How to Find Broken Links in WordPress Without Wasting Hours

If you had asked me several years ago how I found broken links on my WordPress websites, my answer would've been embarrassingly simple.

I didn't.

Sure, if a reader emailed me or I happened to click a broken link myself, I'd fix it. Otherwise, those dead links often sat there for months, sometimes years, without me even realizing it.

As my websites grew, that approach stopped working.

One website became a few hundred articles.

Another grew into the thousands.

Suddenly I wasn't maintaining a blog anymore. I was maintaining an entire content library, and there was simply no way I could manually remember every external resource, affiliate recommendation, and internal link I'd added over the years.

That's when I completely changed how I approached website maintenance.

Today I don't look for broken links because I'm worried about a few 404 errors.

I look for them because they're usually the first sign that an older article deserves attention.

Almost every time I discover a broken link, I also find outdated recommendations, missing internal links, old screenshots, weak introductions, and opportunities to make the article far more valuable than it was when I originally published it.

That's why I actually enjoy finding broken links now.

They're one of the easiest ways I've found to uncover articles that deserve another chance to rank.

Before we jump into my workflow, I'd recommend reading my comparison of the best broken link checker plugins for WordPress. I walk through the different tools I've personally used and explain why my workflow eventually shifted from simply finding broken links to improving entire articles.

You'll also notice that fixing broken links naturally leads to strengthening your internal SEO. If you're still building that process, my guide covering the best internal linking plugins for WordPress pairs extremely well with this article because I almost always work on both tasks during the same editing session.

If you're looking for additional publishing tools, you can also browse our complete WordPress Plugins collection, where I've been building plugins based on problems I've repeatedly encountered while managing my own content websites.

Why I No Longer Think About Broken Links the Same Way

I honestly think "broken link checking" is the wrong mindset.

It makes the job sound like you're simply hunting for bad URLs.

That's rarely what actually happens.

When I open an older article because of one broken link, I almost always spend another fifteen or twenty minutes improving everything else while I'm already there.

I update statistics.

I improve examples.

I strengthen headings.

I add links to newer articles.

I remove outdated advice.

I replace products that no longer exist.

By the time I'm finished, the article has usually become significantly better than it was before.

That one broken link simply reminded me the article existed.

How I Actually Find Broken Links Today

Over the years I've experimented with several different approaches.

Some worked well for smaller websites.

Others became much more useful once my content libraries started growing.

Here's the workflow I personally follow today.

Step 1: Scan the Entire Website

I don't want to randomly stumble across broken links anymore.

I want to know where every potential issue exists before I start editing.

That allows me to work much more efficiently because I can batch similar updates together instead of constantly jumping between unrelated tasks.

Years ago, this usually meant exporting reports and manually opening article after article.

Eventually I became frustrated enough with that process that I built Broken Link Cleanup Pro for WordPress.

Instead of simply listing broken URLs, it lets me immediately see the paragraph containing the problem so I can decide whether the link should be replaced, removed, rewritten, or cleaned up entirely before anything changes on my website.

That one improvement has probably saved me more time than anything else I've changed in my maintenance workflow.

Step 2: Prioritize Important Pages

I don't necessarily fix every broken link in the order I find them.

I usually start with my highest-traffic articles.

If Google is already sending readers to a page every day, I want those visitors seeing the best version of that content.

Older evergreen guides, buying guides, tutorials, and pillar articles usually get my attention first.

Those pages often have the biggest long-term impact on both traffic and reader trust.

Step 3: Improve the Entire Article

This is where I think many website owners miss a huge opportunity.

Once you've opened an article, don't stop after replacing one dead URL.

Look at everything.

Ask yourself whether the article still deserves to rank today.

Would you publish it exactly as it is?

If the answer is no, improve it.

That mindset has produced far better results for me than treating every broken link as an isolated maintenance task.

One Broken Link Usually Leads to Several Improvements

I can't remember the last time I opened an article and only fixed one thing.

It's almost become a running joke with myself.

I tell myself I'm going to spend five minutes replacing one broken resource.

Thirty minutes later I've updated half the article.

I've honestly stopped fighting it.

Those extra improvements are often what help older content continue performing years after it was originally published.

That's also why maintaining websites has become one of my favorite SEO activities.

Publishing new content is exciting.

Watching older content become valuable again is even more rewarding.

Don't Ignore Redirects While You're Looking for Broken Links

One thing that surprised me when I started paying closer attention to website maintenance was how many links weren't technically broken but still weren't ideal.

Some pointed to long redirect chains.

Others redirected several times before finally reaching the correct page.

