Even one toxic backlink can damage your search rankings.
Backlinks are meant to boost your SEO, but links from spammy, irrelevant, or low-quality sites do the opposite. If left unchecked, they can trigger Google penalties, reduce your authority, and quietly harm your site’s visibility.
That’s why a regular backlink audit is essential.
It helps you find and fix harmful links, protect your rankings, and maintain a clean, trusted link profile. Whether you’re recovering from a traffic drop or just want to improve your link quality, an audit gives you the control you need.
In this Guide, You’ll Learn
- What a backlink audit is and why it matters
- How to run a step-by-step audit using top SEO tools
- Ways to identify high-quality vs. toxic backlinks
- Common mistakes to avoid during cleanup
- How to keep your backlink profile healthy over time
What Is a Backlink Audit?
A backlink audit means checking all the websites that link to your site to find out which ones help or hurt your SEO.
Not all backlinks are good. Some come from spammy, unrelated, or low-quality websites. These bad links—called toxic backlinks—can lower your rankings or even cause Google penalties. A backlink audit helps you find and remove them before they do damage.
Here’s what a backlink audit usually includes:
- Finding all your backlinks using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush
- Checking if those links are from trusted, relevant websites
- Spotting links that look suspicious or harmful
- Removing or disavowing toxic backlinks to protect your site
Doing this regularly keeps your backlink profile clean and improves your site’s trust with Google.
Not sure what backlinks are? Read our What Are Backlinks? guide to learn more.
Understood! Here’s the same section with more explanation added—still in clear, simple English without exaggeration or analogies:
Why Are Backlink Audits Important for SEO?
Backlink audits help you find and remove harmful links that can damage your website’s SEO.
Search engines like Google use backlinks to judge your site’s trust and relevance. But if your site has too many spammy or irrelevant links, Google may see it as risky. This can lead to lower rankings—or worse, a penalty.
Here’s why regular backlink audits are important:
- Protect your rankings: Audits help remove toxic backlinks before they harm your visibility. Some harmful links can affect how your site appears in search results.
- Fix traffic drops: If your traffic suddenly falls, a backlink issue could be the cause. Regular audits help you find and fix this early.
- Boost SEO strength: Cleaning up bad links helps your good backlinks work better. It improves the overall quality of your link profile.
- Avoid Google penalties: Staying ahead of low-quality links keeps your site safe. Google’s spam updates often target websites with unnatural backlink patterns.
- Build trust: A clean link profile tells Google your site is reliable and worth ranking. It also makes future link-building efforts more effective.
Without backlink audits, you may miss harmful links that slowly reduce your site’s performance. That’s why audits are not optional—they’re an important part of long-term SEO success.
Best SEO Tools for Conducting a Backlink Audit
To run a complete backlink audit, you need tools that provide accurate link data, detect spammy backlinks, and help manage your link profile.
Each tool below plays a different role in the audit process. Some offer raw data, while others help you evaluate link quality and export disavow files. Using more than one tool gives you better insights and cleaner results.
1. Google Search Console (Best Free Source of Verified Data)
Google Search Console (GSC) shows the backlinks that Google actually recognizes for your site. It’s a free tool from Google and a great place to start.
Key Features
- View your top linking sites, pages, and anchor text under the “Links” tab
- Export complete backlink lists in CSV format
- Monitor new links and changes over time
Best Use Case
- Reviewing which backlinks Google indexes
- Free backlink data for small websites
- First step before using advanced tools
Limitations
- No spam detection or toxicity metrics
- Requires manual analysis for link quality
Extra Tip: Use GSC to confirm whether toxic links found in other tools are also seen by Google.
2. Ahrefs (Best for Deep Link Audits & Competitor Analysis)
Ahrefs is a premium SEO tool known for its large backlink database and in-depth metrics.
Key Features
- Use Site Explorer to view all inbound links and domain strength
- Detect broken, lost, or spammy links
- Analyze dofollow/nofollow ratios and anchor text usage
- Access “Link Intersect” to compare your backlinks with competitors
Best Use Case
- Full audits for large or established websites
- Finding and fixing link quality issues
- Uncovering new link-building opportunities
Limitations
- No free version; requires a subscription
- May be complex for beginners
Extra Tip: Use Ahrefs to prioritize which toxic backlinks should be disavowed based on Domain Rating (DR).
