How To Do Backlink Audits & Why They’re Important

Backlinks are frequently disregarded, probably because we have less control over them than we would like. But, they rank among the most significant SEO ranking variables.

There are a lot of websites that spread spam online. These kinds of websites frequently find your own website and link back to it. By using backlink audits, you can determine the types of sources connecting to you and whether or not they are trustworthy websites.

If you aren’t currently carrying out backlink audits, now is the time to start, and we will show you how…

Step 1 – Find ALL Your Backlinks

Making a list of all the current backlinks to your site is the first step in conducting routine backlink audits. Fortunately, there are many tools available to aid with this process. Choose if you want to utilise a free tool or spend money on a more extensive resource. The procedure will be a little bit easier if you choose the latter. But with a free tool, regular backlink audits are still possible. However, you can carry out backlink audits manually, just a little more effort will be required.

Step 2 – Analyse Backlink Quality

If you’re using a backlink audits tool (SEMRush, Mox Pro or similar), links that can be harmful to your site will be immediately reported to you. With a free tool, this process becomes slightly more challenging, but still manageable. You should examine each backlink for the following:

Referring Domain – This is the website’s address where your backlink can be found. Is this spam? Or a quality domain?

Anchor TextKeep an eye on the anchor text that each backlink is using. This phrase serves as the link’s anchor text. A precise URL for an anchor text is typically a warning sign of a spammy website.

Domain Authority – This statistic is crucial for assessing the value of links. DA essentially refers to a site’s position on search engine results pages (SERPs). The quality of the backlink increases with the DA. However, a backlink’s low DA doesn’t automatically imply that it is a poor quality connection. These kinds of links can occasionally point to later, more reliable links. After all, you have to start somewhere.

Step 3 – Check for Duplicate Backlinks

Sites that may link to your pages dozens or even hundreds of times are other things to watch out for. These websites are frequently spammy. As a reference, pay attention to websites that include your domain in their footer. Even though it may seem innocent, this might provide you with hundreds of links from a subpar website that might hurt your SEO.

Make a note of all sites that might be harmful. You may have a large number if this is your first time performing a backlink audit. Do not be alarmed; this is common. These links will be a lot simpler to monitor once your regular backlink audits process has been implemented.

Step 4 – Remove Toxic Links

It’s time to take action now that you have a list of detrimental websites that link to your website. You should separate your listings into two groups: low-quality links and link spam. Low-quality backlinks differ from those from spam sites in that they are still lawful but have an adverse effect on your backlink profile. Spammy websites are unquestionably useless and are not worth your attention.

However, it’s crucial to contact the site proprietors of these substandard websites because doing so could result in penalties from Google. When you can, get in touch with them and respectfully request that they take your link down. It goes without saying that you’ll want to record your reactions and your efforts. You will be forced to disavow these sites if your outreach is failing to provide any results.

Step 5 – Make Sure to Keep Hold of Quality Backlinks

You’ve probably observed a few high-quality, reputable sites referring to your website during the backlink audit process. Therefore, it’s crucial to keep track of these websites and leverage the naturally occurring links they have as a foundation for future link-building techniques. Any high-quality links should be noted, and you should think about contacting some of the site owners to introduce yourself.

Think about the kinds of reputable websites that are linked to you, then come up with a list of additional, possibly complementary websites. When genuine, backlinks are incredibly valuable. It’s crucial that your backlink audit doesn’t just concentrate on getting rid of spammy links. Use it to develop a thorough backlink-building strategy as well.

When you believe your backlink audit is finished, it isn’t!

Backlink audits are never just a tick-the-box task; a significant portion of the procedure involves regularly assessing and evaluating your results. Watch for any increase in website traffic or search rank as a result of your efforts. Also, don’t overlook email outreach. Has anyone responded to your request? Did you follow up? Perhaps they took down your link without saying anything.

You can monitor the outcomes of your backlink audits by setting up a schedule for doing them, and with regular maintenance, you can be sure that you won’t ever have to sift through tens of thousands of backlinks again.

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building strong links?