What is backlink analysis, and how to do it right?

Backlink analysis is the foundation of any serious link building strategy.

It shows you which links move the needle, which ones are holding you back, and where your next link building opportunities are hiding.

We’re going to break down backlink analysis step-by-step – what to look for, what to fix, and how to make sure Google actually trusts your link profile.

Let’s get started.

What is Backlink Analysis?

Backlink analysis is the process of evaluating your website’s backlink profile. It’s like a health check-up for your site’s SEO, specifically focusing on the incoming links pointing to your content.

Whether you’re trying to improve search engine rankings, recover from a penalty, or build a stronger backlink strategy, analyzing backlinks gives you the data to make smarter link building decisions.

Why should you conduct backlink analysis?

Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors. But not all backlinks help – some hurt.

SEO backlink analysis helps you figure out which links are actually boosting your rankings, which ones might be hurting you, and where you’re falling behind competitors.

It helps you:

• Identify valuable backlinks: Spot the dofollow backlinks from authoritative sites that are passing serious link equity.
• Uncover spammy backlinks: Find and disavow harmful, low-quality backlinks that could be hurting your SEO strategy.
• Track your backlink growth over time: And flag any important links that disappear, so your link building efforts don’t go to waste.
• Improve your site’s backlink profile: Ultimately, this process helps you build a robust and healthy profile that Google loves.

When Should You Perform a Backlink Analysis?

If SEO is a game, backlink analysis is your play-by-play review – and you don’t want to skip it. Timing is everything.

You should analyze backlinks:

• Quarterly, I recommend doing a backlink analysis every quarter.
• Before launching a link building campaign, it helps you know where you’re starting and what kind of gains to expect.
• After a sudden dip in rankings or traffic, to detect spammy backlinks or a drop in link quality.
• Post Google algorithm updates, Google may suddenly shift how it values backlinks.
• If you’ve been slapped with a manual penalty, fire up your backlink checker to review your backlink analytics and hunt down toxic links fast. Disavow anything sketchy.
• To benchmark against competitors backlinks. A full competitor backlink analysis can uncover untapped link building opportunities.

How to do backlink analysis?

Let me show you exactly how I do backlink analysis – step-by-step.

Step #1. Choose the site you want to analyze

You may want to start with your own domain. It helps you understand where your site stands before you start building links – so you can actually measure what’s working.

Next, search your target keywords in Google or just plug your domain into a backlink analysis tool (like Ahrefs or Semrush or any free backlink checker) and jot down the top competitors that show up repeatedly – usually 3 to 5 is a good starting point.

Step #2. Select a backlink analysis tool

You can’t run a backlink analysis without a solid backlink tool in your corner.

If I were in your shoes, I’d focus on these.

Tool	Top features	Best for
Google Search Console	Free and straight from Google	Quick backlink snapshots
Ahrefs	Link Intersect, link velocity, broken link alerts	Deep-dive SEO backlink analysis
SEMrush	Detects toxic links + backlink audits	Cleaning up your link profile
Moz	Spam score, anchor text, linking domains	Evaluating backlink quality
Majestic	Historic data + IP diversity	Long-term link trends & diversity checks

For this walkthrough, I’ll be using Ahrefs – it’s my go-to for most link profile analysis work.

Step #3. Analyze the total number of backlinks

Before you build anything, you gotta measure where you stand.

Total backlinks show your link volume. Search engines use this as a key ranking signal.

How to check the total number of backlinks?

1. Open Site Explorer → enter your domain → click Overview
2. You’ll see Total Backlinks, Referring Domains, and DR.

3. View Backlink profile charts to spot unexpected dips (lost links) or spikes (new waves).

Insights to act on

• Balance counts and diversity: A healthy profile has lots of backlinks and diverse referring domains. If one site gives most of the links, you need more variety.
• Benchmark like a boss: Learn how many links and domains your competitors have. If they’re beating you, you know what to chase.
• React fast: Use Ahrefs’ Lost Links report to see if a key page was deleted or redirected and act accordingly.

Step #4. Examine your backlinks-to-linking domains ratio

Let’s define a few key terms first:

• Backlinks: The total number of inbound links your site has.
• Linking domains: The number of unique websites linking to your site.

If you have 5,000 backlinks from just 15 domains, it doesn’t look natural.
In fact, it could signal to search engines that your website is… suspicious.

That’s because:

• Spammy backlinks often come in bulk from the same domains.
• Google values diverse referring domains far more than just “more links.”

