Links
The links audit checks the internal and external link profile of the page, identifies broken links, and counts nofollow links. Weight: 10%.
Details
Internal links
Internal links connect pages within the same domain. They help Google discover new pages, distribute PageRank, and understand site structure. Pages with too few internal links may be under-discovered by crawlers.
External links
Links to external sites signal topical context and add credibility. Use rel='nofollow' or rel='sponsored' on paid or untrusted external links. Links to authoritative sources (Wikipedia, official docs) can help demonstrate topical depth.
Broken links (404s)
A broken link points to a URL that returns an error (typically 404 Not Found). Broken internal links create poor user experience and waste crawl budget. Broken external links suggest outdated content.
Severity depends on count: 1–5 broken links trigger a warning (−10 pts each); more than 5 broken links on a single page is a critical issue (−20 pts). This threshold reflects the difference between occasional link rot (normal) and systematic neglect.
Nofollow links
Links with rel='nofollow' tell search engines not to pass PageRank through that link. Nofollow is appropriate for user-generated content, paid links, and untrusted sources. However, excessive nofollow on internal links may reduce internal link equity distribution.
Metrics
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total links | Total number of <a href> elements found on the page. |
| Internal links | Links pointing to the same domain. |
| External links | Links pointing to other domains. |
| Nofollow links | Links with rel='nofollow' — Google does not pass PageRank through these. |
| Broken links | Links returning HTTP 4xx or 5xx responses. Details include URL and status code. |
| Broken links count | Total number of broken links. >5 = critical, 1–5 = warning. |
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