How does your site handle outbound links?
It checks whether external links are absent, dominated by a host or almost all nofollow.
What Check Engine measures
The check counts external links on indexable pages after excluding related own hosts. No outbound links on at least 8 indexable pages produces a notice. A host needs more than 20 links and more than a 0.6 share of all external links for the dominance finding. More than 10 total external links with a nofollow share above 0.9 produces a separate notice. Each comparison uses strict greater-than where stated. For example, exactly 20 links to a host do not exceed the host-dominance count limit.
The check counts external destinations and nofollow links read from pages intended for search. It does not inspect every target's quality or commercial relationship. Those decisions need your review.
How to read the result
Host dominance is medium severity. No-outbound and near-universal nofollow results are notices. These patterns can have valid explanations, so they are review cues rather than a command to add links to unrelated sites.
Why it matters
A concentrated link pattern can come from a shared template or a deliberate relationship. Looking at the actual destinations and labels gives the context a ratio alone cannot supply.
How to fix it
Review repeated external links and their purpose. Remove abandoned widgets or stale relationships where appropriate, and keep useful references. Apply nofollow according to the relationship of the link rather than automatically across every external destination. Recheck shared templates when a repeated host accounts for much of the total.
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, outbound_quality, revision 0bb8e8d3.
Common questions
How many links to one external host trigger the dominance finding?
The count must exceed 20 links to a host, and its share must exceed 0.6 of external links. Both requirements apply.
Does a site with no outbound links always get a warning?
The no-outbound result needs at least 8 indexable pages. It is a notice rather than proof that unrelated links should be added.
When does near-universal nofollow use get reported?
The sample must exceed 10 total external links. A nofollow share greater than 0.9 then qualifies for a notice.