Think of it this way: Would you trust a product if only one blogger said it was great… 400 times? Or if 100 different experts gave it a shoutout?

Exactly. Search engines work the same way.

What’s a healthy backlinks-to-linking domains ratio?

There’s no fixed number – but a general benchmark many SEO professionals aim for is:

Backlinks-to-domains ratio between 2:1 and 5:1.

That means for every referring domain, you should have just a few backlinks, not hundreds.

How to check backlinks-to-domains ratio in Ahrefs?

To analyze backlinks at this level, follow these steps:

1. In the left sidebar, click on “Backlinks”.
2. You’ll see two key metrics right away:

• Total Backlinks

• Referring Domains

3. Divide the number of backlinks by referring domains to get your ratio.

If you see something like 10,000 backlinks from 100 domains (a 100:1 ratio), it’s time to dig deeper and check backlinks for patterns.

What to do if your backlinks-to-domain ratio looks unnatural?

If your site’s backlink profile is skewed, here’s how to balance it:

• Audit spammy backlinks using a backlink checker
• Disavow toxic links that look artificial or manipulative
• Shift your link building strategy toward:
  • Guest blogging
  • Podcast mentions
  • Digital PR
  • Resource page outreach
• Focus on earning high-quality backlinks from multiple domains in your niche

Step #4. Segment unique referring domains

When it comes to backlink analysis, here’s a common trap: focusing only on the total number of backlinks. But here’s the catch…

Google doesn’t just look at the volume of incoming links. They weigh the diversity of your referring domains – the number of unique websites linking back to your site. And for good reason:

A thousand links from one website? Meh.
A hundred links from a hundred trusted websites? Gold.

A strong link profile includes links from different domains, industries, and content types – that’s what Google sees as natural.

How to segment referring domains?

Here’s a step-by-step to check your website’s backlinks diversity:

1. In the left sidebar, click on “Referring Domains.”
2. You’ll see a complete list of websites linking to yours. Now, review domain diversity.

3. Spot over-concentration

Are 40% of your backlinks coming from just one site? That’s a red flag. A healthy link profile spreads out link sources.

What to do after segmenting referring domains?

Once you’ve analyzed your domain spread in Ahrefs, here’s how to turn those insights into action:

• Diversify your sources: If one site accounts for 30%+ of your backlinks, start building links from new, authoritative domains.
• Benchmark against competitors: Plug their site into Ahrefs’ Batch Analysis and look at the referring domains. Look for patterns. That’s your roadmap to successful link building.
• Run a link intersect: Find sites linking to your competitors but not you. Those are ripe link opportunities.
• Track referring domain growth: Track the growth monthly – it’s a key SEO metric.

Step #5. Check the follow vs. nofollow ratio

Not all backlinks are created equal. Some pass authority to your site. Others don’t.

But both have a role in a balanced link profile, and that’s exactly what Google wants to see.

What’s the ideal follow vs. nofollow ratio?

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. But based on industry analysis, a 60:40 or 70:30 ratio of Follow to Nofollow links tends to look the most natural.

How to analyze dofollow-to-nofollow link ratio?

Here’s how to conduct backlink analysis to spot your Follow/Nofollow distribution using Ahrefs’ backlink analysis tool:

1. Click on “Backlinks” in the left sidebar.
2. Use the filters:
3. Set one filter to “Dofollow”.

4. Then switch to “Nofollow”.

5. Compare the numbers side by side.

You’ll get an instant snapshot of your links distribution and whether you need to balance it out.

What to do after checking follow vs. nofollow ratio?

Once you’ve analyzed the ratio using Ahrefs, here’s how to make it work for your SEO strategy:

• Too many follow links? Sprinkle in a few nofollow links from trusted directories, citations, or niche communities.
• Too many nofollow links? Time to go hunting. If your content’s link-worthy, don’t let it rot. Revive it, re-promote it, and get it in front of publishers that already link to your competitors.
• Stack it up against your competitors. Use tools like Ahrefs’ Batch Analysis to see how your ratio compares in your space. Are you underpowered or over-optimized?
• Focus on natural link velocity. Don’t sprint. Link building is a marathon. Focus on earning links from sites your audience actually trusts – even if it’s just a few per month.

Step #6. Check Domain Rating (DR)/Domain Authority (DA)

These are credibility scores assigned by SEO tools to predict how likely a site is to rank in search engine results:

• Domain Rating (DR): Used by Ahrefs. Ranges from 1 to 100.
• Domain Authority (DA): Developed by Moz. Also scored 1 to 100.

