Failure mode: the linking page itself is dead

Failure mode: the linking page itself is dead
Mistake: you find a broken link, but the page hosting it is also 404 or orphaned. No editor will ever touch it. Pure throughput waste.
Fix QA gate (run before outreach):
— 1. For each prospect, check the status of the LINKING page, not just the target.
— 2. Linking page 4xx → drop, no recovery path.
— 3. Linking page live but last-modified >3 years and no recent posts → flag "abandoned," deprioritize.
— 4. Linking page has a live contact/author byline → keep, high priority.
— 5. QA gate: every prospect must pass linking-page liveness + a recency signal.
Automation: batch HEAD request on linking URLs; scrape last-modified or visible date.
Definition of done: zero prospects where the host page is dead or abandoned.