Working With Broken Links in WordPress
We’ve all clicked a link expecting an answer — and instead seen the dreaded “404 Page Not Found.” It’s frustrating for visitors, confusing for supporters and customers, and bad for search engine visibility.
When your website sends people to a missing page or outdated resource, it breaks trust and halts momentum. And if it happens too often, Google will notice — and your rankings may suffer.
The good news?
WordPress gives you powerful, practical tools to find and fix broken links before they become bigger issues.
Whether you’re managing a nonprofit website, a tribal organization’s programs, a rural business, or your own professional services site, this guide will walk you through exactly how to locate, repair, and manage broken links.
Why Broken Links Matter for SEO and User Experience
A few broken links aren’t the end of the world — but consistent 404 errors send signals to search engines that your site may be outdated or poorly maintained.
Broken links can:
- Hurt your Google rankings
- Increase bounce rates
- Confuse or frustrate visitors
- Block conversions and donations
- Disrupt internal navigation
- Cause accessibility issues for screen readers
For small teams or organizations already stretched thin, broken links also create unnecessary work — especially if you don’t have a system in place to catch them early.
Let’s walk through your options for diagnosing and solving the problem.
1. Scan Your Website for Broken Links
The first step in fixing 404 errors is knowing where they are. WordPress has several tools that help you scan your website and catch issues proactively.
Recommended Plugin: Broken Link Checker
This plugin remains one of the most widely used tools for identifying broken links on WordPress sites. It scans:
- Pages
- Posts
- Comments
- Custom fields
- Images
- Redirect chains
- External links
It alerts you when a link breaks, so you don’t have to hunt them down manually. Newer versions also reduce server strain — something older versions struggled with.
Bonus Tip:
If your site is large or has high traffic, consider using the hosted version of Broken Link Checker, which processes scans remotely so your site performance isn’t impacted.
2. Use Google Search Console
This is now one of the most reliable ways to find 404s because Google identifies them directly from user traffic and crawl attempts.
Why Search Console matters:
- Shows real-world broken links
- Flags links from external websites (not just your own)
- Identifies crawl errors you may not see in WordPress
- Helps you update or redirect important URLs
If you haven’t connected your website to Google Search Console yet, consider this your sign. It’s free — and incredibly important for SEO.
3. Redirect Broken URLs to the Right Page
A redirect tells your website:
“When someone visits this broken URL, send them somewhere helpful.”
Quick Fix Option: All 404 Redirect to Homepage
This plugin lets you redirect all missing pages to your homepage.
While this can be a temporary fix, it’s not usually ideal long-term because:
- It can confuse visitors
- It removes context about what link they were trying to reach
- Google may treat mass redirects as soft 404s
Better Option: Create Specific Redirects
For a more strategic approach, redirect each missing URL to a page that makes sense — an updated article, a related program page, your contact page, etc.
Tools that make this easy:
- Redirection (the most popular redirect plugin today)
- Forty Four (404 + redirect management)
- Yoast SEO Premium (includes a redirect manager)
Redirects should be used with intention — not as a blanket solution. They preserve traffic, improve user experience, and maintain SEO value.
4. Create a Helpful Custom 404 Page
A 404 page doesn’t have to be a dead end.
A thoughtful, user-friendly 404 helps visitors recover quickly and stay engaged.
A strong 404 page includes:
- Clear messaging
- A link to your homepage
- A search bar
- Popular pages or categories
- Contact information
- A friendly, approachable tone
If your theme doesn’t include a 404 template, the plugin 404page offers an easy solution. You can design your own layout using the block editor — no coding required.
Why this matters for accessibility:
Screen reader users rely heavily on structured pages. A customized 404 page helps them navigate your website confidently and without interruption.
5. Use an All-In-One 404 Management System
For larger or more established websites — especially those that have existed for years and gone through multiple redesigns — broken links can accumulate quickly.
Recommended Plugin: Forty Four
This plugin remains a great option for:
- Logging 404 errors
- Creating individual redirects
- Monitoring ongoing issues
- Designing lightweight, fast 404 pages
It gives you both visibility and control — two things every site manager needs.
6. Keep Your Website Maintenance Routine Strong
Broken links often appear when:
- Pages are renamed
- Programs or services change
- Content is reorganized
- External sites delete or rename their pages
- Plugins restructure parts of your site
- Old blogs are deleted
- PDFs or images are removed
A strong website care plan helps you find issues early and fix them before they affect visitors.
At Graybill Codeworks, we check for broken links as part of our ongoing Hosting & Maintenance Plans, which means you don’t have to think about it.
Which Plugins Should You Choose?
Different tools serve different needs:
| Plugin | Best For |
| Broken Link Checker | Scanning and monitoring broken links |
| Redirection | Creating individual redirects |
| 404page | Custom 404 design |
| Forty Four | All-in-one 404 logging + redirects |
| All 404 Redirect to Homepage | Temporary, quick fix |
Important Warning:
Do not install all of these plugins on one website.
Some overlap in functionality and may conflict with each other.
Start with the one that best supports your goals — or ask a developer if you’re not sure.
Broken Links Are Inevitable — But Fixing Them Is Simple
No website is perfect.
Not even the ones with large teams behind them.
What matters is having a system in place to:
- Catch issues early
- Fix them quickly
- Prevent them from piling up
With the right tools and support, managing broken links becomes a straightforward part of your website care routine.
Need Help Finding or Fixing Broken Links?
If you’re not sure where to start — or you’d prefer someone else handle it — we’re here to help.
Schedule your website audit, and we’ll review your content, redirects, SEO health, and broken links so your site stays clear, accessible, and user-friendly.