Internet Archive Releases WordPress Plugin Aimed at Solving 'Link Rot'

The Internet Archive and Automattic have teamed up to address "link rot," a phenomenon in which hyperlinks become outdated or broken over time. Their new WordPress plugin, the Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer , scans posts for outbound links and redirects users to relevant Wayback Machine archives when the original pages are unavailable.

Once a WordPress site owner installs the plugin, it runs in the background, checking links periodically. If a web page associated with a broken link doesn't yet have a Wayback Machine snapshot, the plugin creates one; it also reverts links to live pages if they become available again.

"When a linked page disappears, the plugin helps preserve your user experience by redirecting visitors to a reliable archived version," the plugin's description reads. "It also works proactively by archiving your own posts every time they're updated, creating a consistent backup of your content's history."

Link rot affects 38% of links created since 2013 and 72% of links created since 1998 , according to Pew Research and Starling Lab data published in 2024.