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Why Broken Link Checker Flags HTTPS Links as Broken (And How to Fix It)

22 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Broken link checker

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If you've recently moved your WordPress site to HTTPS, you might have encountered a frustrating issue: the Broken Link Checker plugin is incorrectly flagging your secure HTTPS links as broken. This is a common problem that can create a lot of unnecessary work, forcing you to manually mark numerous links as false positives.

Why This Happens

Contrary to what it may seem, the Broken Link Checker plugin does not flag a link as broken just because it uses the HTTPS protocol. The issue is often more nuanced. The plugin performs a check by sending a request to the URL. If the server at the other end is misconfigured, uses an outdated security protocol (like TLS 1.0 or 1.1), has an invalid SSL certificate, or is blocking the plugin's user-agent, the connection attempt can fail. This failure causes the plugin to log the link as broken, even though it might work perfectly fine in a web browser under different conditions.

How to Troubleshoot and Resolve HTTPS False Positives

Here are the most effective steps you can take to address this problem:

  1. Verify the Link Manually: First, double-check that the HTTPS link is indeed working by copying and pasting it directly into your browser's address bar. This confirms it's a false positive.
  2. Check the Server's SSL Configuration: The problem might lie with the external server you are linking to, not your own site. You can use free online tools like SSL Labs' SSL Test to analyze the server's SSL certificate and configuration for errors.
  3. Adjust Link Checking Settings: Within the Broken Link Checker settings (found at Settings > Link Checker), you can try adjusting the timeout threshold. Sometimes, a server is just slow to respond, and increasing the timeout can prevent a false broken status.
  4. Mark as False Positive: For links you have confirmed are working, you can manually mark them as "Not broken" or dismiss them within the plugin's interface. This tells the plugin to stop reporting that specific URL as broken.
  5. Consider a Redirect: In some cases, if a site supports both HTTP and HTTPS, you might find that changing the link in your content to use HTTP resolves the false positive. However, this is not a recommended long-term solution for security reasons.

A Note on Future Improvements

This is a known challenge within the community. The Broken Link Checker team has indicated in past discussions that they are aware of the complexities of checking HTTPS links and the potential for false positives. User feedback, like the requests for the plugin to be more "HTTP/HTTPS agnostic" or to automatically try the HTTPS version of an HTTP link, has been noted for consideration in future development.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage and correct false HTTPS broken link reports, saving you time and keeping your link maintenance workflow efficient.

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