3. SEMrush Backlink Audit (Best for Toxic Link Management & Disavow Files)
🔗 Visit SEMrush Backlink Audit Tool
SEMrush offers a dedicated Backlink Audit tool that flags potentially harmful links using dozens of known risk signals.
Key Features
- Assigns a Toxic Score to each backlink based on 45+ signals
- Categorizes links as “Keep,” “Remove,” or “Disavow”
- Generates and exports a disavow file ready for Google
- Connects with Google Search Console for more accurate auditing
Best Use Case
- Sites with past penalties or spam link issues
- Businesses looking for an easy disavow workflow
- SEO agencies handling multiple audits
Limitations
- Requires a paid account
- Works best when linked to Google Search Console
Extra Tip: SEMrush’s automatic disavow list saves time when you have hundreds of bad links to remove.
4. Moz Link Explorer (Best for Spam Risk Checks & Link Metrics)
Moz provides backlink analysis through its Link Explorer tool, with easy-to-read metrics for link quality and risk.
Key Features
- Detect risky links using Spam Score
- Check Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA)
- Review anchor text variety and link distribution
Best Use Case
- Beginners running quick link health checks
- Small teams checking for spammy domains
- Content marketers monitoring link impact
Limitations
- Smaller index than Ahrefs or SEMrush
- Fewer filtering options for advanced users
Extra Tip: Use Moz to catch unusual spikes in low-quality backlinks before they impact rankings.
Final Note
For best results, use a combination of tools. Start with Google Search Console to get verified data. Then, use Ahrefs or SEMrush for deep link audits and cleanup. Moz adds value by quickly flagging spam risks.
Backlink Audit Tool Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Key Features | Free Access | Toxic Link Detection | Disavow File Support |
| Google Search Console | Verified backlink data from Google | Link reports, anchor text, export to CSV | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Ahrefs | Deep audits & competitor analysis | DR/UR metrics, broken links, anchor ratios, link intersect | ❌ No | ⚠️ Manual | ❌ No |
| SEMrush Backlink Audit | Toxic link detection & disavow process | Toxic Score, auto-disavow file, link categorization, GSC integration | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Moz Link Explorer | Spam risk checks & authority metrics | Spam Score, DA/PA metrics, link types, anchor breakdown | ⚠️ Limited Free Plan | ⚠️ Basic (Spam Score) | ❌ No |
How to Perform a Backlink Audit (Step-by-Step Guide)
A backlink audit is a step-by-step process to identify and fix harmful backlinks that could be hurting your site’s SEO performance.
Toxic links from spammy, irrelevant, or low-quality websites can lead to ranking drops—or even a Google penalty. This guide will help you clean up your link profile and maintain strong SEO health over time.
Step 1: Gather All Your Backlink Data
You can’t fix what you can’t see. Start by collecting a complete list of all backlinks pointing to your site.
No single tool gives you everything, so use a combination:
- Google Search Console – Free and reliable source for what Google indexes.
- Ahrefs – Known for its massive backlink index and link quality insights.
- SEMrush – Offers toxicity scoring and disavow file generation.
- Moz Link Explorer – Provides Spam Score and domain authority data.
Action Plan
- Export backlink lists from each tool in CSV format.
- Combine all lists into a master spreadsheet using Excel or Google Sheets.
- Clean duplicates and retain key columns like:
- Referring domain
- Target URL
- Anchor text
- Link type (dofollow/nofollow)
- Domain rating or authority
- Spam or toxicity score
Why it matters: Tools like GSC may miss what Ahrefs finds, and vice versa. Combining sources gives you complete visibility.
Tip: Label each tab by tool and date for easy tracking in future audits.
Step 2: Evaluate Link Quality
Now it’s time to assess which links are helping and which ones might be holding your site back.
