5 Reasons To Use The Internet Archive’s New WordPress Plugin. Insights from Roger Montti (WPwise Edition)

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Roger Montti, in his article “5 Reasons To Use The Internet Archive’s New WordPress Plugin,” highlights how the Wayback Machine’s new WordPress integration delivers practical benefits for site owners, SEOs, and publishers. Below is a WPwise-optimized breakdown of Montti’s key points, focusing on why this plugin is becoming an essential tool for maintaining site reliability, protecting content, and improving long-term user experience.

Montti emphasizes that the Internet Archive serves as an independent, timestamped proof of publication, something no site owner can retroactively manipulate.

This is invaluable when:

  • defending against claims of stolen content,
  • proving original authorship, or
  • resolving contractual or business disputes based on published material.

For WordPress publishers, this is a built-in notarization system that is triggered automatically.

2. A Worst-Case Scenario Backup Layer

Although Montti stresses that this isn’t a substitute for traditional backups, archived pages can save a site after:

  • catastrophic server failures
  • ransomware or hacking
  • accidental content deletion
  • hosting-level disasters

Because the new plugin automatically snapshots pages, it ensures you always have at least one external historical copy, even if your own backups fail.

3. A Reliable Way to Restore Lost or Broken Content

Montti shares firsthand experience: old URLs removed during a redesign continued to attract links years later. Using the Internet Archive, he was able to recreate missing content and reclaim lost SEO value.

With the new plugin:

  • Every post update triggers an archive snapshot
  • Old versions remain available
  • Content lost during redesigns, migrations, or URL changes can be restored

For sites undergoing rebuilds or domain moves, this is a quiet but powerful safety net.

4. Demonstrates Site Longevity and Credibility

Montti notes that being indexed in the Wayback Machine can highlight trust and legitimacy, especially for businesses.

Spammy sites often leave no archival footprint, while established businesses can point to years of verifiable history.

For WordPress site owners, this adds a credibility layer that goes beyond SEO, it is about user trust and reputation.

One of the plugin’s standout features, highlighted by Montti, is its ability to:

  • Scan outbound links
  • Detect links that no longer work
  • automatically swap them with archived versions

This protects both:

  • user experience (no dead links)
  • content integrity (your references remain valid indefinitely)

Montti suggests that this feature alone provides substantial value, even if the SEO impact is indirect.

Extra Value Montti Mentions: Competitor Research

Beyond the main five reasons, Montti points out that the Wayback Machine is a powerful tool for competitive analysis:

  • Track how competitor sites have evolved
  • See past services, pricing, and messaging
  • Identify “inspiration borrowing” or content copying
  • Understand strategic shifts during redesigns

For agencies and SEO teams, this capability is gold.

Why WPwise Readers Should Care

Roger Montti’s article reinforces that the Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer plugin is far more than an archiving tool.

For WordPress sites, it enhances:

  • content safety
  • legal protection
  • UX quality
  • long-term authority
  • competitive intelligence

And because Automattic and the Internet Archive built the plugin, it is reliable, maintained, and trusted, making it an easy recommendation for most WordPress environments.

Source: Roger Montti, Search Engine Journal
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/internet-archive-wordpress-plugin/562452/

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