Broken Link Checker

Quick take

A practical maintenance tool for sites where link decay is a recurring problem. Its value comes from continuous detection and centralized fixes rather than from one-off technical audits.

Best fit: Content-heavy sites, publishers, agencies, and SEO teams that need recurring broken-link monitoring across posts, pages, comments, custom fields, and images. I would keep it simpler for small sites with only a handful of links that can be checked manually during routine maintenance.

The problem it solves

Broken internal and external links accumulate as websites grow. They frustrate visitors, weaken maintenance quality, and can waste crawl attention. Manual checking becomes unrealistic once a site contains hundreds or thousands of URLs.

How it works in practice

The plugin can scan links through its cloud-based checker or local workflow, then surfaces broken URLs, redirects, and missing images in a central report. Administrators can edit, unlink, ignore, filter, and monitor issues without opening every post individually.

Features that matter

• Automatic link monitoring: The checker revisits site links automatically instead of relying on one-off manual audits.
• Broken-link and redirect reports: Central reports separate failed URLs, redirects, and related issues so fixes can be prioritized.
• Centralized edit, unlink, and ignore actions: Editors can edit, unlink, or ignore many problems without opening every post individually.
• Cloud and local checking options: Sites can choose cloud-based checking or local scanning based on workflow and server preferences.
• Broken image detection: Missing image URLs are surfaced alongside ordinary links so visual content problems are not overlooked.
• Email alerts and multisite support: Notifications and multisite support make recurring maintenance easier for agencies and larger sites.

Who it fits best

Content-heavy sites, publishers, agencies, and SEO teams that need recurring broken-link monitoring across posts, pages, comments, custom fields, and images. The plugin is easier to justify when this workflow is recurring rather than occasional.

Trade-offs to consider

Large link audits can create load or operational noise, and cloud mode sends link-check requests through an external service. Exclusions and scan scope should be configured so the checker focuses on content that actually matters.

What to compare before choosing

For pure SEO crawling, desktop or hosted crawlers such as Screaming Frog or Sitebulb can inspect more technical signals across a site. Broken Link Checker is more convenient when editors want ongoing WordPress-native monitoring and quick fixes from the dashboard.

Pricing and availability

The core plugin is available from WordPress.org. The WordPress.org plugin covers the core broken-link workflow. If you also consider WPMU DEV services around it, price those separately from the basic need for recurring link maintenance.

Keep recurring scans focused

For a large content library, scan scope matters. I would exclude URLs or content areas that do not need monitoring, schedule checks so they do not compete with peak traffic, and use the report as an editorial maintenance queue rather than treating every redirect or temporary failure as an emergency.

PluginSuggest verdict

A practical maintenance tool for sites where link decay is a recurring problem. Its value comes from continuous detection and centralized fixes rather than from one-off technical audits.

Broken Link Checker FAQs