Introduction
Broken links frustrate visitors and hurt your SEO rankings. If you’re using Elementor, links can break in buttons, text, images, popups, and navigation menus.
This guide shows you exactly how to find and fix all broken links in your Elementor site—from manual checks to automated tools.
What you’ll learn:
- How to identify broken links in Elementor
- Manual and automated fixing methods
- Preventing future broken links
- SEO impact and recovery strategies
Why Links Break in Elementor
Common causes of broken links:
1. Domain Changes
- Migrated to new domain
- Changed from HTTP to HTTPS
- Moved from subdomain to main domain
2. Page Deletions
- Deleted pages without redirects
- Moved pages to trash
- Changed post types
3. Slug Changes
- Updated permalink structure
- Renamed page URLs
- Changed category/tag slugs
4. External Link Issues
- Third-party site went offline
- External URL changed
- SSL certificate expired on external site
5. Elementor-Specific Issues
- Template overwrites
- Widget settings lost during updates
- Copied content with old URLs
- Import/export errors
Method 1: Manual Link Checking
Quick Visual Inspection
Step 1: Test Major Pages
- Visit your homepage
- Click every button and link
- Check navigation menu
- Test footer links
Step 2: Check Elementor Widgets
Common places links break:
- Button widgets – Call-to-action buttons
- Image widgets – Click-through links
- Icon boxes – Service/feature links
- Testimonials – Author profile links
- Portfolio items – Project links
Step 3: Browser Console Check
- Press
F12(open Developer Tools) - Go to Console tab
- Look for 404 errors
- Click links and watch for errors
Using Browser Search
Find all links on a page:
1. Press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac)
2. Search for: "http://"
3. Check each result
4. Repeat for "https://"
Method 2: Broken Link Checker Plugin (Recommended)
The easiest way to find ALL broken links automatically.
Installation
- Go to
Plugins → Add New - Search “Broken Link Checker”
- Install and activate
- Go to
Tools → Broken Link Checker
Configuration
Step 1: Settings
Navigate to Settings → Link Checker:
Check Links In:
☑ Posts
☑ Pages
☑ Comments
☑ Custom post types (Elementor templates)
Link Types to Check:
☑ HTML links
☑ HTML images
☑ CSS images
☑ Embedded videos
Performance:
Check interval: Every 72 hours
Execution time: 5 minutes
Step 2: Run First Scan
The plugin automatically starts scanning. For immediate results:
Tools → Broken Link Checker → "Re-check all pages"
Step 3: Review Results
Dashboard shows:
- Total links checked: 1,247
- Broken links: 23
- Redirects: 5
- Warnings: 2
Fixing Broken Links
Option 1: Edit Link (Quick Fix)
1. Click "Edit URL" next to broken link
2. Enter new URL
3. Click "Update"
4. Link fixed everywhere it appears
Option 2: Unlink
1. Click "Unlink"
2. Removes hyperlink, keeps text
3. Use for unavailable resources
Option 3: Not Broken (False Positive)
1. Click "Not broken"
2. Marks as working
3. Stops future alerts
Option 4: Edit in Elementor
1. Click "Edit" (opens Elementor editor)
2. Find and update widget
3. Saves with full Elementor context
Real-World Example
Before:
Broken Links Found: 18
- Button widget: "Learn More" → 404 error
- Image link: Old product page deleted
- Text link: Company blog moved
After fixing:
1. Updated "Learn More" to new page
2. Redirected old product → new product
3. Fixed blog URL across 6 pages
Result: 0 broken links, improved SEO
Time: 10 minutes
Method 3: Google Search Console
Find broken links Google discovered while crawling.
Access Coverage Report
Step 1: Login to Search Console
1. Go to search.google.com/search-console
2. Select your property
3. Click "Coverage" in sidebar
Step 2: Check Errors
Look for:
- "Not found (404)" errors
- "Soft 404" warnings
- "Redirect error" issues
Step 3: Get Link List
1. Click on error type
2. View "Examples" tab
3. Export list of URLs
Step 4: Find Internal Links
Use Google to find pages linking to broken URLs:
In Google search:
site:yoursite.com "broken-url-slug"
Example:
site:mysite.com "old-product-page"
Fix Process
For each broken URL:
1. Determine if page should exist
- Yes → Restore or recreate page
- No → Create 301 redirect
2. Update internal links in Elementor
3. Submit URL for recrawl in Search Console
Method 4: Elementor Navigator Search
Find links within Elementor editor.
