Response Codes External Server Error (5xx)

What This Means

An outbound link on this page points to an external URL that returned a 5xx server error during the crawl. The external server received the request but failed to process it.

Why It Matters for SEO

5xx external errors may be temporary — the external site may recover. However, if they persist across multiple crawl runs, it indicates the external resource is consistently unavailable. Persistent 5xx links should be treated similarly to 4xx links — updated or removed.

What the Platform Checks

Records the HTTP response from each external URL. Fires when an external link returns a 5xx response code.

How to Fix It

• Check the external URL manually — if it loads successfully now, the 5xx may have been transient.
• If the external page is consistently returning 5xx: treat it as a broken link and find a replacement or remove the link.
• Monitor persistent 5xx links across audit runs to confirm whether they are transient or permanent.