.writeHead(301, { Location: ‘https://www.example.com/new-page’ });

res.end();

Keep in mind that browsers cache 301 redirects (an added SEO benefit), so make sure you’re certain about the permanent nature of the move before implementing them.

Best Practices for Link Management

A healthy link ecosystem is necessary if you want to maintain a useful healthy website. Remember, we’re building the web. Links are essential.

Create a clear, logical internal linking structure with important pages within 2-3 homepage clicks

Regularly audit and optimize your internal links based on performance metrics and user behavior

A well-planned internal linking structure is crucial. It creates clear content pathways that help visitors find related information while enabling search engines to understand your site’s hierarchy and topic relationships.

Your website earns genuine, high-quality backlinks through valuable content — unless that content can’t be found due to a broken link.

“Link integrity is an essential element of website health, essential for maintaining organic rankings and ensuring customer satisfaction.”
codeable.com

Extra: Link Monitoring and Maintenance Schedule

Weekly Tasks

Review plugin reports for new broken links

Fix any high-priority broken links

Check Google Search Console for new 404 errors

Monthly Tasks

Run a complete site scan

Update external link documentation

Review and update redirect rules

Quarterly Tasks

Perform a full content audit

Clean up unnecessary redirects

Update your internal linking strategy

Review and optimize anchor text

Choose The Future of WordPress Hosting!

By investing in WordPress hosting, you’re equipping yourself with the tools and resources necessary to build a robust, secure, and high-performing online presence. Spend your time captivating and engaging with your audience. Let your hosting take care of the rest!