I am running a WordPress site for past 1 year. Now I am shocked seeing lot of broken links in my site all over the site in many posts and pages. I tried to correct the broken links but it is very hard to find and remove one by one. Is it possible to find and remove easily?
That's a very common and frustrating problem with long-running websites! Dealing with broken links, often called link rot, is essential for SEO and a good user experience.
Yes, it is absolutely possible to find and remove them much more efficiently than doing it manually. Since you're on a WordPress site, you have excellent tools available.
Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to efficiently find and remove broken links from all your posts and pages.
🛠️ Step 1: Install a Broken Link Checker Plugin
The most straightforward and widely-used method for a WordPress site is to use a plugin that automates the detection process.
The recommended plugin for this is:
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Broken Link Checker (or a similar, well-regarded alternative like "Link Whisper" for internal links or "AIOSEO" which often includes a link checker).
How to Install (using the Broken Link Checker as an example):
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Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
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Navigate to Plugins --> Add New.
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Search for "Broken Link Checker".
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Click Install Now, and then Activate.
🔍 Step 2: Allow the Plugin to Scan Your Site
Once activated, the plugin will immediately start scanning your entire site—posts, pages, comments, and custom fields—for broken links.
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This process may take some time depending on the size of your site.
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You can usually find the status under Tools --> Broken Links (or similar menu item created by the plugin).
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Important Tip: During the initial scan, your server usage might increase slightly. If you have a very large site, consider running the scan during off-peak hours.
🗑️ Step 3: Review and Fix Broken Links in Bulk
The power of using a plugin is the ability to manage all broken links from a single dashboard without editing the individual post.
The Broken Links Table
Go to Tools --> Broken Links. You will see a list of all identified broken links with options to manage them:
| Action | Description | When to Use |
| Edit URL | Change the destination URL to the correct one (e.g., if the external site simply moved the page). | When you know the new, correct link. |
| Unlink | The Easiest Fix: Removes the link entirely, but keeps the surrounding text. | When the linked content is no longer relevant or the external site is permanently gone. |
| Not Broken | Manually tell the plugin that the link is actually working (sometimes false positives occur). | If the plugin incorrectly flagged a working link. |
| Dismiss | Hides the link from the list, assuming you won't fix it but don't want to see the warning. | For very minor, non-critical links you've chosen to ignore. |
The Best Strategy for Removal/Correction:
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Prioritize: Start with links flagged as 404 Not Found as these are the most common broken links.
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Bulk Unlink: For external links that are clearly gone (e.g., old news articles, defunct services), use the Bulk Actions menu at the top of the table to select multiple links and choose Unlink. This removes the
<a>tag and the link disappears from your content quickly. -
Correct Internal Links: If a broken link points to another page on your own site, you must use the Edit URL option to fix the permalink. Broken internal links are the most damaging to SEO.
🔄 Step 4: Address the Root Causes (Prevent Future Link Rot)
Once you've cleaned up the existing broken links, you need to understand why they appeared to prevent it from happening again.
Common Causes and Solutions:
| Cause | Example | Prevention/Solution |
| External Site Changes | A source you quoted changes their URL or deletes a page. | Use the Unlink or Edit URL options. Consider saving critical external references using a tool like The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. |
| Internal Permalink Changes | You renamed a post slug but didn't update every page linking to it. | ALWAYS set up 301 Redirects when changing an internal URL. Use a plugin like Rank Math or Redirection for this. |
| Typos | You mistyped the URL when initially adding the link. | Always copy and paste the full URL when adding new links. |
✅ Step 5: Regular Monitoring
Link health is not a one-time fix; it's ongoing maintenance.
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Set a reminder to check your Tools --> Broken Links dashboard monthly or quarterly.
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Alternatively, many plugins can be configured to email you whenever a new broken link is detected, allowing you to fix it right away.
By using a dedicated WordPress plugin, you turn a daunting manual task into a quick review and bulk action process, saving you hours of time.