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Open Elementor Editor
Edit any page with Elementor
Step 2: Open Navigator
Click Navigator icon (bottom left)
OR press Ctrl+I / Cmd+I
Step 3: Search for Link
Type suspected broken URL in search
Example: "old-page-name"
Navigator highlights matching widgets
Step 4: Update Widget
1. Click highlighted widget
2. Go to Content/Link section
3. Update URL
4. Save page
Finding Dynamic Links
Links in:
- Button widgets
- Image links
- Icon boxes
- Call-to-action boxes
- Heading links
- Text editor links
Search tips:
Search "http://" to find all absolute URLs
Search "product" to find product-related links
Search ".com" to find external links
Method 5: Database Search (Advanced)
Find all instances of a URL in the database.
Using Better Search Replace
Step 1: Install Plugin
Plugins → Add New → "Better Search Replace"
Install and activate
Step 2: Search Only (Don’t Replace)
Tools → Better Search Replace
Search for: broken-url-slug
Replace with: [leave empty]
Select tables:
☑ wp_posts
☑ wp_postmeta
☑ Run as dry run? ← Check this!
Step 3: Review Results
Results show:
- wp_posts: 3 matches
- wp_postmeta: 12 matches (Elementor data)
Now you know exactly where link appears
Step 4: Fix with Replace
Search for: old-url
Replace with: new-url
Uncheck "dry run"
Execute replacement
Using WP-CLI
Search for broken URL:
wp db search 'old-url-slug' --all-tables
Replace across database:
wp search-replace 'https://site.com/old-url' 'https://site.com/new-url' --dry-run
Fixing Specific Link Types
Button Links
Problem: Button clicks lead to 404 error
Solution:
1. Edit page with Elementor
2. Click button widget
3. Go to Content → Link
4. Update URL or select new page
5. Set "Open in new tab" if external
6. Save
Bulk fix:
Use Better Search Replace:
Search: old-button-url
Replace: new-button-url
Tables: wp_postmeta
Image Links
Problem: Clicking image shows 404
Solution:
1. Edit with Elementor
2. Click image widget
3. Go to Content → Link
4. Update Link URL
5. Or select "Media File" for lightbox
6. Save
Navigation Menu Links
Problem: Menu items broken after page deletion
Solution:
1. Go to Appearance → Menus
2. Find broken menu item
3. Either:
- Update custom URL
- Replace with new page
- Remove item
4. Save menu
Popup Trigger Links
Problem: Button doesn’t open popup (Elementor Pro)
Solution:
1. Edit page with Elementor
2. Click button widget
3. Link → Action → Popup
4. Select correct popup from dropdown
5. Ensure popup is published
6. Save
Anchor Links
Problem: Scroll-to section not working
Solution:
1. Check anchor ID exists:
- Edit page with Elementor
- Click target section
- Advanced → CSS ID: "section-name"
2. Update button link:
- Format: #section-name
- Enable "Smooth Scroll"
3. Test scroll behavior
Creating 301 Redirects
When pages are permanently deleted, redirect to prevent 404s.
Method 1: Redirection Plugin
Step 1: Install
Plugins → Add New → "Redirection"
Install and activate
Step 2: Add Redirect
Tools → Redirection → Add New
Source URL: /old-page-name
Target URL: /new-page-name
Type: 301 - Permanent
Step 3: Bulk Redirects
Import CSV file:
old-url-1,new-url-1
old-url-2,new-url-2
old-url-3,new-url-3
Method 2: .htaccess (Apache)
Add to top of .htaccess:
# Redirect single page
Redirect 301 /old-page https://yoursite.com/new-page
# Redirect with pattern
RedirectMatch 301 ^/products/old-category/(.*)$ /shop/\
# Redirect entire directory
Redirect 301 /old-directory https://yoursite.com/new-directory
Method 3: Nginx Config
Add to nginx configuration:
# Single redirect
location /old-page {
return 301 /new-page;
}
# Pattern redirect
rewrite ^/products/old-category/(.*)$ /shop/\ permanent;
Preventing Future Broken Links
1. Use Relative URLs When Possible
Bad (absolute):
https://mysite.com/about-us
Good (relative):
/about-us
In Elementor:
Button Link → Dynamic → Start typing page name
Selects page (creates relative link automatically)
2. Set Up Redirects Before Deleting
Process:
1. Decide to delete page
2. Find pages linking to it (Broken Link Checker)
3. Create 301 redirect first
4. Update internal links
5. Then delete page
3. Test Before Publishing
Pre-publish checklist:
☐ Click all buttons
☐ Test navigation menu
☐ Check footer links
☐ Verify popup triggers
☐ Test anchor links
☐ Check external links open correctly
4. Regular Link Audits
Schedule:
Monthly: Run Broken Link Checker scan
Quarterly: Manual test of key pages
