Broken Link Checker

Summary

To maintain the quality for our websites at K, Site Content Editors (SCEs) must fix broken links on a regular basis. To do so, SCEs can use the Broken Link Checker. Learn more about the Broken Link Checker tool for your WordPress website with the following instruction.

Note: This checker does not report misspellings so SCEs will need to fix grammatical errors when editing pages and before publishing.

Page Content:

Accessing the Broken Link Checker

The Broken Link Checker is available to primary website Designers and Editors.

To start using the Broken Link Checker, click on the Broken Link tab (located on the left sidebar) or under the Broken Link Checker section on your Dashboard.

Broken Link Checker Tour

WordPress SCEs can experience the Broken Link Checker Tour by watching the Broken Link Checker Instruction Video on SharePoint or by following the text instructions below.

Broken Link Checker Instruction Video

Broken Links Tab

After accessing the Broken Link Checker, SCEs will be met with the following options:

  • Broken – The “Broken” option provides the list of broken links on your specific website along with an error status, the link text used for that URL, and the source (the page in which the broken URL is listed). This is where you can fix broken links.
  • Warnings – The “Warnings” option lists problems that are probably temporary or suspected to be false positives.
    • Note that warnings that persist for a long time will usually be reclassified as broken links.
  • Redirects – The “Redirects” option displays a list of URLs that are redirected to a different URL. Redirects are not a bad thing unless they are chained together. This list is mainly for informative purposes. It also provides the status of the link, the link text used for that redirect, and the source (the page the redirect is located).
  • Dismissed – We are not utilizing the option to dismiss, so this list should be empty.

What does your broken link look like to everyone else on your website?

Wondering what others see on your website when a link is broken? A broken link will still show up as a hyperlink, but with a strikethrough as a visual indicator.

Please pay attention to the second column, “Status”, on the Broken Links tab. Here are the most common ones you will encounter:

  • 404 Not Found is probably actually broken, at least it was at the time the checker ran its check. Sometimes target websites are simply temporarily unavailable, so links with this status are worth manually checking. When you check, compare the URL in the address bar on the page you land on. Sometimes the site returns a 404 and still directs you to a working page. In this case it’s a good idea to update your link to the new URL. If you check and the link is not broken or redirected, mark it as “not broken”. Otherwise fix the link.
  • Server Not Found should be treated like 404 Not Found, above
  • 403 Forbidden just means the target website blocked access to the checker, which is not uncommon. Lots of websites block access to non-humans. We just need to make sure our human visitors can use the link. So do a human check and if you get through, mark it as “not broken”.

If you have questions about other status codes, please ask us at WebServices@kzoo.edu.

Under the “Broken” tab SCEs are provided all of the broken links on your specific website along with an error status, the link text used for that URL, and the source (the page in which the broken URL is listed).

Replacing a Broken Link

For those that want to simply change/update a broken hyperlink:

  1. Hover over the link and select the Edit URL option.
  2. Go the the URL field and replace the old link with the new link.
  3. After editing your URL select the Update button.

Note: The Checker will also offer new URL suggestions. Please be sure to preview the suggestion to see if it is an appropriate replacement for your content.

Removing a Broken Link

For those that want to simply remove the broken link across all pages of their website:

  1. Double check that the link is broken by selecting the URL.
    1. If the link is broken: Hover over the link and select the Unlink option.
    2. If it is not broken: Hover over the link and select the Not Broken option

Marking a Broken Link as a Working Link

Sometimes there may be links that have been reported broken during the time of the check, but may be working now. In this case SCEs will want to use the Not Broken option.

  1. Select the URL in the list to make sure it is actually working.
  2. Hover over the link and select the Not Broken option.

From here the Broken Link Checker will remove the link from the broken links list and mark it as valid.

Questions?

Need additional support or to report an issue with the Broken Link Checker? Please reach out to Web Services at WebServices@kzoo.edu.

Note regarding the Settings tab: Web Services will take care of your Broken Link Checker settings. Please do not edit or worry about this tab.