diff --git a/R/build-articles.R b/R/build-articles.R
index ceb406d93..d434233ad 100644
--- a/R/build-articles.R
+++ b/R/build-articles.R
@@ -371,7 +371,8 @@ data_articles_index <- function(pkg = ".") {
 
   if (length(missing) > 0) {
     cli::cli_abort(
-      "{length(missing)} vignette{?s} missing from index: {.file {missing}}.",
+      "{length(missing)} vignette{?s} missing from index in \\
+      {pkgdown_config_href({pkg$src_path})}: {.val {missing}}.",
       call = caller_env()
     )
   }
diff --git a/R/build-favicons.R b/R/build-favicons.R
index 066f4dfb7..ed137c686 100644
--- a/R/build-favicons.R
+++ b/R/build-favicons.R
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ build_favicons <- function(pkg = ".", overwrite = FALSE) {
   if (has_favicons(pkg) && !overwrite) {
     cli::cli_inform(c(
       "Favicons already exist in {.path pkgdown}",
-      "i" = "Set {.var overwrite = TRUE} to re-create."
+      "i" = "Set {.code overwrite = TRUE} to re-create."
     ))
     return(invisible())
   }
@@ -78,10 +78,7 @@ build_favicons <- function(pkg = ".", overwrite = FALSE) {
   result <- content$favicon_generation_result
 
   if (!identical(result$result$status, "success")) {
-    cli::cli_abort(c(
-        "API request failed.",
-        "i" = "{.href [Please submit a bug report](https://github.com/r-lib/pkgdown/issues)}"
-    ))
+    cli::cli_abort("API request failed.", .internal = TRUE)
   }
 
   tmp <- tempfile()
diff --git a/R/build-reference-index.R b/R/build-reference-index.R
index 1e0c3dfce..0abdd661a 100644
--- a/R/build-reference-index.R
+++ b/R/build-reference-index.R
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-data_reference_index <- function(pkg = ".") {
+data_reference_index <- function(pkg = ".", error_call = caller_env()) {
   pkg <- as_pkgdown(pkg)
 
   meta <- pkg$meta[["reference"]] %||% default_reference_index(pkg)
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ data_reference_index <- function(pkg = ".") {
 
   has_icons <- purrr::some(rows, ~ .x$row_has_icons %||% FALSE)
 
-  check_missing_topics(rows, pkg)
+  check_missing_topics(rows, pkg, error_call = error_call)
   rows <- Filter(function(x) !x$is_internal, rows)
 
   print_yaml(list(
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ default_reference_index <- function(pkg = ".") {
   ))
 }
 
-check_missing_topics <- function(rows, pkg) {
+check_missing_topics <- function(rows, pkg, error_call = caller_env()) {
   # Cross-reference complete list of topics vs. topics found in index page
   all_topics <- rows %>% purrr::map("names") %>% unlist(use.names = FALSE)
   in_index <- pkg$topics$name %in% all_topics
@@ -133,11 +133,11 @@ check_missing_topics <- function(rows, pkg) {
   missing <- !in_index & !pkg$topics$internal
 
   if (any(missing)) {
-    topics <- paste0(pkg$topics$name[missing], collapse = ", ")
-    abort(c(
+    cli::cli_abort(c(
       "All topics must be included in reference index",
-      `x` = paste0("Missing topics: ", topics),
-      i = "Either add to _pkgdown.yml or use @keywords internal"
-    ))
+      "x" = "Missing topics: {pkg$topics$name[missing]}",
+      i = "Either add to {pkgdown_config_href({pkg$src_path})} or use @keywords internal"
+    ),
+    call = error_call)
   }
 }
diff --git a/R/build.R b/R/build.R
index f455f9b31..14afb5cf5 100644
--- a/R/build.R
+++ b/R/build.R
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ build_site_external <- function(pkg = ".",
     timeout = getOption('pkgdown.timeout', Inf)
   )
 
-  cli::cli_rule(paste0("Finished building pkgdown site for package ", cli::col_blue(pkg$package)))
+  cli::cli_rule("Finished building pkgdown site for package {.pkg {pkg$package}}")
 
   preview_site(pkg, preview = preview)
   invisible()
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ build_site_local <- function(pkg = ".",
 
   pkg <- section_init(pkg, depth = 0, override = override)
 
-  cli::cli_rule(paste0("Building pkgdown site for package ", cli::col_blue(pkg$package)))
+  cli::cli_rule("Building pkgdown site for package {.pkg {pkg$package}}")
   cli::cli_inform("Reading from: {src_path(path_abs(pkg$src_path))}")
   cli::cli_inform("Writing to:   {dst_path(path_abs(pkg$dst_path))}")
 
@@ -453,6 +453,6 @@ build_site_local <- function(pkg = ".",
     build_search(pkg, override = override)
   }
 
-  cli::cli_rule(paste0("Finished building pkgdown site for package ", cli::col_blue(pkg$package)))
+  cli::cli_rule("Finished building pkgdown site for package {.pkg {pkg$package}}")
   preview_site(pkg, preview = preview)
 }
diff --git a/R/check.R b/R/check.R
index 49a1154df..1858ab454 100644
--- a/R/check.R
+++ b/R/check.R
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ check_pkgdown <- function(pkg = ".") {
   data_articles_index(pkg)
   data_reference_index(pkg)
 
-  cli::cli_alert_success("No problems found in {.file {pkgdown_config_relpath(pkg)}}")
+  cli::cli_inform(c(
+    "v" = "No problems found in {pkgdown_config_href({pkg$src_path})}"
+  ))
 }
-
diff --git a/R/package.R b/R/package.R
index 415baf2ef..dfaa04659 100644
--- a/R/package.R
+++ b/R/package.R
@@ -129,6 +129,12 @@ pkgdown_config_path <- function(path) {
     )
   )
 }
+pkgdown_config_href <- function(path) {
+  cli::style_hyperlink(
+    text = "_pkgdown.yml",
+    url = paste0("file://", pkgdown_config_path(path))
+  )
+}
 
 read_meta <- function(path) {
   path <- pkgdown_config_path(path)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/_snaps/build-reference-index.md b/tests/testthat/_snaps/build-reference-index.md
index 13a43f0e2..892130a08 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/_snaps/build-reference-index.md
+++ b/tests/testthat/_snaps/build-reference-index.md
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@
     Code
       data_reference_index(pkg)
     Condition
-      Error in `check_missing_topics()`:
+      Error:
       ! All topics must be included in reference index
-      x Missing topics: c, e, ?
+      x Missing topics: c, e, and ?
       i Either add to _pkgdown.yml or use @keywords internal
 
 # errors well when a content entry is empty
diff --git a/tests/testthat/_snaps/check.md b/tests/testthat/_snaps/check.md
index d90010d88..f1e4bb125 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/_snaps/check.md
+++ b/tests/testthat/_snaps/check.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
     Code
       check_pkgdown(pkg)
     Condition
-      Error in `check_missing_topics()`:
+      Error in `check_pkgdown()`:
       ! All topics must be included in reference index
       x Missing topics: ?
       i Either add to _pkgdown.yml or use @keywords internal
@@ -14,10 +14,12 @@
       check_pkgdown(pkg)
     Condition
       Error in `check_pkgdown()`:
-      ! 2 vignettes missing from index: 'articles/nested' and 'width'.
+      ! 2 vignettes missing from index in _pkgdown.yml: "articles/nested" and "width".
 
 # informs if everything is ok
 
     Code
       check_pkgdown(pkg)
+    Message
+      v No problems found in _pkgdown.yml