An internal link can return HTTP 200 and still send readers to a competing canonical or irrelevant answer. This paper defines destination integrity as a combination of transport, identity, and contextual fit.
Methodology
Sample links from newly published and high-change pages. For each link, record the source context, requested destination, response status, redirect chain, HTML canonical, indexability, title, and the reader task supported by the destination. Classify failures by layer rather than collapsing them into one score.
Scope
The method covers HTML links between canonical pages on one site. It excludes backlink authority, JavaScript interaction tracking, and claims about ranking benefit.
Findings
Direct successful responses simplify auditing, but identity agreement is the stronger safeguard. A destination should self-canonicalize and match the expectation created by its anchor and surrounding sentence. Redirecting links may be operationally valid while still creating maintenance debt.
Inference boundaries
The audit supports conclusions about the checked links and rendered destinations. It cannot infer the quality of every site path from a small sample or quantify search impact without separate evidence.
Limitations
Contextual fit requires editorial judgment and may vary by audience. Authentication, geolocation, and temporary edge failures can affect results. Repeated checks should use documented sampling and classification rules.
Sources
Sources
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110