Here’s what to look for:
- Domain Authority / Rating: Use Ahrefs (DR) or Moz (DA). Scores under 10 may be weak unless contextually relevant.
- Relevance: Is the linking site related to your niche? For example, a fitness site linking to a car dealership makes little sense.
- Anchor Text Usage: Look for a natural mix of branded, generic, and partial-match anchors. Too many exact-match keywords can signal manipulation.
- Placement: In-content links carry more SEO value than links in sidebars, footers, or comment sections.
- Link Type: Focus on dofollow links—they pass link equity, whether good or bad.
How to Do It
Sort your spreadsheet by authority or filter by keyword in anchor text (e.g., “casino,” “viagra,” “cheap”). Look for patterns and flag suspicious links.
Step 3: Identify Toxic & Spammy Backlinks
Toxic backlinks are those that pose SEO risks due to their low trust, irrelevance, or unnatural patterns.
Common Signs of Toxic Links
- Links from private blog networks (PBNs), link farms, or bulk directories
- Over-optimized anchor text like “buy cheap watches online”
- Links from irrelevant, foreign-language, or deindexed sites
- Backlinks from pages with auto-generated or scraped content
- Multiple links from the same server or IP block
Use Your Tools to Detect Risks
- Ahrefs: Filter by low DR (<10) and look for sudden spikes in backlink growth.
- SEMrush: Check the Toxic Score with 45+ markers, including anchor overuse and domain authority gaps.
- Moz Spam Score: Evaluates each domain against 27 spam flags.
Moz Spam Score Explained
Among the many tools that estimate link risk, Moz Spam Score is one of the most reliable. It evaluates websites based on 27 spam flags—signals commonly found on low-quality or manipulative sites.
These flags include factors like:
- Low domain authority and few inbound links
- No SSL (non-HTTPS)
- Lack of branded anchor text
- Thin or low-value content
- Overuse of exact-match outbound links
Spam Score Ranges
- 1–30%: Low risk — generally safe
- 31–60%: Medium risk — manual review recommended
- 61% and above: High risk — often indicates toxic or spammy domains
Expert Tip: From experience, we recommend sticking to backlinks with a Spam Score below 30%. If the score is higher, manually inspect the linking site.
If it looks relevant and high quality, it may still be safe. But if it’s off-topic, poorly designed, or filled with low-effort content—add it to your disavow list.
You can check Spam Scores using Moz Link Explorer or within tools like SEMrush that incorporate third-party metrics..
View full Moz Spam Score documentation
Step 4: Remove or Disavow Harmful Backlinks
Once you’ve identified toxic links, decide how to deal with them.
Option A: Manual Removal
- Visit the linking domain.
- Look for a contact email or use Hunter.io to find one.
- Send a short, polite request:
“Hi, I noticed a backlink to my site ([Your URL]) from [Their Page]. Could you please remove it or add a nofollow tag? Thank you.”
If they don’t respond after a follow-up, move to disavow.
Option B: Disavow with Google
- Create a .txt file with domains (e.g., domain:spammysite.com) or specific links.
- Upload it to Google’s Disavow Tool.
- Keep a backup and update the file as needed.
Reminder: Only disavow links that you’re sure are unnatural or harmful. Disavowing good links can harm your rankings.
Step 5: Monitor Your Backlink Profile Regularly
A single audit won’t protect your SEO forever. Backlink profiles change constantly.
When to re-audit
- Every 3–6 months
- After Google core algorithm updates
- If you notice a sudden drop in rankings or traffic
- Following link-building campaigns or guest posting efforts
Tools for ongoing monitoring
- Ahrefs Alerts: Notifies you of new or lost backlinks.
- SEMrush Link Monitoring: Tracks toxicity trends over time.
- Google Search Console: Alerts you to unnatural links or manual actions.
What to track over time
- New vs. lost backlinks
- Changes in authority scores (DR/DA)
- Increases in spam signals
- Progress of disavow efforts
Keep Your Link Profile Clean
Running a backlink audit isn’t a one-time fix—it’s part of maintaining your site’s health and authority. Clean up spammy links, reinforce quality ones, and keep your backlink profile aligned with Google’s standards.