Some landed on pages that had changed so much they were barely related to the original recommendation.

Those aren't necessarily emergencies, but I still like cleaning them up whenever I'm already updating an article.

If I can send readers directly to the correct destination instead of bouncing them through multiple redirects, I generally will.

It's one of those small improvements that gradually makes an entire website feel more polished.

What About Soft 404 Errors?

Soft 404 pages can be even more frustrating than regular broken links.

Instead of showing a traditional 404 error, the page technically loads but provides little or no useful information.

Sometimes it's an empty category page.

Sometimes it's a product that has been discontinued.

Sometimes it's simply a placeholder page with almost no content.

To readers, it still feels like they've reached a dead end.

That's why I try to review those pages just as carefully as obvious 404 errors.

If I'm recommending a resource, I want it to genuinely help the person who clicks it.

My Biggest Website Maintenance Habit

If there's one habit that's made a bigger difference than anything else, it's this.

I never wait until my website feels neglected.

Instead of performing one massive cleanup every year, I try to make small improvements almost every week.

That keeps maintenance manageable.

More importantly, it prevents little problems from turning into overwhelming projects later.

Every time I publish a new article, I usually spend a little time improving an older one too.

It's a simple habit, but it's helped me keep growing websites much healthier over the long run.

How Broken Links Often Lead Me to Better Internal Linking

This happens far more often than most people probably realize.

I'll open an older article because of one broken external link.

While I'm reading through it, I'll suddenly realize I've written three or four newer articles that should also be referenced.

Now I'm improving internal linking at the same time.

That's one reason I no longer think of broken link maintenance and internal linking as separate jobs.

They're really two parts of the same content optimization process.

If you haven't already read it, I'd definitely recommend my guide covering the best internal linking plugins for WordPress. Once you begin refreshing older articles, you'll naturally discover dozens of opportunities to strengthen your internal link structure at the same time.

One Lesson That Changed the Way I Build Websites

When I first started creating websites, I thought success meant publishing more content.

Today, I think success comes from maintaining great content.

There's a huge difference.

Anyone can continue adding new articles forever.

Very few people consistently improve what they've already published.

I've watched older articles gain new life simply because I took the time to refresh them.

Sometimes rankings improved.

Sometimes readers stayed longer.

Sometimes affiliate earnings increased because outdated recommendations had been replaced with much better ones.

The common theme was simple.

The article became more useful.

That's ultimately the goal every time I open an older post.

Maintaining Product Recommendations Takes Time Too

If your website includes affiliate links or product recommendations, you'll probably spend even more time maintaining older content.

Products disappear.

Manufacturers release newer versions.

Images become outdated.

Retailers change URLs.

After manually updating product graphics across hundreds of articles, I finally decided there had to be a better way.

That's exactly why I built Product CTA Pro for WordPress.

Instead of manually inserting product images every time I mention the same item, I simply create the product once inside WordPress. The plugin automatically displays the assigned image beside matching affiliate links throughout my website while preserving my exact destination URL.

It has become one of those behind-the-scenes tools that quietly saves hours of repetitive work every month.

Website Maintenance Isn't Just About Fixing Problems

I think this is one of the biggest mindset shifts I've had over the years.

I don't maintain websites because something is broken.

I maintain them because I want every article to be better today than it was yesterday.

Broken links simply help identify where I should start.

Once I'm inside an article, I try to leave it in much better shape than when I opened it.

That usually means improving multiple things during the same editing session instead of focusing on only one issue.

I've found that approach produces much better long-term results than chasing individual SEO tasks one by one.

Frequently Overlooked Opportunities While Updating Older Articles

Whenever I'm refreshing content because of broken links, I also look for several other improvements.

• Add links to newer articles I've published.
• Replace outdated screenshots.
• Improve headings that no longer grab attention.
• Remove information that isn't accurate anymore.
• Update product recommendations.
• Improve readability by breaking up large paragraphs.
• Add additional examples from my own experience.
• Strengthen calls to action where appropriate.

Individually, none of those changes seem huge.

Together, they can completely transform an older article.

My Recommendation

If you're only replacing broken URLs, I honestly think you're missing one of the biggest opportunities on your website.

Use every broken link as an excuse to make the entire article better.

That's the workflow that's consistently worked best for me.

It's also the exact reason I built Broken Link Cleanup Pro. I wanted a tool that fit naturally into the way I actually maintain websites instead of simply generating another report full of problems.

If you're building a growing WordPress website, I'd also encourage you to explore our complete WordPress Plugins collection. Every plugin there was created to solve a real publishing challenge I've encountered while managing my own websites, and together they create a much smoother content optimization workflow.