Rules / link rules

link.internal.absolute

Default

off

Plugin

link

An internal link starts with /, //, or a protocol.

Why: A relative link, such as about/, resolves against the current page, so it breaks when the page moves.

The rule is off by default. Search engines follow relative links, and Google lists ./products/ as a crawlable link. Turn it on to keep every internal link root-relative.

When off: relative links pass.

<!-- ✗ Fails -->
<a href="about/">About</a>

<!-- ✓ Passes -->
<a href="/about/">About</a>

References

• Google: Link best practices: Google lists relative links, such as ./products/, as crawlable, so the rule is off by default.