The higher the score, the stronger the site’s link equity, and the more SEO value that backlink passes to your domain.

How to analyze the DR of your backlinks?

You can use any backlink checker tool, but here’s how to do it in Ahrefs:

1. Open Site Explorer → Enter your domain.
2. Navigate to Backlinks
3. Use filters to sort your backlinks by DR.

Export the data and chart it like this:

DR Range	# of Backlinks	Action
70+	Valuable backlinks – keep and monitor
50–69	Great for link authority – prioritize getting more
20–49	Mixed bag – check for spammy backlinks
0–19	Low quality – consider disavow if irrelevant or suspicious

You’ll likely notice that some backlinks pointing to your site are from extremely low DR/DA websites. That’s normal – but if too many fall in that range, it’s not good.

What to do with low-DR/DA backlinks?

Not all low-DR backlinks are bad. Even some nofollow links from community-driven sites (like Reddit or Quora) are natural, safe, and bring targeted traffic to your website. But others?

If they’re irrelevant, auto-generated, or clearly spammy, disavow them.

To do that:

• Gather the spammy domains
• Create a disavow file (a .txt list of toxic domains)
• Upload it in Google Search Console under the Disavow Links Tool

Tip: Don’t go disavowing links just because their DR is low – check the page first.

When you’re cleaning up toxic links, powerful tools like Semrush and Ahrefs make it easy to flag what doesn’t belong.

Step #7. Check link relevance and topical alignment

Google uses multiple factors to evaluate link trustworthiness, including topical signals.

Your most important backlinks are from sites in your niche, placed inside relevant content, and written like a human would click them. That’s the essence of contextual link building.

You can have a backlink from a DR 80 website. But if that site talks about gardening and you sell cloud software, it’s not doing you any real favors.

Why? Because Google cares deeply about topical consistency. They’re constantly trying to connect users with the most relevant content. And irrelevant backlinks pointing to your site? They can confuse that signal, or worse, dilute your authority in your actual niche.

Use a backlink checker tool to speed up your analysis

Backlink checker tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz allow you to:

• Filter by referring domains in your niche
• Review page-level content linking to you

• Identify irrelevant or off-topic backlinks

If needed, flag irrelevant backlinks as part of your backlink cleanup strategy, especially if they appear manipulative or unnatural.

How to approach backlink relevance?

Here’s how I approach link relevance during a backlink analysis:

1. Review the linking domain: Does this website cover topics related to your industry, product, or audience?
2. Examine the linking page: Is the page that’s linking to you part of a blog, resource page, or editorial content in your niche?
3. Check anchor context: Look at the sentence or paragraph where the anchor text lives. Does the surrounding text make sense contextually?
4. Ask the key question: Would your ideal customer visit this page and click that link? If yes, that’s a valuable backlink.

Step #8. Group your backlinks by type

Because different types of links carry different weights in the eyes of Google.

The main backlink types to track:

When you analyze backlinks, bucket them into these five common categories:

Link Type	Description	SEO Value
Editorial	Links placed naturally in relevant content	High
Resource/Directory	Listings on niche resource pages or directories	Moderate
UGC (User-Generated Content)	Forum posts, blog comments, community wikis	Low
Profile Links	From business listings, author bios, forums, etc.	Low to Moderate
Sponsored or Affiliate Links	Paid placements or affiliate mentions	Needs rel=“sponsored” for compliance

How to segment and evaluate backlinks by type?

1. Export your backlinks using a backlink checker tool (like Ahrefs, Semrush, or any free backlink checker tool).
2. Tag each link by its type (editorial, directory, UGC, etc.).
3. Check backlinks for patterns:
   • Are most backlinks coming from the same type?
   • Are they coming from low-authority sites or thin directories?
   • Do you have enough editorial backlinks from trusted, niche-relevant sources?

What to do next?

• If most backlinks are from directories or UGC, it’s time to pivot – target more editorial and guest post links.
• Use this data to shape your next link building strategy and find fresh link building opportunities.

Step #9. Analyze anchor text diversity

Yep, those clickable words that point to your site aren’t just for show – they’re key ranking signals for search engines and vital context clues for users.

What are the different types of anchor text?

Anchor Text Type	Example	SEO Value	Notes
Exact-match	backlink analysis	High	Powerful but can trigger spam signals if overused
Partial-match	tool for backlink analysis	High	Safer way to include keywords
Branded	YourBrand	Moderate	Good for brand signals
Naked URL	https://yoursite.com	Low	Natural but not keyword-rich
Generic	Click here, Read more	Low	Avoid when possible
Image alt text	(linked images with alt tags)	Varies	Google uses alt text as anchor substitute

A healthy link profile has a balanced mix of these anchor types.