Ready to go deeper? Next, we’ll show you how to spot high-quality vs. low-quality backlinks—so you know what to keep and what to avoid in future link-building efforts.
How to Identify High-Quality vs. Low-Quality Backlinks
Good backlinks help your website rank higher. Bad backlinks can hurt it. Knowing the difference is key to protecting your SEO.
A high-quality backlink comes from a trusted, relevant website. It tells Google your content is useful and reliable. A low-quality or toxic backlink comes from spammy, irrelevant, or suspicious websites. These can lower your rankings or cause search engines to distrust your site.
Let’s look at both types more closely.
What Makes a High-Quality Backlink?
High-quality backlinks usually have these features:
- Relevance: The website linking to you should be related to your topic or industry.
Example: A technology blog linking to your software company is considered relevant. - Authority: The linking site has a strong reputation. This is measured by tools like Moz (Domain Authority) or Ahrefs (Domain Rating).
Try to get links from websites with DA or DR scores above 30. However, even lower-authority sites can be helpful if they are trusted and relevant. - Real Traffic: The linking site should receive regular visitors. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can show this data.
A site with no traffic may be inactive or removed from Google’s index. - Natural Anchor Text: The text used in the link should look natural. Good examples include your brand name or neutral phrases like “learn more” or “visit site.”
Avoid links that use exact-match keywords repeatedly, as this may look unnatural to search engines. - Contextual Placement: Links placed inside useful content (like a blog post) are better than links in a footer or sidebar.
These in-content links are more likely to be trusted by Google. - Dofollow Tag: Dofollow links pass SEO value to your site. Nofollow links don’t directly improve rankings, but they can still drive traffic.
A healthy backlink profile includes both types, but dofollow links are more important for rankings.
What Are Signs of a Low-Quality Backlink?
Low-quality or toxic backlinks often show these warning signs:
- Irrelevant Topics: The website has nothing to do with your business or industry.
Example: A gambling website linking to a healthcare service is not considered relevant and may look suspicious.* - Low Authority: Domains with very low DR/DA (under 10) and no visitors are usually poor-quality sources.
If many such links point to your site, they can create a pattern that search engines don’t trust. - Spammy Anchor Text: Links with repeated, keyword-stuffed phrases like “buy cheap watches online” are often seen as manipulative.
- Poor Site Quality: The linking website has low-quality content, a bad design, or too many ads.
If the site looks unprofessional or unfinished, its links probably don’t help your SEO. - Deindexed Domains: If the domain doesn’t show up in a Google search (site:domain.com), it may have been penalized or removed.
Links from these sites are not useful and may be harmful. - Unusual Link Growth: If your site suddenly gets hundreds of backlinks from unrelated, low-quality sites, it could be part of a spam campaign.
Monitor such cases closely and be ready to take action.
How to Decide: Keep, Remove, or Disavow?
Use this simple checklist to decide what to do:
- Keep the link if the site is relevant, the link looks natural, and the source is trustworthy—even if the DA is low.
- Monitor the link if it’s from a weaker source but not clearly spammy.
- Remove or disavow the link if it’s irrelevant, clearly spammy, or comes from a suspicious site.
Common Backlink Audit Mistakes to Avoid
Even professionals can make simple mistakes during a backlink audit. These errors can lower your search rankings or even lead to penalties from Google. To keep your website safe and improve SEO, it’s important to avoid the most common backlink audit issues.
Here are the main mistakes you should watch out for:
Disavowing Too Many Backlinks
Some site owners remove too many links because they look unfamiliar or have low authority. But not all low-DA links are harmful. A small website in your niche can still be a good link. If you disavow helpful links, your site may lose trust and rankings. Always check the quality and relevance of the site before disavowing it. It’s better to keep a slightly weak but natural link than to remove one that helps your topic relevance.
Relying Only on Toxicity Scores
Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs show toxicity scores, but they are not always right. A domain marked as “toxic” may be perfectly fine if it’s relevant and has useful content. Don’t disavow links just because a tool flags them. Always visit the linking site and check it yourself before making a decision. These tools are helpful for prioritizing review but should never replace manual judgment.
