Exporting an Audit Your Developer Will Actually Use
A report is only useful if someone can act on it. Here is how to hand off an audit cleanly.
An audit is usually fixed by a developer, not the person who ran it, so the export should make their work fast. Always include the source page where each broken link lives, group issues by type and sort by importance, and make the audit easy to re run so the fix list can be confirmed shrinking.
A report is a handoff
An audit rarely gets fixed by the person who runs it. It gets handed to a developer, so its real job is to make their work as clear and quick as possible.
Keep reading: When to Run a Full Link Audit, How a Site Crawl Actually Works, Reading a Redirect Chain Map. See how DeadLinkr helps you on demand link and redirect audits for seo.
Include the source page
The single most useful thing an export can contain is where each broken link lives. A developer who knows the exact page to edit fixes an issue in minutes; one who has to hunt for it does not. Related: How do you handle broken external links on sites you do not control?
Group and prioritize
Grouping issues by type and sorting by importance lets a developer work efficiently, fixing all the redirects together, then the 404s, starting with the pages that matter most.
Make it re runnable
A good handoff ends with a way to confirm the fixes worked. Being able to re run the audit and see the list shrink turns a one time report into a closed loop. Related: Why does a link audit report errors that a normal browser never shows?
- An audit is a handoff to whoever fixes it
- Always include the source page of each issue
- Group by type and sort by importance
- Make it easy to re run and confirm fixes
Julien Jimenez
Julien Jimenez is an independent software builder based in Paris. He designs, ships, and operates focused SaaS products for small businesses and independent professionals. Read the full author page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single most useful thing to include in an audit export?
The source page where each broken link lives. A developer who knows the exact page to edit fixes an issue in minutes, while one who has to hunt for it wastes time.
Why make an audit re runnable?
So the fixes can be confirmed. Re running the audit and seeing the list shrink turns a one time report into a closed loop, proving the work actually resolved the issues.
A deep link audit whenever you need one
On demand link and redirect audits for SEO. DeadLinkr is built to help you put this into practice.
Run an auditMore from the DeadLinkr blog
When to Run a Full Link Audit
How a Site Crawl Actually Works
Reading a Redirect Chain Map
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