Broken links and 404 errors are more than just minor annoyances — they can frustrate visitors, harm your credibility, and even impact your SEO. 

Luckily, with proper maintenance, these issues can be prevented or quickly resolved.

Why Broken Links and 404 Errors Matter

  • User Experience: Visitors hitting dead ends might leave your site for good.
  • SEO Impact: Search engines lower rankings for sites with excessive broken links.
  • Lost Conversions: A missing page could mean losing a potential customer.

Addressing these issues keeps your site accessible, reliable, and search-engine-friendly.

Identifying Broken Links

Regular link audits are key to catching problems early. Tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console can help identify broken internal and external links.

  • Internal Links: Pages moved or deleted without proper redirects.
  • External Links: Resources on other sites that no longer exist.

Routine checks through your maintenance plan ensure these issues don’t accumulate.

Fixing Broken Links

Once identified, broken links should be fixed or redirected:

  • Update URLs: If a page was moved, replace the old URL with the new one.
  • 301 Redirects: Point users to a relevant live page instead of showing an error.
  • Remove or Replace Links: If a resource is gone, find an alternative or remove the link.

A maintenance plan handles this process for you, ensuring visitors always reach a working page.

Managing 404 Errors

404 errors happen when users try to access a page that no longer exists. While they’re common, they shouldn’t be ignored.

  • Custom 404 Page: Create a helpful error page with navigation links and a search bar.
  • Redirect Strategy: Use tools like Redirection in WordPress to catch and redirect common 404s.
  • Log Reviews: Regularly check 404 error logs to catch patterns and fix recurring issues.

Handling 404s thoughtfully minimizes user frustration and helps retain traffic.

Proactive Monitoring and Ongoing Maintenance

Preventing broken links and managing 404 errors isn’t a one-time task — it requires ongoing vigilance.

  • Regular Site Audits: Automated scans to catch new broken links early.
  • Link Monitoring Tools: Alerts when external resources go offline.
  • Update Management: Ensuring site updates or content changes don’t accidentally create link issues.

A WordPress maintenance plan ensures your site is continuously monitored and optimized.

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Komal

About
Komal

Building a website that drives traffic and generates leads is challenging. Komal is a website growth expert at WP Minds, a website consulting service that helps coaches, trainers, authors, and creatives to create winning website strategy, develop high converting websites, attract visitors and convert leads into customers to grow their businesses.

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