Best WordPress Plugins for Identifying & Addressing Broken Links
In healthcare, your website serves as your online front desk, where potential patients form their first impression of you and your clinic. Imagine a patient trying to find your contact info, service details, or appointment form, only to click on a broken link that leads to a 404 error. That moment could mean lost trust and a lost appointment.
The good news? You don’t have to be a tech expert to keep your links in check. Using a dedicated plugin to scan your WordPress site for broken links on a regular basis can save you time and protect your reputation.
Let’s explore why addressing these issues is essential and review the best WordPress plugins our WP Wellness team recommends to help your practice thrive. If you’re not a WordPress user—no worries—keep reading, because we have a recommendation for you, too.
Why Are Working Links Critical for Your Practice’s Website?
Working, user-friendly links are so important because they guide visitors smoothly through your site, building confidence and encouraging action. If one of those links breaks, even if it doesn’t seem like a major one, your credibility takes a hit. Especially in the medical field, you need to present yourself as an expert and professional to build patient trust; broken links can make you and your site appear anything but.
If your visitors are specifically looking for information—like locations, services, new patient forms, or information on your area of expertise—and encounter dead ends, they’re likely to head back to their online search, and end up choosing a competitor. For your practice, that translates into missed appointments, lost revenue, and diminished reputation. And from an SEO perspective, search engines like Google see broken links as signs of neglected content, which can lower your visibility in search results.
In short: Fixing broken links isn’t just good housekeeping; it’s a strategic move that enhances your site’s credibility and ultimately helps grow your practice. Ensuring your links work perfectly is crucial for making a great first impression and guiding prospective patients smoothly to your care, and it’s one of the easiest things you can do to boost your SEO.
The Solution: Use a Link Checker Plugin to Keep Your Links Healthy
Keeping track of every internal and external link on your WordPress site can be overwhelming—especially as your practice grows. That’s where a reliable broken link checker plugin comes in. These tools scan your entire site, identify broken or outdated links, and help you fix them quickly.
Here’s how these plugins work:
- Scan your site regularly: They crawl all your pages, posts, comments, and even custom fields.
- Identify broken links: Whether internal or external, damaged links are flagged for review.
- Provide easy fixes: Many plugins allow you to edit or dismiss links directly from their interface, saving you time.
- Prevent future issues: Some plugins offer ongoing monitoring, allowing you to stay ahead of broken links before they impact your visitors.
Our List of the BEST WordPress Plugins to Detect and Fix Broken Links
Features:
- Automatic link monitoring across posts, pages, comments, etc.
- Cloud-based and local scanning options
- Quick fixes from the centralized dashboard
- Email alerts for broken links
- Multisite support
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Pro version starts at $7.50/month (billed annually)
Pros:
- Very thorough scanning
- Cloud option reduces server load
- Intuitive interface for managing broken links
Cons:
- The free version has limited features
- Can be resource-intensive on larger sites if using local scanning
Why it made the list: Comprehensive scanning and fixing capabilities make this an excellent all-in-one solution, especially for larger sites. It’s the top recommendation from many experts, including us.
Features:
- SaaS-based link checking
- Monitors internal and external links
- Granular control over post types/statuses scanned
- URL exclusions
- Inline link editing
Pricing:
- Free plan includes 200 link scans per month
- Paid plans start at $49.50/year
Pros:
- Doesn’t impact site performance
- Detailed reporting
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Requires an AIOSEO account
- Limited free plan
Why it made the list: The SaaS approach prevents performance issues on your own server while still providing robust link checking capabilities. AIOSEO also offers a range of additional (paid) services and plugins that can provide valuable insights into your site’s performance, if you’re interested in further optimization.
Features:
- AI-powered internal link suggestions
- Automatic suggestions as you write
- Internal link reporting
- Customizable settings
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Pro version starts at $77/year
Pros:
- Intelligent link suggestions save time
- Helps identify “orphan” content
- Easy to implement suggested links
Cons:
- The free version has limited features
- Focuses mainly on internal linking
Why it made the list: Ideal for clinics seeking to enhance SEO through internal linking without manual effort.
Features:
- Scans content when users visit pages
- Identifies various types of broken links
- Multiple notification options (dashboard, email, Discord, etc.)
- Caches working links to improve performance
- Able to do on-demand full site scans
Pricing:
- Free
Pros:
- No performance impact
- Multiple notification channels
- Free to use
Cons:
- Doesn’t provide full site scans
- Relies on user visits to trigger scans
Why it made the list: A lightweight option with great reviews and competitive features that doesn’t impact site performance, it’s great at catching and notifying you of broken links.
Features:
- Advanced permalink customization
- Smart redirection system
- Broken link scanner
- Link cloaking
- Click statistics
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Pro version $99/year
Pros:
- All-in-one link management solution
- SEO-friendly features
- No server configuration required
Cons:
- It may be overkill for users who only need broken link checking
- Some advanced features are only in the pro version
Why it made the list: A relatively new plugin that receives regular updates and ongoing development for new features, it offers a comprehensive suite of link management tools beyond just broken link checking.
A Crucial (and Free!) Tool for Any and Every Website: Google Search Console
Not a WordPress user? No problem—Google Search Console (GSC) is a fantastic, free tool for monitoring your website’s health, regardless of the platform you use. While it doesn’t allow direct link editing, GSC crawls your site to identify and report crawl errors, including broken links (404 errors).
In addition to error detection, GSC offers a range of features designed to boost your website’s visibility and overall performance. It provides valuable insights into your search traffic, index status, and personalized suggestions for improvement. It can also identify broken inbound links from other sites, helping you maintain accurate and up-to-date listings, directories, and backlinks.
GSC is something worth signing up for, even if you use one of the plugins we listed above. It’s free and powerful, catching insights and SEO opportunities that might otherwise be missed. For help getting started or turning insights into action, contact our team today to schedule a complimentary discovery call.
Don’t Let Broken Links Get You Down
Keeping your website’s links healthy is an ongoing task—one that directly impacts your practice’s credibility, search engine rankings, and patient experience. By using the plugins and tools we’ve recommended here, you’re well on your way to ensuring that your virtual front desk is welcoming, reliable, and optimized to attract new patients searching for your care.
As WordPress and SEO experts, the WP Wellness team is here to help keep your website in top shape and keep your current and future patients satisfied. We understand which plugins and strategies to use for proactive link monitoring, management, and maintenance. We’ll work closely with you to identify any problem areas, recommend the best link management tools, and establish a sustainable process for regularly auditing, addressing areas for improvement, and fixing any problems.
Don’t let broken links frustrate your users and hurt your search visibility. Partner with the WordPress experts at WP Wellness to ensure your site’s linking infrastructure is solid.
