External Link Health: check outgoing links for broken destinations
This guide shows how to keep your outgoing links trustworthy by finding broken destinations and cleaning them up in a simple weekly process.
Why this matters
When readers click an outgoing link and land on a dead page, trust drops quickly. A regular check helps keep your content helpful and current.
Clean outgoing links also improve the overall quality of your site experience.
How to read the scan results
Open SEO Rank Genius → Tools → External Link Health. Click Start Health Scan to check outbound URLs across your site.
Four KPI cards show Total External, Broken Links, Dofollow Leaks, and Healthy Links. Below that, two tables list problems you can fix in one click.
External Link Health
Last scan: 2 days ago
Scan button and KPI row match the External Link Health tab.
How to fix broken outgoing links
Open the source page
Go to the page where the broken outgoing link appears.
Choose the best option
Replace the link with a live equivalent, or remove it if no quality replacement exists.
Save and retest
Click the updated link yourself to confirm it opens the right destination.
Broken External Links 7
| URL | Status | Source | Anchor | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| example-old-site.comhttps://example-old-site.com/tool | 404 | Resources: Start here | free tool | Unlink |
| vendor-news.comhttps://vendor-news.com/2021-update | 410 | Buyer guide | 2021 update | Unlink |
Dofollow Leaks 5
| URL | Source | Anchor | Rel | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| affiliate-partner.iohttps://affiliate-partner.io/deal | Pricing page | partner offer | none | Add nofollow |
Broken links offer Unlink; dofollow leaks offer Add nofollow — same as the plugin.
Simple ongoing routine
- Run a quick external link health check every week.
- Fix high-priority pages first.
- Track recurring broken domains and avoid linking to unstable sources.