Broken Links Issues and Impact

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If you’re reading this, you’re probably running into some issues with the Linkilo Broken Link Checker. This guide will walk you through the most common problems and their solutions.

“Why Isn’t My Scan Finding Any Links?”

When you run a scan and see “Total Links: 0”, there are usually a few simple explanations.

The most common reason is that the plugin doesn’t know what types of links to look for. The plugin needs to be told which link types to scan – it doesn’t automatically scan everything by default.

To fix this:

1. Navigate to the “Which Links to Check” tab
2. Select the types of links you want to scan (HTML links, HTML images, videos, etc.)
3. Click “Save Selection”
4. Run your scan again

If you’re still seeing zero links, check that you have published content. The plugin only scans published posts and pages – drafts and private posts won’t be included. Also verify that your content actually contains links to scan.

“My Scan Is Stuck and Won’t Finish”

If your scan freezes or the progress bar stops moving, your site is likely running into resource limitations. This is particularly common on sites with thousands of links or on shared hosting environments.

Here’s how to resolve this:

1. Increase WordPress memory limit:
   • Open your wp-config.php file
   • Add this line: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
   • Save the file
2. For large sites:
   • Use the background scanning feature instead of the regular scan
   • This processes links in smaller batches, reducing server load
3. Clear temporary data:
   • If a scan was interrupted, temporary data might be causing issues
   • Try deactivating and reactivating the plugin to clear this data

“Why Is It Marking Working Links as Broken?”

This is one of the most common issues users face. You click the link manually and it works fine, but Linkilo reports it as broken. This happens because some websites block automated checking tools while allowing normal browser traffic.

Understanding the cause:

• Security services like Cloudflare may block bot traffic
• Some sites have geographic restrictions
• Certain servers block requests that don’t come from real browsers

How to handle false positives:

1. Manually verify the link:
   • Click on it in your browser
   • If it works, you can safely ignore the warning
2. Use the ignore feature:
   • Find the link in your broken links table
   • Click the “Ignore” button
   • The link will be excluded from future scan results
3. Document patterns:
   • If all links from a particular domain show as broken, it’s likely blocking automated checks
   • You can ignore all links from that domain

“Email Reports Aren’t Being Sent”

WordPress doesn’t handle email reliably without proper configuration. If your test reports aren’t arriving, you need to set up proper email handling.

Required setup:

1. Install WP Mail SMTP plugin:
   • Go to Plugins → Add New
   • Search for “WP Mail SMTP”
   • Install and activate it
   • Complete the configuration wizard with your email service details
2. Verify email settings:
   • Ensure you’ve entered a valid email address in Linkilo’s reporting settings
   • Use a simple subject line without special characters
3. Check spam folders:
   • Automated reports often get flagged as spam
   • Mark as “not spam” to improve future delivery

If you see a warning about WP Mail SMTP not being installed when you enable reporting, this is why the plugin requires it – WordPress’s built-in mail function isn’t reliable enough for scheduled reports.

“The Site Slows Down During Scans”

Link checking requires server resources. On shared hosting or sites with limited resources, this can impact performance.

Solutions for performance issues:

1. Schedule scans for off-peak hours:
   • Use the scheduling feature to run scans when traffic is lowest
   • Most sites see minimal traffic between 2-5 AM
2. Configure scheduling:
   • In the “Scheduled Scan” section, choose your frequency
   • Select a time when your site has the least visitors
   • Save your schedule settings
3. Use background scanning:
   • This option processes links gradually
   • Takes longer but has minimal performance impact

“Duplicate Broken Links in Results”

If you’re seeing the same broken links appearing multiple times, this usually happens when multiple scans are run before the previous one completes.

To resolve duplicates:

1. Clear the existing data:
   • Let the current scan complete fully
   • Don’t start new scans until the previous one finishes
2. Best practices:
   • Run one complete scan
   • Wait for the “scan complete” confirmation
   • Review results before running another scan

“Historical Data Not Showing”

The Historical Data tab will be empty until you’ve completed at least one full scan. This is normal behavior.

To populate historical data:

1. Complete a full scan
2. The data is saved automatically after each scan
3. Future scans will add to your historical trends
4. Charts will become more useful over time as data accumulates

When to Contact Support

Most issues can be resolved with the steps above. However, contact support if you encounter:

• PHP errors or white screens
• Database connection errors
• The plugin menu disappearing from WordPress admin
• Consistent scan failures after trying all troubleshooting steps
• Error messages that aren’t covered in this guide

When contacting support, include:

• The specific error message or behavior
• Steps you’ve already tried
• Your WordPress and PHP versions
• Whether the issue started after a specific event (update, new plugin, etc.)

Best Practices

For optimal performance:

1. Start with smaller scans – Test with a subset of your content before scanning everything
2. Set realistic schedules – Daily scans aren’t necessary for most sites. Weekly or monthly is usually sufficient
3. Use the ignore feature appropriately – Not every flagged link needs immediate attention. Focus on actual broken links that impact user experience
4. Monitor patterns – If certain domains consistently show as broken, they’re likely blocking automated checks
5. Regular maintenance – Review and clean up your broken links list monthly to keep it manageable

Understanding Status Codes

When reviewing your broken links, you’ll see different status codes:

• 404: Page not found – the destination doesn’t exist
• 500: Server error on the target website
• 301: Redirect – the link points to a URL that redirects elsewhere
• 403: Access forbidden – often indicates bot blocking
• Error: Connection failed or timeout occurred

Focus on fixing 404 errors first, as these provide the worst user experience. 301 redirects can be updated for better performance but aren’t critical. 403 and Error statuses often indicate false positives.

Performance Considerations

The link checker needs to make HTTP requests to verify each link. On a site with 1,000 links, that’s 1,000 separate connections. This is why:

• Scans take time to complete
• Server resources are used during scanning
• Background scanning is recommended for large sites
• Scheduling during low-traffic periods is important

Understanding these limitations helps set appropriate expectations and configure the plugin optimally for your specific situation.