Permalinks, or permanent links, are the URLs used to access specific pages or posts on your WordPress website. When these permalinks break, visitors are often met with 404 errors, leading to a poor user experience and a potential loss of traffic. Fortunately, fixing broken permalinks in WordPress is a straightforward process, and doing so without losing traffic is essential to maintaining the SEO health of your site. In this guide, we’ll explain how to fix broken permalinks in WordPress and ensure that your site continues to perform well.

What Causes Broken Permalinks in WordPress?

Several factors can cause broken permalinks, including:

1. Plugin Conflicts: Some plugins, especially SEO and URL-rewriting plugins, can interfere with permalinks.
2. Theme Changes: Changing your theme can sometimes lead to permalink issues.
3. WordPress Updates: Core WordPress updates can modify permalink structures or rules.
4. Server Issues: Changes in server settings, such as .htaccess file corruption, can also break permalinks.
5. Manual Changes: Editing or changing your site’s permalink settings or moving pages/posts can cause broken links.

How to Identify Broken Permalinks

Broken permalinks are easy to identify. Users will encounter 404 error pages when trying to access certain posts or pages. You may also notice traffic drops in Google Analytics or Search Console, especially if the broken links are affecting important pages.

Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Broken Permalinks Without Losing Traffic

1. Reset Permalink Structure

The first and easiest method to fix broken permalinks in WordPress is to reset the permalink structure.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Log in to WordPress Admin: Go to your WordPress admin panel.
2. Navigate to Settings: In the sidebar, go to Settings > Permalinks.
3. Select Default Structure: Temporarily change the permalink structure to the default (Plain) option.
4. Save Changes: Click the “Save Changes” button to update the permalink settings.
5. Revert to Preferred Structure: Select your preferred permalink structure (e.g., Post name, Day and name) and save changes again.

This process refreshes the permalinks and should resolve any broken links caused by permalink configuration issues.

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2. Update Your .htaccess File

If resetting the permalinks doesn’t work, the issue might lie in your .htaccess file, which controls how URLs are processed by the server.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Access .htaccess File: Use an FTP client or your hosting provider’s file manager to access the .htaccess file in your site’s root directory (public_html or www folder).
2. Backup the File: Before making any changes, download a copy of the .htaccess file for backup.
3. Replace .htaccess Rules: If the .htaccess file is corrupted, replace the contents with the default WordPress .htaccess rules: # BEGIN WordPress <IfModule mod_rewrite.c> RewriteEngine On RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d RewriteRule . /index.php [L] </IfModule> # END WordPress
4. Save and Upload the File: Save the changes and upload the updated .htaccess file to your server.

Check your website to see if the broken permalinks are fixed. If this resolves the issue, the problem was likely due to a misconfigured or corrupted .htaccess file.

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3. Deactivate and Reactivate Plugins

Some plugins, particularly those related to SEO, caching, or URL rewriting, can interfere with your site’s permalinks. To rule out plugin conflicts, you can deactivate and reactivate them.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Deactivate All Plugins: Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress admin dashboard. Select all the plugins, choose “Deactivate” from the bulk actions dropdown, and click “Apply.”
2. Check Your Site: After deactivating the plugins, check if the broken permalinks are resolved.
3. Reactivate Plugins One by One: If the permalinks are working, reactivate the plugins one at a time to identify the one causing the issue. If the broken permalinks return after activating a particular plugin, you’ve found the culprit.
4. Update or Replace the Plugin: Update the problematic plugin or find an alternative plugin to avoid conflicts.

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4. Fix Broken Links Using Redirection Plugin

To ensure you don’t lose traffic while fixing broken permalinks, you can use a redirection plugin. This will help you redirect any old or broken links to the correct URLs.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Install the Redirection Plugin: Go to Plugins > Add New, search for “Redirection,” and install the plugin.
2. Set Up Redirects: After activating the plugin, go to Tools > Redirection. Here, you can set up redirects from the old permalink (the one causing 404 errors) to the new one.
3. Add 301 Redirects: Enter the source URL (the broken URL) and the target URL (the correct permalink) in the appropriate fields and choose a “301” redirect. A 301 redirect tells search engines that the URL has permanently moved, ensuring you don’t lose any SEO value or traffic.
4. Save Changes: After adding the redirect, save your settings. Repeat this process for all broken links.

This method ensures that users who try to access the broken URLs are automatically redirected to the correct pages without losing traffic.

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5. Fix Permalinks in the Database

In some cases, permalink issues might stem from the WordPress database. To fix this, you can run a database repair tool.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Access the wp-config.php File: Use an FTP client to access your wp-config.php file.
2. Enable Database Repair Mode: Add the following line of code to enable the database repair feature: define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);
3. Run the Database Repair: Visit yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php and choose the “Repair Database” option.
4. Remove the Code: Once the repair is complete, remove the code you added to the wp-config.php file to disable the repair mode.

This method can help resolve database-related permalink issues, ensuring that your site functions smoothly.

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6. Check for Server-Side Issues

In rare cases, broken permalinks can be caused by issues with your hosting provider’s server configuration. If none of the above methods work, contact your hosting provider to see if there are any issues with your server’s configuration or mod_rewrite settings.

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Preventing Broken Permalinks in the Future

Here are a few ways to prevent broken permalinks from happening again:

1. Keep WordPress, Plugins, and Themes Updated: Always keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins up-to-date to avoid conflicts that can break permalinks.
2. Backup Your Site Regularly: Use a backup plugin to create regular backups of your WordPress site. If something goes wrong, you can restore a working version of your site.
3. Use a Reliable Hosting Provider: A good hosting provider can help prevent many server-related issues, including permalink problems.

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FAQs

Q1: What are permalinks in WordPress?
Permalinks are the permanent URLs to your posts, pages, and other content on your WordPress site.

Q2: Why do my permalinks keep breaking?
Broken permalinks can result from plugin conflicts, theme changes, WordPress updates, or server issues.

Q3: Will resetting permalinks affect my SEO?
No, resetting permalinks usually doesn’t affect SEO. However, using a redirection plugin ensures you don’t lose traffic or ranking if URLs change.

Q4: Can I fix broken permalinks without losing traffic?
Yes, by setting up 301 redirects, you can ensure that visitors are redirected to the correct pages without losing traffic or search engine rankings.

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Broken permalinks can disrupt user experience and negatively impact your site’s SEO, but they’re easy to fix if you follow the correct steps. Whether you reset the permalink structure, update the .htaccess file, or use redirection plugins, you can resolve the issue without losing valuable traffic. Remember to regularly update your site and use backup tools to avoid future permalink issues.