Currently, the Broken Link Checker plugin only detects and reports broken links, but the site administrator still needs to manually edit each post or page to remove or fix the broken hyperlink.
I would like to request a feature that allows the plugin to automatically unlink broken links after they are detected.
Suggested functionality:
1. When a link is detected as broken (HTTP 404, 410, DNS failure, timeout, etc.), the plugin can automatically remove the hyperlink while keeping the anchor text intact.
2. This process could run using the existing WordPress cron system (WP-Cron) or a scheduled task.
3. Site administrators could enable or disable this feature in the plugin settings.
4. Optional settings could include:
– Auto unlink only after X failed checks
– Apply to posts, pages, or custom post types
– Send notification before auto unlink
– Keep a log/history of removed links
Benefits of this feature:
– Prevents websites from accumulating dead links.
– Reduces manual maintenance work for site administrators.
– Helps maintain SEO quality by avoiding broken outbound links.
– Keeps the content readable because the anchor text remains, only the hyperlink is removed.
This automation would be especially useful for large WordPress sites with hundreds or thousands of posts where manual cleanup is time consuming.