Ignoring Anchor Text Distribution
Using the same anchor text again and again—especially keyword-rich phrases—can hurt your SEO. Google may see it as spam. A natural link profile uses different types of anchors, such as your brand name, “click here,” or general phrases. During audits, check if your anchor texts are too repetitive. If most of your backlinks use exact keywords, it’s a sign to adjust your link-building strategy.
Overlooking Link Velocity
If your site gains too many backlinks too fast, or loses many at once, it can look unnatural. Google expects slow, steady growth. During an audit, check how your links have grown over time. Sudden changes might mean a spam attack or a risky link-building strategy. Tracking this over several months can help you catch unusual patterns early.
Not Checking If Linking Domains Are Indexed
Sometimes backlinks come from websites that are not even in Google’s index. These links won’t help your rankings and might be harmful. You can check by searching site:domain.com. If nothing shows up, the domain is probably deindexed and should be reviewed carefully. Links from deindexed sites often indicate low trust or penalties, so it’s best to avoid them.
Skipping Competitor Backlink Research
If you don’t look at your competitors’ backlinks, you miss out on strong link opportunities. Your competitors might already have links from trusted blogs or media sites in your industry. Reviewing their profiles helps you find similar places to earn backlinks for your own site. This research also gives insight into what’s working well in your niche and where your strategy might need improvement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, keeping your backlink profile clean is critical for maintaining SEO health. Harmful links can damage rankings, reduce trust, and even lead to search engine penalties. A proper audit helps you catch these issues early.
Using the right tools, analyzing links carefully, and avoiding common mistakes can make a big difference. Focus on quality over quantity. Check every link for relevance, authority, and risk. Be consistent and review your backlinks regularly.
Even one strong backlink can help your rankings. One bad link, if ignored, can do the opposite.
Ready to take control of your backlink profile? Start your audit with T-RANKS today and remove toxic links before they affect your SEO.
FAQs About Backlink Audits
What is a backlink audit?
A backlink audit is a process of analyzing all the links pointing to your website to find and fix harmful or low-quality backlinks.
It helps ensure your link profile is clean, natural, and safe from penalties. The audit involves collecting data, evaluating link sources, and removing or disavowing spammy or irrelevant links.
Why do I need to audit my backlinks?
Backlink audits help improve rankings, avoid penalties, and maintain a healthy SEO profile.
Toxic links from spammy or unrelated sites can hurt your visibility. Auditing helps identify these threats early and take action to protect your site.
How often should I conduct a backlink audit?
It’s best to run a backlink audit every 3 to 6 months or after a major SEO change.
You should also audit your links if you notice ranking drops, traffic declines, or after a Google algorithm update.
What happens if I don’t remove toxic backlinks?
Ignoring toxic links can lead to algorithmic penalties, ranking loss, or manual actions from Google.
Low-quality links signal manipulation and can reduce your site’s trustworthiness. Over time, this affects your SEO performance and traffic.
How do I know if a backlink is harmful?
Harmful backlinks usually come from spammy, irrelevant, or deindexed websites.
Look for signs like exact-match anchor spam, links from link farms or PBNs, and sites with high spam scores or no organic traffic.
Which tools are best for a backlink audit?
Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, and Majestic are reliable tools for backlink analysis.
Each tool offers different strengths—from detecting toxic links to generating disavow files. Using multiple tools gives a complete picture.
Can disavowing links hurt my rankings?
Yes, if you disavow quality backlinks by mistake, it can lower your site’s authority and rankings.
That’s why it’s important to manually review links before disavowing. Focus only on clearly spammy or harmful domains.
Do nofollow backlinks need to be audited too?
Nofollow links usually don’t pass SEO value, but they should still be reviewed.
A pattern of spammy nofollow links may still signal a low-quality link-building strategy and could affect trust.
How do I create a disavow file for Google?
List all bad URLs or domains in a .txt file and upload it through Google’s Disavow Tool. Use the format domain:example.com for domains or full URLs. Make sure to double-check the file before submitting.
