Backlink checker

The tool asks a link index for one domain: how many domains link to it (referring domains), how many of those are root domains once subdomains of one linker are counted once, how many link only with nofollow, the total number of links, the index's own rank for the domain on a 0 to 1000 scale, and its spam score across the links. Then it names the twelve strongest linking domains, each with its rank, the number of links from it, and the date the index first saw the link.

The reading above the figures says what the profile is made of: whether a few sites link from every page and inflate the count, whether most linkers are nofollow directories and profiles, and whether the spam score suggests links worth a look.

Links are still how search engines judge which of two similar pages is trusted, and a domain's links are the floor every page on it starts from. The number that matters is domains, not links: a hundred links from one footer are one vote; a hundred domains are a hundred. A profile where most linkers are nofollow (directories, social profiles, comment sections) is a young site's normal profile and a signal to earn a few links from articles and lists.

Run on a rival, the same figures say how far ahead they are and where their links come from. The strongest twelve are the sites that link to products like yours; each is a page to read and a reason to write to them.

• Referring domains is the headline. Under twenty for a product site is early; a few hundred is established for a niche; thousands is a brand.
• Links many times the domains (a thousand links from forty domains) means a few sites link sitewide. The domain count is the honest one.
• Nofollow only at 60 % or more means the profile is directories and profiles. Not a fault; a next step.
• Spam score above 30 means some of the links come from places the index distrusts. Look before you disavow: most are harmless.
• First seen on the strongest twelve shows momentum: a linker from last month is a live channel, one from three years ago is history.
• Rank is the index's own 0 to 1000 scale, comparable between sites inside this tool and not with Domain Authority or Domain Rating.

Example: yourproduct.com shows 185 referring domains, 268 links, 156 domains nofollow only, spam score 42, and a strongest linker that is a startup directory. The reading is a launch profile: listings and profiles, almost no articles. Run the same check on the two closest rivals, and the domains in their strongest twelve that are not in yours are the outreach list.

1. 1

   Check yourself, then two rivals

   Three runs. The gap in referring domains is the distance; the strongest twelve of each rival is the map.

2. 2

   Read the strongest twelve as pages

   Open each linking domain and find the page that links. A list of tools, a comparison, a directory, a partner page: each kind has its own way in.

3. 3

   Ask for the links you are missing

   Lists and comparisons that name two rivals and not you have a reason to add you. One plain email with what the product is and why it belongs on the list.

4. 4

   Turn mentions into links

   Sites that name the product without linking are the easiest asks. A brand search in Google, then this tool to see whether they already link.

5. 5

   Ignore the spam unless it is a pattern

   A few odd domains link to every site. A disavow is for hundreds of them, not a dozen.

One link index, read now. Every index crawls a different part of the web, so this tool, Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz and Search Console each report different figures for one site; compare two sites within one index, never a figure across two. The strongest twelve are shown, not the whole list. Ten checks an hour from one address, two hundred a day in all, because each read is paid for on your behalf. Subdomains of the site count in the totals and are dropped from the strongest linkers.

Each run is a read of the link index that costs a few cents at a provider, so the tool runs for a signed-in account only: a free account, no card, five paid checks a day and forty a month across the paid tools, counted per account. The same input asked twice in a day is answered from memory and is not counted. The free check on the home page is not counted either. A day's budget for the tool as a whole is capped as well, so a busy day ends with a plain message rather than a bill.