After migration: Full site link audit
After major updates: Test affected areas
5. Use Link Management
Best practices:
- Document important URLs
- Use slug naming convention
- Avoid changing permalinks after publishing
- Keep old domain active with redirects for 6 months
- Monitor 404 errors in Search Console
Troubleshooting
Links Not Updating After Fix
Problem: Fixed link but still shows as broken
Solutions:
1. Clear Elementor cache:
Elementor → Tools → Regenerate CSS & Data
2. Clear site cache:
- WP Rocket: Clear cache
- W3 Total Cache: Empty all caches
3. Clear browser cache:
Ctrl+Shift+R (hard refresh)
4. Re-save page in Elementor:
Edit → Update
5. Wait 24 hours for Broken Link Checker to rescan
Broken Link Checker Shows False Positives
Problem: Links work but plugin reports as broken
Causes:
- Server timeout (slow external site)
- Firewall blocking plugin requests
- JavaScript-dependent links
- Password-protected pages
- Temporary site downtime
Solutions:
1. Check link manually in browser
2. If works, click "Not broken" in plugin
3. Adjust timeout in settings:
Settings → Link Checker → Timeout: 60 seconds
Can’t Find Link in Elementor
Problem: Broken Link Checker shows link but can’t locate in Elementor
Possible locations:
1. Global widgets/templates
2. Header/Footer (Theme Builder)
3. Popups (check Elementor → Templates → Popups)
4. WooCommerce templates
5. Post meta outside Elementor
Search everywhere:
Better Search Replace:
Search: broken-url
Tables: All
Dry run: Yes
Review which table contains link
SEO Impact of Broken Links
How Broken Links Hurt SEO
Negative effects:
1. Poor user experience (high bounce rate)
2. Crawl budget waste (Google indexes 404s)
3. Link juice loss (internal linking broken)
4. Lower rankings (quality signals damaged)
5. Penalties (excessive 404s look spammy)
Recovery Strategy
Step 1: Fix Priority Links
High priority:
- Homepage links
- Navigation menu
- Top traffic pages
- Product pages
- Call-to-action buttons
Medium priority:
- Blog post internal links
- Footer links
- Sidebar widgets
Low priority:
- Old archived posts
- Comment links
Step 2: Set Up Monitoring
1. Google Search Console:
- Monitor Coverage report weekly
- Fix new 404s promptly
2. Broken Link Checker:
- Set to check every 72 hours
- Email notifications for new breaks
3. Analytics:
- Track 404 landing pages
- Set up custom 404 page with navigation
Step 3: Recrawl Requests
After fixing:
1. Search Console → URL Inspection
2. Enter fixed URL
3. Click "Request Indexing"
4. Repeat for important pages
Tools Summary
Recommended Tools
| Tool | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Link Checker | Automated scanning | Free |
| Better Search Replace | Database-wide fixes | Free |
| Google Search Console | SEO monitoring | Free |
| Redirection Plugin | 301 redirects | Free |
| Screaming Frog | Full site crawl | Free/Paid |
Browser Extensions
Check Links:
- Link Checker (Chrome)
- Check My Links (Chrome)
- Find Broken Links (Firefox)
Conclusion
Fixing broken links in Elementor is straightforward with the right tools. Broken Link Checker plugin automates detection, while Better Search Replace fixes links in bulk.
Quick Action Plan:
- ✅ Install Broken Link Checker plugin
- ✅ Run initial scan
- ✅ Fix broken links (start with high-priority pages)
- ✅ Set up 301 redirects for deleted pages
- ✅ Clear all caches
- ✅ Monitor Search Console weekly
Prevention:
- Use relative URLs in Elementor
- Test before deleting pages
- Run monthly link audits
- Set up redirects proactively
Regular maintenance keeps your links healthy and your SEO strong!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should I check for broken links? A: Set Broken Link Checker to scan every 72 hours. Manually audit high-priority pages monthly.
Q: Do broken links hurt my Google rankings? A: Yes, excessive broken links signal poor site quality and hurt SEO. A few won’t hurt, but dozens can impact rankings.
Q: Should I fix 404 errors in old blog posts? A: Yes if they get traffic. Low-traffic old posts are lower priority. Focus on high-traffic pages first.
Q: Can I delete the Broken Link Checker plugin after fixing links? A: No, keep it installed to catch new broken links automatically. It runs in the background.
Q: What’s the difference between Unlink and Not Broken? A: “Unlink” removes the hyperlink. “Not Broken” tells the plugin the link works (false positive).