Have you ever clicked a link in an old article and suddenly got a 404 Not Found error? Sounds pretty annoying, right? This issue is called link rot. Link rot means that internet links slowly deteriorate over time. Links that previously led to useful pages now no longer open.
This not only ruins the user experience but also erodes internet trust. Research papers lose their citations, old articles lose context, and even references in helpful guides stop working.
But the good news is that if you’re a website owner, you can easily control this problem. By following just a few simple steps, you can keep your website’s links always functional, keeping your site stable and your users happy.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What is link rot?
- How to find and fix broken links on your WordPress site.
- A powerful tool from the Internet Archive.
- An easy alternative solution.
So that your website remains valuable and users don’t experience any problems.
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Table of Contents
What Is Link Rot and How Do I Prevent It?
Link rot also known as link death or reference rot, is a problem where links from a website or document don’t point to their original page. This happens because sometimes a page is deleted, sometimes it’s moved, sometimes the entire website is shut down, or the domain expires.
The damage caused by this is significant. It’s very irritating for visitors because they only find dead ends. This can cause them to lose trust in your website. It’s also bad for SEO. If your site has too many broken outbound links, search engines will send a negative signal to your site, which could lead to a ranking drop.
There are two simple strategies to avoid link rot:
- Find and fix broken links on your website.
- Archive the external pages you link to beforehand so you have a backup version if the original page is deleted.
The best solution for this is the Wayback Machine. This is the Internet Archive digital tool that saves old webpages. Their official WordPress plugin helps you automatically find broken links and replace them with archived versions. This way, your users won’t have to encounter a 404 error.
Step 1: Install and Activate the Wayback Machine Link Fixer Plugin
The first thing to do is add the Internet Archive plugin to your WordPress site. This plugin checks for broken links and replaces them with a saved Wayback Machine page.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Plugins > Add New.
- Type Wayback Machine Link Fixer in the search bar.
- Find the Internet Archive plugin and click Install Now.
- Then click Activate.
Once the plugin is activated, you’ll see a new Wayback Machine option in the sidebar. From here, set up the plugin so that your website’s links work properly.
Step 2: Configure the Wayback Machine Link Fixer Plugin
After activating the plugin, you need to set its settings.
This includes adding API keys and deciding how the plugin will fix and archive links.
Adding API Keys
To fully utilize the plugin, you need to add Internet Archive API keys. This is completely free and easy.
- In the WordPress dashboard, go to Wayback Machine > Settings.
- You will see fields for Access Key and Secret Key.
- If you don’t have an Internet Archive account, create a free account by clicking the link on the settings page.
- After creating your account, go to archive.org/account/s3.php and generate API keys.
- Copy the Access Key and Secret Key and paste them into the plugin settings.
- Then click Save Changes.
Setting Link Fixer Settings
Now go to the Link Fixer tab. This is where you decide how the plugin finds and fixes broken links.
Enable Link Fixer: Be sure to check this box.
Link Selection: You can choose whether the plugin checks links in posts, pages, comments, or everywhere. It’s best to check them all.
Broken Link Indicator: You may want the plugin to add a small sign—like a dotted underline—to let users know that this archived link is being opened.
Exclude Domains: If you don’t want certain domains checked, you can add them here.
Auto Archiver Settings
Auto Archiver protects your future links. This feature saves a backup of every external page to the Wayback Machine.
Enable Auto Archiver: Check this box.
Public Archives: You can choose whether archived pages are public or private. Public also helps the open web.
Content Types: Decide when to run the archiver when you publish a new post or update an old one.
After setting the settings, the plugin automatically starts working in the background and keeps your site’s links safe.
Step 3: Monitor and Manage Links
While the plugin is running, it will scan your site and find broken links. You can see which links have been fixed.
- Go to Wayback Machine > Link Fixer in the dashboard.
- Here you’ll find a list of broken links the plugin has found and fixed.
- The report will show the original URL, HTTP status code, and the now-archived URL.
Check this dashboard regularly to stay informed about your website external links. If a link has been fixed, you can manually update it with a new, live resource. This will keep your content fresh and up-to-date.
Alternative: Use All in One SEO’s Broken Link Checker
The Wayback Machine plugin is great for automatically fixing links, but there’s another powerful tool: the Broken Link Assistant in All in One SEO. If you already use AIOSEO, this feature is built-in.
The AIOSEO Broken Link Checker scans your entire site and provides a clean report of all broken links. From the report, you can:
Edit the URL: Replace the broken link with the correct link.
Unlink: Remove the link, leaving the text as is.
Dismiss: If the link is temporarily down, ignore it.
AIOSEO is a good option if you prefer to manually check and update broken links, rather than automatically redirecting from the archive. This gives you more control over your content and strengthens your on-page SEO.
Take Action to Preserve the Web
Link rot is a common problem, but it can be solved. Using tools like the Wayback Machine Link Fixer plugin or AIOSEO Broken Link Checker, you can keep your website’s links safe.
Every link you fix or archive is a small victory for a reliable and sustainable web. You improve your visitors’ experience and help preserve digital knowledge for the future.
Get started today and do your part to make the open web better for everyone.
