Do your outbound links still work?
It separates broken external destinations from refusals, sharing links and malformed addresses.
What Check Engine measures
The test uses saved external statuses, excluding image probes and recognised share-intent links. Doubled-scheme addresses are reported separately. Links to related own hosts are separated from third-party links. HTTP status 400 or above, or a zero status, can be broken only after refusal handling. Known refusal codes, HTTP statuses at or above 600 and recorded hangups are treated as unverified instead. Source links are collected for the remaining broken targets. For example, HTTP status 600 or above stays unverified under this test.
The saved external-link measurement determines coverage. Per-host caps and time limits can leave links unchecked, so this test is not a promise that every outbound URL on every page was tested.
How to read the result
Broken links and malformed or own-subdomain cases are low severity. Unverified destinations are notices. A destination refusing the audit may still work for a visitor, which is why the code avoids calling every unsuccessful request a dead link.
Why it matters
Broken and untestable destinations need different decisions. Keeping those outcomes separate helps you repair actual address errors without deleting a useful source because its server rejected an automated request.
How to fix it
Open the destination and inspect the cited source link. Correct doubled schemes and obsolete addresses, or replace a dead source with a relevant working one. Review refusals manually and respect rate limits. Check the source page after editing so that both the visible label and the hidden destination still describe the resource you intended.
How to fix broken outbound links
What we found in field audits
Problems in Links were found on 14 of the 14 sites we audited. These are area totals. Read the field-audit method.
Method note
backend/seo_engine/checks/links.py, broken_external, revision 0bb8e8d3.
Common questions
Is an external link refusing the audit definitely broken?
No. Known refusal codes are treated as unverified. A visitor may still be able to reach the destination.
Can a doubled-scheme external address get its own finding?
Yes. Doubled-scheme addresses are separated from ordinary third-party failures. Inspect the original source link for the malformed target.
How serious are confirmed broken external links?
They receive low severity. Unverified destinations receive notices so that blocked requests are not presented as proven dead links.