Description
GlobalDev Broken Link Monitor is a lightweight site-maintenance plugin that checks links stored in published post content, excerpts, and WordPress navigation menus.
The scanner runs in small batches from the WordPress dashboard, helping avoid long single requests on shared hosting. External URLs are checked with WordPress safe HTTP request functions, while links to the current site are checked directly.
Version 0.1 features
- Scan selected public post types.
- Scan WordPress navigation menus.
- Detect working links, redirects, broken responses, timeouts, and restricted responses.
- Separate internal and external links.
- Show the source page or menu item for each URL.
- Open the source editor directly from the report.
- Filter results by status.
- Export the latest report to CSV.
- Optional weekly scans using WP-Cron.
- Optional email notification when a scheduled scan finds broken links or warnings.
- No third-party service and no external account required.
The plugin stores only the latest scan report in a custom database table.
Privacy
The plugin stores link URLs, source titles, source URLs, HTTP status information, and scan timestamps in the site’s WordPress database. It does not collect visitor data and does not send scan results to GlobalDev IT or another third-party service.
When a scan runs, the website server sends HTTP requests to the linked destinations. Those destinations may receive standard request information such as the server IP address and user agent.
Installation
- Upload the
globaldev-broken-link-monitorfolder to/wp-content/plugins/, or install the ZIP from Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. - Activate GlobalDev Broken Link Monitor.
- Go to Tools > Broken Link Monitor.
- Choose the public post types to scan and save the settings.
- Select Start New Scan.
FAQ
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Does the plugin send website content to an external service?
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No. The plugin performs HTTP requests from your WordPress server and does not use a third-party scanning API.
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Why does a valid URL appear as a warning?
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Some websites block automated HEAD or GET requests, require authentication, or apply rate limits. HTTP 401, 403, and 429 responses are classified as warnings to reduce false broken-link reports.
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Does the weekly scan run at an exact time?
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No. Scheduled scans use WP-Cron, which runs when the website receives traffic. Sites that disable WP-Cron should trigger
wp-cron.phpthrough a server cron job. -
Does version 0.1 scan Elementor or other page builder data?
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It scans links stored in the standard post content field. Links stored only in builder-specific post meta are not included in this first release.
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Are fragment links, email addresses, and telephone links checked?
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No. Fragment-only links and
mailto:,tel:,sms:,javascript:,data:, andftp:URLs are ignored.
Reviews
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Contributors & Developers
“GlobalDev Broken Link Monitor” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
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Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
0.1.0
- Initial release.
- Added batched manual scanning for published content and navigation menus.
- Added weekly WP-Cron scans and optional issue notifications.
- Added status filters, source links, and CSV export.