Links and pagination 9 min read Updated August 2026

Internal links, external links, and crawlable pagination

Links let users move through the site and let crawlers discover URL relationships. The report separates internal and external targets, audits a limited number of unique URLs, and checks redirects, failures, protocols, anchor text, rel attributes, and pagination hints.

At a glance

A useful link has a crawlable destination and meaningful context

Use normal anchor elements with resolvable href values, link directly to the final internal URL, describe the destination, and preserve navigable pagination even when the interface also offers load-more or infinite scroll.

  • Prioritize broken internal links because the site controls both ends.
  • Update internal redirects to their final destinations.
  • Use concise anchor text that explains the destination.
  • Provide real URLs and anchor links for every paginated segment users should reach.
01

Interpret the sampled audit

The report limits requests to protect the tested site, so untested links are not proof of health. Group findings by template and destination: one broken navigation component can affect thousands of pages, while one editorial link may be isolated.

A 403 or 429 on an external domain can reflect anti-bot controls rather than a broken destination for users. Verify important external findings manually before removing them.

02

Make links crawlable and intentional

  • HTML anchor Use an a element with an href that resolves to a real URL; click handlers alone are less robust.
  • Final internal URL Avoid spending a redirect on every navigation click and sending stale signals.
  • Anchor text Describe the target naturally; avoid empty anchors and repeated “click here” where context is unclear.
  • rel values Use sponsored, ugc, or nofollow when the relationship requires it, not as a blanket internal architecture tool.
03

Pagination must expose unique URLs

Give every page in a sequence its own URL and self-canonical. Link sequential pages with standard anchors; crawlers generally do not click buttons or treat a fragment-only change as a new page.

rel=next and rel=prev may be informative to some consumers, but Google no longer uses them to identify a sequence. Crawlable a[href] links and correct canonicalization remain the important foundation.

Action checklist

Repair paths from templates outward

  1. 01Fix template-level broken internal links before isolated links.
  2. 02Replace redirected internal targets with final canonical URLs.
  3. 03Review empty, image-only, and vague anchor text.
  4. 04Verify important external 403 and 429 findings in a normal browser.
  5. 05Expose every pagination step through a unique URL and crawlable anchor.

Official references

The technical recommendations in this guide are aligned with these primary sources.