Why it matters
A broken link sends a visitor to a missing page. Most people give up instead of looking for the page another way, and search engines spend part of their visit to your site on addresses that lead nowhere.
Links break when a page is renamed, moved or deleted, when a menu still points to an old address, or when another site you link to closes down. They are easy to miss because the page with the link still looks fine.
Before you start
- A site scan, which follows every link on the pages it checks
- Access to edit your menus and pages, or to add redirects on your site
Step by step
- 1
Run a free site scan
Open the Broken links tab. It lists each link that leads nowhere and the pages it sits on.
Tools›Site scan›Broken links - 2
Start with links on many pages
A broken link in your menu or footer is broken on every page, so fix those first.
- 3
Moved page: add a redirect
If the page now lives at a new address, redirect the old address to it. Every link to it starts working again.
WordPress›Plugins›Redirection - 4
Deleted page: change or remove the link
Point the link to the closest page you still have, or take it out.
- 5
Scan again
Fixed links leave the list. Links to other sites need the same care when those sites move or close.
If something goes wrong
- The link works when I open it
- Some servers answer browsers but not checkers, or the page was down for a moment. Scan again; a link that fails twice is worth fixing.
- The broken link is in my theme or footer
- Change it once in the menu or theme settings. In WordPress that is under Appearance, then Menus or Editor.
- The other website closed down
- Remove the link or point it to a page that covers the same thing. You cannot fix another site, only where your link goes.
What to do next
After fixing the links, run the scan again to confirm the list is empty. When you move or rename a page in future, add a redirect from the old address at the same time.
Next: Sitemap checklist →