My Broken Link Horror Story 😱 (And How I Fixed It)

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I talk a lot about broken links.

In fact, I have a posts that dive deep into why broken links matter and how to avoid them.

Psst: you can find that post here 👇

How to Fix SEO Issues: 3 Sneaky Errors That Could Be Blocking Your Traffic

But as much as we teach, sometimes even we creators and business owners end up in the very horror stories we try to prevent.

Here’s mine — and yes, it’s funny now, but at the time I could have cried!

The Horror Begins: Switching SEO Plugins

Recently, I decided to try out Rank Math after hearing all the buzz. I was switching from SEO Yoast, and of course, I knew I needed to redirect my old categories.

I thought I had everything under control — deleted old categories, set up redirects, and switched over to Rank Math.

But then, after testing Rank Math, I realized I actually preferred Yoast and decided to switch back.

Here’s where things went sideways:

• I added another redirect plugin to handle all the categories I had switched to Rank Math.

• I thought I had redirected everything correctly.

• But in reality, some of the URLs weren’t properly redirected due to misconfigured redirects and incorrect slugs.

The Google Search Console Shock

Everything seemed fine at first — I was blogging, following my SEO strategy, tracking keywords, and doing my usual checks.

But when I peeked at Google Search Console, I almost spilled my coffee.

• Old categories were showing 404 errors.

• Some of my deleted categories had no redirects at all.

• Numbers weren’t matching the expected trajectory.

Basically, all those broken links were silently hurting my blog’s performance 😬

The Fix

Once I realized the problem, here’s how I fixed it:

1. Deleted the misconfigured redirects that weren’t working.

2. Added full old URL redirects (not just slugs) to point to the new categories.

3. Tested each redirect in private browser mode to make sure they were working.

4. Cleared browser cache to ensure everything displayed correctly.

After that, everything was smooth sailing. The horror story turned into a success story.

📌 Love a good plot twist? Save this Broken Link Horror Story (and the fix) to Pinterest so you’ll have it handy if you ever need it.

Tips for Avoiding Your Own Broken Link Nightmare

Even if you’re familiar with redirects, mistakes happen.

Here’s what I recommend:

1. Keep a copy of old URLs before deleting any categories or pages.

2. Use full old URLs for redirects rather than short slugs — it’s safer and reduces errors.

3. Test redirects in Incognito mode to ensure they work.

4. Resubmit Your Google Sitemap – this lets Google know your updates happened faster.

5. Resubmit Your Google Sitemap – this lets Google know your updates happened faster and best results.

Not sure how to submit your sitemap? No worries! In How to Submit a Sitemap to Google – A Step-by-Step Guide, I break down exactly what a sitemap is and how to submit it for the first time — with visuals included so it’s super easy to follow.

😱 Don’t let a Broken Link Horror Story sneak up on your blog — save this post to Pinterest and keep it handy.

Final Thoughts

Broken links happen, even when you think you know better. The key is catching them early and fixing them properly.

For me, this was a painful but valuable reminder: you can be an expert and still run into mistakes. What matters is how you fix them and keep the ball rolling.

Ok love bug loving the vibe? Why stop now here are a few other blog post that’ll take your blog to the next level because hey why not?

How to Build a Business You’ll Love — Kendrick Lamar Style!

How to Fix SEO Issues: 3 Sneaky Errors That Could Be Blocking Your Traffic

How to Use Google Search Console to Grow Your Blog (Part 2)

Your favorite foodie and blogger, Keesh.

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