Login Audit website
Login Audit website
Status Codes & Navigation

Status Codes & Navigation

An incorrect HTTP code prevents indexing and insufficient internal links hinder crawling. This check evaluates both aspects in a single pass.

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Validación de códigos de estado HTTP y navegación interna
Crawlability Area
HTTP Status + Internal Links Signal
Intermediate Level

What does this check evaluate?

This check combines two fundamental technical validations:

  • HTTP Status Codes: Verifies the page responds with a 200 (OK) code. 4xx (client errors) and 5xx (server errors) codes indicate serious accessibility problems.
  • Internal Navigation: Analyses internal links (hrefs pointing to the same domain) and counts unique destinations. At least 4 unique internal links are required to consider navigation as sufficient.

How does the evaluation work?

The check makes an HTTP request to the URL and analyses both the response and HTML content:

  1. Phase 1 — Accessibility: If the HTTP code is not 2xx or there is no HTML, the result is an immediate FAIL.
  2. Phase 2 — Link extraction: Parses all <a href> from the HTML and filters those belonging to the same domain.
  3. Phase 3 — Sub-check A (Status Codes): Evaluates the HTTP code and presence of internal links.
  4. Phase 4 — Sub-check B (Navigation): Counts unique destinations: ?4 = PASS, 2-3 = WARNING, <2 = FAIL.
  5. Phase 5 — Combined result: Both PASS ? PASS. One WARNING ? WARNING. Both WARNING or any FAIL ? FAIL.

Why is this important?

HTTP status codes are the first signal a search engine receives when trying to crawl a page. A 404 or 500 code means your content is invisible to Google.

Furthermore, internal links are the primary mechanism by which search engines discover new pages within your site. Without diversified internal navigation, deep pages become orphaned and are not indexed.

The combination of both problems multiplies the negative impact on your organic visibility.

How to fix it?

For status codes:

  • Verify your server returns HTTP 200 for all active pages.
  • Set up 301 redirects for URLs that have changed.
  • Review server logs to diagnose 5xx errors.

For internal navigation:

  • Ensure each page has at least 4 unique internal links.
  • Implement a main navigation menu present on all pages.
  • Add contextual links within content to related sections.
  • Include a footer with links to important site pages.

Frequently asked questions

Common doubts before interpreting or correcting this technical signal.

Why are status codes combined with internal navigation?
Both aspects are directly related to site crawlability. A correct HTTP code guarantees the page is accessible, and internal links guarantee the rest of the site is also accessible from that page.
What if my page has many internal links but they all point to the same destination?
The check counts unique destinations, not total links. If 20 links point to the same URL, it only counts as 1 unique destination. You need at least 4 different destinations.
Can SPAs (Single Page Applications) fail this check?
Yes, if links are dynamically generated with JavaScript and are not present in the static HTML, the check will not detect them. Consider implementing SSR (Server-Side Rendering) for main routes.