Link Auditing
Session 3.6 · ~5 min read
Entity linking is not a one-time project. Profiles get deleted. Platforms change their URL structures. Businesses move, rebrand, or add new social accounts. A link that worked in January can be broken by March. A bidirectional connection can become unidirectional without you noticing.
This session establishes a quarterly audit process that catches these problems before they erode your entity authority.
Why Links Break
Understanding the common causes of broken links helps you anticipate problems before they happen:
| Cause | Example | Effect on Entity Graph |
|---|---|---|
| Platform URL change | Twitter becomes X; old URLs may redirect | sameAs points to redirect, not canonical |
| Profile deletion | Old Google+ links, abandoned Facebook pages | sameAs points to 404; broken edge |
| Username change | Rebranding from @oldname to @newname | All references to old URL break |
| Domain migration | Moving from example.com to newexample.com | All profile backlinks point to old domain |
| Platform interface change | YouTube moves link fields in settings | Previously set links may be cleared |
| Team member departure | Admin leaves, profile access lost | Cannot update backlinks on the profile |
| SSL certificate change | Moving from http to https | All sameAs URLs with http:// are now outdated |
| Profile merger | Facebook merges duplicate pages | URL changes to the surviving page |
The Quarterly Audit Workflow
from website schema"] B --> C["Check each sameAs URL:
Does it resolve?"] C -->|404 or redirect| D["Flag: Broken or redirected"] C -->|Resolves| E["Check backlink:
Does profile link to website?"] E -->|No backlink| F["Flag: One-way link"] E -->|Has backlink| G["Check NAP consistency"] G -->|Mismatch| H["Flag: NAP inconsistency"] G -->|Match| I["Mark: Healthy"] D --> J["Compile audit report"] F --> J H --> J I --> J J --> K["Fix issues"] K --> L["Update sameAs if needed"] L --> M["Schedule next audit"] style A fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style B fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style C fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style D fill:#222221,stroke:#c47a5a,color:#ede9e3 style E fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style F fill:#222221,stroke:#c47a5a,color:#ede9e3 style G fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style H fill:#222221,stroke:#c47a5a,color:#ede9e3 style I fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style J fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style K fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style L fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style M fill:#222221,stroke:#8a8478,color:#ede9e3
Audit Checklist
For each profile in your entity graph, verify the following:
1. URL Resolution
Visit each URL in your sameAs array and each visible link on your website. Does it load? Does it redirect to a different URL? A 301 redirect is not necessarily broken, but your sameAs should point to the final destination URL, not the redirect source.
2. Backlink Presence
On each profile, verify that the website URL field still contains your correct, canonical website URL. Platform updates can sometimes clear fields or change formatting.
3. NAP Consistency
Check that the name, address, phone number, and description on each profile match your canonical entity data from Module 1. Pay attention to:
- Name spelling and capitalization
- Address format (abbreviations, suite numbers)
- Phone number format (country code, dashes, parentheses)
- Business description (should be substantively the same)
4. Profile Activity
An inactive profile is worse than no profile. If a social account has not been updated in over a year, it signals abandonment. Either reactivate it with fresh content or consider removing it from your sameAs and visible links.
5. New Profiles
Have you created any new profiles since the last audit? A new Threads account, a new industry directory listing? Add them to your sameAs array and visible links.
The Audit Spreadsheet
Maintain a persistent spreadsheet with the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Platform | LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc. |
| Profile URL | The canonical URL of the profile |
| In sameAs? | Y/N |
| In visible links? | Y/N, and where (footer, about, contact) |
| URL resolves? | Y/N/Redirect |
| Backlink present? | Y/N |
| NAP match? | Y/N (note discrepancies) |
| Last active | Date of last post or update |
| Status | Healthy / Needs fix / Deactivate |
| Audit date | When this row was last checked |
Fixing Common Issues
Broken URL (404)
Remove the URL from sameAs and visible links. If the profile was deleted intentionally, no further action. If accidentally, recover it or create a new one and update all references.
Redirect
Update your sameAs and visible links to point to the final destination URL. A redirect is not an error, but your links should always point to the canonical endpoint.
Missing backlink
Log into the profile and add your website URL. This is the most common issue and the easiest to fix.
NAP inconsistency
Update the profile to match your canonical data. If the profile does not allow edits (e.g., a third-party directory), contact the directory to request a correction.
Inactive profile
Either publish fresh content or, if the platform is no longer relevant to your entity, remove it from sameAs and visible links. Do not keep dead profiles in your entity graph.
Key concept: A link audit is entity hygiene. Like checking smoke detectors or changing oil, it is unglamorous work that prevents catastrophic failure. A quarterly cadence catches problems before they compound. An annual cadence lets rot set in.
Automating Parts of the Audit
Some parts of the audit can be partially automated:
- URL checking: Use a free link checker tool (Screaming Frog, Broken Link Checker, or a simple script) to test all sameAs URLs for 200/301/404 status codes.
- Schema monitoring: Google Search Console's Enhancements reports will flag schema errors automatically.
- NAP monitoring: Tools like BrightLocal, Moz Local, or Yext can monitor NAP consistency across directories.
The parts that cannot be automated are backlink verification (you need to log in and check each profile) and activity assessment (requires judgment about whether a profile is sufficiently active).
Audit Schedule
Set a recurring calendar event for the first week of every quarter. The full audit takes 30 to 60 minutes for a small business with 5-10 profiles. For larger entities with 20+ profiles, budget 2 to 3 hours. The time investment is small compared to the cost of letting your entity graph decay.
Further Reading
- Screaming Frog: Broken Link Checker
- Google Search Console: Overview
- Moz Local: Listing Management
- BrightLocal: Local SEO Auditing Tools
Assignment
Perform your first complete link audit.
- Create the audit spreadsheet with all columns described above.
- Populate it with every profile from your entity graph map.
- Check each row: URL resolution, backlink presence, NAP consistency, activity status.
- Fix every issue you find. For each fix, record what was wrong and what you changed.
- Set a recurring calendar event for the next quarterly audit (3 months from today).
- Write a one-paragraph summary of the audit findings: how many profiles checked, how many issues found, how many fixed.