Resolving Broken Internal Links

What is a broken internal link?

An internal link points to another page, document, image or resource within a UMKC website.

DubBot reports a broken internal link when it cannot reach the linked destination. This commonly occurs when a page or file has been moved, renamed, unpublished or deleted.

Before making changes

Open the reported link in a browser and confirm that it does not work.

DubBot may occasionally encounter a temporary publishing or server issue. If the destination now loads correctly, no change may be necessary. The issue should disappear after the next DubBot crawl.

If the link remains broken, determine whether the destination:

• Still exists at a different address
• Has been replaced by newer content
• Was intentionally removed
• Should no longer be linked

Fixing an internal link in Cascade CMS

1. In DubBot, open the page containing the broken link.
2. Select Open In > Editor to open the page in Cascade CMS.
3. Locate the affected link within the page content.
4. Edit the link and select the correct page or file in Cascade.
5. If an appropriate destination no longer exists, remove the link or revise the surrounding content.
6. Submit and publish the updated page.

Whenever possible, use Cascade’s page or file chooser instead of manually entering an internal URL. Cascade can maintain these asset relationships when content is moved or renamed within the CMS.

Links entered as web addresses

Some internal links may have been entered as complete URLs rather than selected as Cascade assets.

For example:

https://www.umkc.edu/example/page.html

Replace the outdated address with the current destination. When the destination is managed within the same Cascade site, use the page or file chooser when available.

Fixing an internal link in WordPress

1. Open the affected page in WordPress.
2. Locate and select the broken link.
3. Replace the URL with the current destination.
4. Remove the link if the destination no longer exists and no appropriate replacement is available.
5. Update the page.
6. Open the published page and test the corrected link.

Links appearing on multiple pages

If DubBot reports the same broken link across many pages, the link may be located in shared content such as:

• Site navigation
• A footer
• A reusable content block
• A shared component
• A website template

Correcting the shared source may resolve the issue across the entire website.

If you cannot locate or edit the shared content, submit a Web Services support ticket. Include the affected website, the broken destination and an example page reported by DubBot.

Verify the correction

After publishing the change:

1. Open the published page in a browser.
2. Select the corrected link.
3. Confirm that it reaches the intended destination.
4. Allow DubBot to crawl the website again.

The issue may remain visible in DubBot until the next scheduled crawl. A successful browser test confirms that the visitor-facing link has been corrected.