FREEAPC Editorial tool · Links
Broken link checker plugin for WordPress, where you decide each link
The APC Editorial Broken Link Checker looks inside your published posts and pages for the links that lead to pages that no longer exist, and lists each one for you to decide. Nothing changes on your site until you act. Free, with no AI key.
- Free forever
- Nothing changes without you
- Checks Elementor too
In short
The Broken Link Checker checks the links in your published posts and pages, including those in Elementor, and lists only the ones that answer 404 or 410, a sign the page no longer exists. You review and choose: test again, change the address, remove just the link or restore it.
It is part of APC Editorial, but it works on its own: you don't need to generate articles and it uses no AI. The check runs on your own server and keeps going even with the tab closed.
- Checks
- Published posts and pages
- Links
- Internal and external
- Elementor
- Text, buttons, headings, images and templates
- Broken means
- Only a definite 404 or 410
- What changes
- Nothing, until you act on each link
- Removing
- Takes out just the link; the text stays
- Post date
- Doesn't change
- Plan
- Free, forever
The problem
A broken link: the click that leads nowhere.
A broken link points to a page that no longer exists. Whoever clicks it lands on an error screen, and the path you planned in your text ends right there.
Every time someone opens a link, the destination site answers with a code. 200 means the page is live. 404 means it was not found, and 410 that it was removed for good. Links break over time: a page changes address without a redirect, an outside site goes offline, an old PDF is deleted, an address is mistyped.
It is more common than it seems. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center study, 38% of the webpages that existed in 2013 were no longer online 10 years later, and 23% of news webpages had at least 1 broken link. On a blog with years of articles, checking links is routine upkeep.
| Answer | What it means | In the Broken Link Checker |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | The page is live. | Not listed |
| 301 · 302 | The page moved and redirects to another address. | Follows the redirect and checks the final page. |
| 404 | Page not found. | Listed as broken 404 · gone |
| 410 | Page removed on purpose, for good. | Listed as broken 410 · gone |
| 403 · 429 · 5xx | Access blocked, too many requests or a server error. Usually temporary. | Never treated as broken. On a re-test it shows as unclear |
| No answer | The site took too long or was down at that moment. | Never treated as broken. On a re-test it shows as no response |
E-mail, phone and same-page anchor links are not checked: they don't lead to another page.
Readers and Google
Every broken link is a lost path.
For a reader, a broken link is a dead end: the source that backed up the argument is gone, and the article looks abandoned. For Google, links are the path its crawler follows to find and understand your site's pages.
Google itself says 404 errors are normal on the web and don't push a site down on their own. Even so, a broken internal link stops taking readers and the crawler to the page you wanted to show, and a broken external link weakens the source you cited.
- A broken internal link: point it to the new address with Edit URL or to another post on your site with Edit in bulk.
- A broken external link: swap it for another source or use Remove link, which takes out just the link and keeps the text.
What it does
Find, confirm and fix, on one screen.
A tab of its own, Broken Link Checker, with the Links to review list and an action for each case.
You choose what to check
Posts and pages, Posts only or Pages only. With Elementor templates too, the header, footer, popups and saved sections come in.
Only what is really broken
Only a link that answered 404 or 410 on a real visit makes the list. A site that is slow, blocking or down for a moment never becomes a false alarm.
Keeps going with the tab closed
Check broken links now goes through the site bit by bit, up to 25 posts at a time, and carries on by itself even if you close the tab.
Test again before acting
A link may be down only for a moment. Re-test checks one link right away; Re-test selected checks several at once.
Change the address
Edit URL points the link to another address. Edit in bulk points every selected link to a published post or page you choose.
Remove and restore
Remove link takes out just the link and keeps the text, one at a time or with Remove selected. Restore puts the link back.
No surprises
Check, review and only then act.
No link leaves your site because a robot thought it was broken. The check only builds the list; every change is your decision, link by link.
- The check changes nothing: broken links are only listed.
- Removing takes out just the link: the text stays. On an Elementor button, heading or image, the link field is cleared, and the widget and its text stay.
- The post date doesn't change: removing, editing or restoring a link doesn't touch the post's modified date.
- Restoring is safe: if the post was edited and the plugin can't find the link's exact spot, it says so and touches nothing.
- Clear list doesn't erase the history: only the links still waiting for review go; the ones you removed or changed stay there, ready to restore.
Step by step
Check your site's links in 4 steps.
The tool comes off. A site administrator turns it on; after that, administrators and editors use the tab.
-
Turn the tool on
In Global Settings › Add-ons/Tools, turn on the Broken Link Checker and save.
-
Choose what to check
Choose Posts and pages, Posts only or Pages only and click Check broken links now.
-
Review the list
In Links to review, each link shows the post it is in and the site's answer. Open the link or use Re-test.
-
Decide what to do
Edit URL, Remove link or leave it as it is. Changed your mind? Restore.
Want to see each screen? The step by step in the docs shows the whole tab.
Free and PRO
The checker is Free. All of it.
Nothing in the Broken Link Checker is locked behind PRO. PRO adds new internal links between your articles, planned together with the editorial plan.
Forever, across the whole site
- Posts, pages and Elementor templates
- Internal and external links, only 404s and 410s listed
- Re-test, edit, remove and restore, one at a time or in bulk
- Also free: remove internal links in bulk
Internal links that are born right
- AI internal linking: links between the plan's articles, always leading to the pillar
- Topic cluster links that only show once the target page exists
- 30 days free to try everything
FAQ
Questions about broken links in WordPress.
Does the plugin remove broken links by itself?
No. The check only lists the broken links. Removing, changing the address or restoring is always your action, on each link or on the ones you select.
What is the difference between a 404 and a 410 error?
A 404 says the page was not found; a 410 says it was removed on purpose, for good. To Google, both say the same thing: the page doesn't exist and leaves the index. In the Broken Link Checker, both are listed as gone.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Google says 404 errors are normal and don't push a site down on their own. The harm is in the path: a broken internal link doesn't take readers or Google's crawler to the page you wanted to show, and a broken external link weakens the source you cited.
Why is a link that opens in my browser on the list?
The destination site may have answered 404 at that moment, during a move or a hiccup. Before removing it, open the link or click Re-test: the list shows the new answer at once.
What about sites that block the visit or answer slowly?
They are not listed as broken. Blocked access, too many requests, a server error or no answer are usually temporary, so the link stays where it is. On a re-test it shows as unclear or no response, so you can decide calmly.
Does it work with Elementor?
Yes. The check reads the links in text blocks and the ones behind buttons, headings and images. With Elementor templates too ticked, it also checks the header, footer, popups and saved sections.
Does the check slow my site down?
It was made for simple hosting: it goes through the site bit by bit, up to 25 posts at a time, with a time limit on each round, and carries on by itself with the tab closed. Nothing in your posts changes while it runs.
Does it need an AI key or a subscription?
No. The Broken Link Checker is Free forever and runs on your own server. You only need to sign in with your jode.io account, which is free.
More add-ons and tools
Works together with these.
Each add-on and each tool turns on and off on its own, in Global Settings › Add-ons/Tools.
APC Editorial
Download it free and use it today.
The Broken Link Checker tool is part of APC Editorial, the plugin to generate articles with AI with editorial planning. Free add-ons and tools stay free forever; PRO ones are unlocked during the 30 free days.