How to check your anchor text distribution in Ahrefs?

1. Navigate to the “Anchors” report inside Ahrefs.
2. Filter by top referring domains to see which anchor text phrases are being used most often.

What to do with this data?

Identify:

• Are most anchors brand names? Keep them. These are great for trust signals.
• Too many exact-match keywords? Vary your anchors with branded, generic (“click here”), or partial-match text to balance things out.
• Any backlinks using irrelevant or foreign-language text? Consider disavowing these using Google’s Disavow Tool.

Step #10. Identify broken backlinks

You work hard to build quality backlinks – but what if some of those valuable links are pointing… nowhere?

Broken backlinks happen when another site links to a page on your domain… that doesn’t exist anymore.

• You lose the referral traffic those links could’ve brought.
• Google devalues those backlink signals, reducing your domain authority.
• Broken links can make your site harder to crawl and index properly.

In short, it’s a lost opportunity. But the good news? It’s fixable – and faster than earning new backlinks from scratch.

How to find broken links:

1. Filter your backlink data to show only:
   • Links pointing to 404 pages
   • Redirect chains (multiple 301s in a row)
   • URLs with no response or server errors
2. Review metrics like:
   • Referring domains
   • Anchor text
   • URL status code
   • Link quality

This gives you a list of broken backlinks worth fixing, starting with those from high-authority domains or pages with the most backlinks.

How to reclaim lost backlinks?

Once you’ve found those dead links, here’s how to reclaim them:

Option 1: Reach out to the linking site

Politely ask the webmaster to update the broken link to the correct or updated page. This works best if the link is recent or from an authoritative source.

Option 2: Redirect the broken page

If that old URL still has value, create a 301 redirect to a relevant, working page. This preserves the link equity and smooths out the user experience.

Option 3: Recreate the missing content

If it was an important page, consider rebuilding it with fresh content. Then, reclaim the backlink by doing link building outreach to the referrer.

Step #11. Identify your top-linked pages

Pop your domain into Ahrefs backlink analysis tool.

Then navigate to:

• Pages → Best by Links

You’ll see a list of your pages with the highest number of backlinks or referring domains. These are your top-linked pages – aka your linkable assets.

What to do with the top pages’ data?

• Identify the content format (guide, tool, original data, etc.) that earned the most backlinks.
• Analyze if the content solves a real problem or offers something uniquely valuable.
• Use these insights to repurpose, refresh, or expand content that’s working – this is where the real link opportunities are hiding.

Benchmarking your backlinks against competitors

You’ve got your own backlink profile under the microscope. Now, let’s turn that lens on your competitors.

So, how do you get this competitive edge?

1. Quick Scan Key Metrics:
   • DR: How strong is their overall profile?
   • Total Backlinks & Referring Domains: How do their numbers compare to yours? Are they getting a lot of links from a diverse set of websites?
   • Top Linked Pages: Which of their content pieces are attracting the most incoming links? This can spark ideas for your own content.
2. Look for Patterns: Do they get many links from guest posts? Are there particular resource pages they’re listed on? This helps you understand their backlink strategy.

A high-level competitor backlink analysis gives you actionable insights without getting lost in the weeds.

SaaSMonks help businesses maintain a solid backlink profile

Conducting in-depth backlink analysis, finding broken links, tracking competitors, and scaling link-worthy content is a full-time job. That’s where our expert link building services come in.

At SaaSMonks, we help SaaS brands clean up spammy backlinks, reclaim lost ones, and uncover untapped link opportunities. We analyze what content earns links in your niche and scale it into repeatable wins – think guest posts, digital PR, and resource link building.

Most importantly, we keep your backlink profile healthy, updated, and aligned with your long-term SEO strategy. No fluff. Just clean, strategic links that actually move the needle.

Wrapping up

Backlink analysis in SEO isn’t a one-time task – it’s an ongoing habit.

You’ve now got the full playbook: audit your backlinks, compare competitors, spot spammy links, reclaim lost ones, and double down on content that earns links.

The key? Keep your link profile clean, strategic, and evolving.

Make backlink analysis a regular part of your SEO strategy. Your rankings and your traffic will thank you.

Got questions about backlink checker tools or spotting low-quality links?

Drop them below. We’d love to hear how you approach backlink analysis and what insights you’re walking away with from this article.