Audit rules
Unsafe External Target Blank Links
External links that open in a new tab (target="_blank") without rel="noopener" or rel="noreferrer". In a QuikSEO audit, a failure of this rule has info severity and counts against the score. Below are the exact condition, its exceptions and the sources behind it, followed by the other rules of the same group.
links.unsafe_target_blankInfo01 — Definition
How This Rule Is Checked
The rule is a pure function of the fetched page: no extra requests, no account settings. The same input always gives the same result.
Rule Severity and Score
- Rule id
links.unsafe_target_blank- Group
- Links
- Severity of a failure
- Info
- Counts in the score
- Yes, whenever it applies to the page
- Required for a score
- No
- Replaces the check
unsafe_external_links
Condition and Exceptions
- Condition
- Group "Security" in the plan: external target="_blank" links without noopener/noreferrer → fail (info)
- Exceptions
- —
Sources and Project Decision
- Sources
- Links to cross-origin destinations are unsafe (Chrome for Developers, Q17)
HTML Standard, 4.6.8 Link types: noopener (and noreferrer) (WHATWG, Q50) - Project decision
- Listed under "Security" in the plan; kept in the links group with the other link rules and out of the score.
02 — Links
Other Rules in This Group
The other checks of the same group, each with its own condition and sources.
- External Link Countlinks.external_count
- Internal Link Countlinks.internal_count
- Unresolvable Link Hreflinks.unresolvable_href