A site’s external LinkSignal is a score out of 100 for its outbound (external) links, and for the link-related health of the site itself, right now. This page covers broken links, the row that costs the fewest points per link. The overview is at LinkSignal, and the rules are on the methodology page.
The row is calculated only from what this tool finds when it reads your pages and checks each outbound link. It is not linked to any search engine, and it is not PageRank or any third-party score.
What this part of your LinkSignal measures
It counts outbound links whose destination returned a not found or gone response, so a visitor who clicks reaches a dead end. These are more common than people expect, because other sites move, rename and remove pages all the time. They are the plainest sign of a page that has not been looked after in a while. See broken links for the background.
A broken link is also the first step towards something more serious. When the whole domain behind it has gone, it may later be registered by someone else, and your link would then point at their site. That case is counted in links to unregistered or expired domains, at a higher cost.
How it is counted
| Row | Points for each | Limit | Reached at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broken links | 0.5 | 8 | 16 links |
The rule is 0.5 points each, up to 8: each broken link takes off 0.5 points, and the row stops at 8, which is reached at 16 links. The charge is low on purpose. A dead link is annoying for visitors, but it is rarely a sign of a hack.
Only links confirmed as broken are counted. A site that refused the check, a server error, or a link that could not be reached is not charged, because the link may be fine. Server errors are listed separately in the report so they are not lost. A broken link is also counted once: if it points to a domain that is unregistered or parked, it is charged in that row instead.
A worked example
A site has 6 broken links. That is 6 × 0.5 = 3 points, so it scores 97.
A site with 20 broken links would be charged 10 on paper, but the row stops at 8, so it scores 92.
If one of three broken links points at an unregistered domain, only two are charged here (1 points). The other is charged 5 points in its own row. The site scores 94.
How it appears in your report
On the LinkSignal card, open How this is worked out and select Broken links. The findings open on the broken links. In What to fix, in order, the step Broken links (404) shows Broken or gone, and Server errors where there are any, with a Review these links button. If there are only server errors, that button opens them instead.
How to get the points back
- Open the linkCheck the destination yourself. Occasionally a page is only down for a short time.
- Replace or remove itFind the new address, or another source that serves the same purpose. If there is none, remove the link and keep the sentence.
- Look for patternsMany broken links to one domain mean the site has gone. Check whether the domain can now be registered by anyone.
- Confirm the fixRun a re-check of the fixed links, then a rescan to see the new score.
- Keep it that wayMonitoring checks again on a schedule, and you can mark a link reviewed if one is broken on purpose.
What it does not mean
- It does not mean the site has been hacked or neglected. Links break because other people change their sites.
- It does not measure inbound links, which are links to your site from elsewhere. Only outbound links are checked.
Questions
Why are broken links worth so little?
They do not put visitors or credit in anyone else’s hands. A takeover or hack costs far more, and is scored that way.
A page came back, so why was the link counted?
The result is for the moment it was checked. Run a re-check and it is read again.
Is a clean row proof that every link works?
It means none were confirmed broken in what was checked. Pages can break at any time, which is the reason for monitoring.
Run a scan and see every dead end, with the page it was found on.
