backlink-audit

Backlink & Link Profile Audit — Phase 12

Executive Summary

Backlinks remain a top-3 ranking factor in 2025, but quality has radically displaced quantity since Google's Helpful Content System (HCS, integrated March 2024) reduced the value of thin, low-traffic sites linking out indiscriminately. A single editorial link from a local newspaper (DA 60–80) is worth more than 100 directory submissions. In 2025, the link-AIO connection is direct: Google AI Overviews preferentially cite domains with strong topical authority and editorial links from trusted sources — earning high-quality local/industry links now functions as both a ranking signal AND an AIO citation trigger. For local businesses, the highest-ROI link building activities are: (1) Chamber of Commerce membership (DA 60–70, 1 hr effort), (2) BBB listing (DA 90, free/paid), and (3) local press mentions via digital PR — all achievable within 30 days.

2025 link building benchmarks:

• TF:CF ratio ≥0.5: healthy profile (Trust Flow ≥ Citation Flow = quality signals)
• Exact-match anchor >15% of dofollow profile: algorithmic penalty risk
• Unlinked mention outreach conversion: 15–20% success rate (Ahrefs study 2024)
• Local link impact: one local news editorial link = ~5–10 generic directory links in local pack weight (Whitespark 2024)
• Google disavow stance (2024+): Google ignores most low-quality links automatically — only disavow confirmed manual-action-level toxicity or coordinated spam attacks
• AIO editorial signal: domains cited in AIO have median 3× more editorial referring domains than non-cited competitors (Amsive 2025)

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Step 1: Read Project Context

Read {AUDIT_DIR}/intake-data.md — business name, URL, location, industry. Read {AUDIT_DIR}/competitor-profiles.md — competitor authority benchmarks. Read {AUDIT_DIR}/technical-findings.md — redirect issues affecting link equity.

Tools for this phase:

Tool	Purpose	Cost
Ahrefs	Referring domains, DR, anchor text distribution, link history, content gap	Paid
SEMrush	Backlink Audit (Toxic Score), Link Building Tool, Backlink Gap	Paid
Majestic	Trust Flow (TF) / Citation Flow (CF) ratio — quality vs. quantity signal	Paid/Free
Moz Link Explorer	Domain Authority, Spam Score, link profile overview	Paid/Free (limited)
Google Search Console	Top linking sites, anchor text, disavow file management	Free (requires access)
Bing Webmaster Tools	Comprehensive inbound link data — often shows links GSC misses	Free
OpenLinkProfiler	Free link analysis up to 200K links	Free

2025 Link Building Context: Google's Helpful Content System (March 2024) reduced the value of thin, low-traffic links while increasing the weight of editorial, topical-relevance links. AI Overviews cite topically authoritative domains — earning topical links from local news and industry publications now doubles as both ranking signal AND AIO citation trigger.

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Section 1: Current Link Profile Overview

Pull data from Ahrefs (Site Explorer → Overview) and GSC (Links report):

Metric	Client	Industry Avg	Comp 1	Comp 2	Gap
Total referring domains
Total backlinks
Dofollow referring domains
Nofollow referring domains
Domain Rating / DA
Majestic Trust Flow (TF)
Majestic Citation Flow (CF)
TF:CF ratio (target ≥0.5)
Link velocity (new RDs/month)
% links from niche-relevant sites

TF:CF ratio interpretation:

• ≥0.5: Healthy profile (quality ≥ quantity)
• 0.3–0.49: Caution — some spammy links
• <0.3: ❌ Risk — likely toxic links depressing Trust Flow

Link Type Distribution (from Ahrefs → Backlinks → filter by Type)

Type	Count	%	SEO Value
Editorial (in-content, earned)			High
Directory listings			Medium
Social profiles			Low-Medium
Forum / comment links			Low
Press releases / news citations			High
Guest posts			Medium-High
Sponsorships / events			Medium
Sitewide footer/sidebar			Low
Unknown / misc			Unknown

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Section 2: Anchor Text Distribution

Over-optimized anchor text = unnatural link pattern = algorithmic penalty risk.

Use Ahrefs → Site Explorer → Anchors:

Anchor Type	Current %	Healthy Target	Status
Brand name (exact: "Acme Plumbing")	%	40–55%
Domain URL (acmeplumbing.com)	%	20–30%
Generic ("click here", "this site", "website")	%	10–15%
Exact-match keyword ("chicago plumber")	%	<10% — ❌ if >15%
Partial-match keyword ("best plumber near me")	%	<10%
Brand + keyword ("Acme Plumbing Chicago")	%	<10% (natural)
Naked URL (https://...)	%	<5%
Other / compound	%	Remainder

Red flags:

• Exact-match commercial anchor >15% → likely manual or algorithmic penalty risk
• Sudden anchor shift in last 90 days → may indicate purchased links
• Zero brand anchors → link profile artificially optimized → unnatural

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Section 3: Link Quality Assessment

For top 50 referring domains (Ahrefs → Top 100 Referring Domains → sort by DR):

Domain	DR/TF	Relevance	Link Type	Dofollow?	Traffic?	Value
[domain]		High/Med/Low	Editorial/Dir	✅/❌	Yes/No	High/Med/Low

Quality signals checklist (assess each top domain):

• Niche relevant (local, industry, or geographic)?
• Editorial placement (in-content link, not sitewide footer)?
• Linking page has real traffic (check Ahrefs → Referring pages → Traffic filter)?
• Site is indexed and ranking in Google (not deindexed)?
• Link from article/content page, not link-farm directory?

Top 10 Most Valuable Links

Referring Domain	DR	Linked Page	Anchor	Editorial?	Acquired How?
[domain]		[page]	[anchor]	Yes/No

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Section 4: Toxic Link Assessment

Use SEMrush Backlink Audit (Toxic Score) and Majestic (TF:CF) to identify risk:

Toxic Pattern	Risk Level	Detection	Count	Action
PBN networks (sites existing only to sell links)	Critical	Ahrefs → Links from same IP blocks		Disavow
Foreign gambling/pharma spam	Critical	Anchor text analysis		Disavow
Link farms (1000s of outbound links)	High	Majestic CF >> TF		Disavow
Auto-generated spun content sites	High	Low TF, high CF, random content		Disavow
Comment spam (at scale)	Medium	Blog comment pattern		Disavow
Exact-match anchor overdose	High	Anchor distribution		Monitor
Links from deindexed sites	High	site:domain.com returns nothing		Disavow
Sitewide links from unrelated sites	Medium	Ahrefs link type filter		Evaluate

Disavow File Status

• Disavow file exists in GSC? Last updated: [date]
• New toxic links appearing after last disavow? [Yes/No — list new ones]
• Current Google stance (2024): Google ignores most low-quality links automatically — only disavow confirmed manual-action-level toxicity or sudden large-scale spam link attacks

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Section 5: Competitor Link Gap Analysis

Use Ahrefs Content Gap (switch to "Backlinks" mode) or SEMrush Backlink Gap:

Competitor Profile Comparison

Metric	Client	Comp 1	Comp 2	Comp 3	Gap to Leader
Referring domains
Average RD Domain Rating
Local/niche relevant RDs
Links from local news
Industry directory links
Link velocity (RDs/month)

Common Links (All Competitors Have, Client Doesn't)

These are minimum table-stakes links client must acquire:

Site	Why It Matters	How to Get It	Effort
BBB (bbb.org) — DA 90	Trust signal, AIO citation	Membership application	1 hr, $X/yr
Chamber of Commerce	DA 60+, local relevance	Membership	1–2 hrs
[Local newspaper].com	High-trust local editorial	Pitch news angle	2–4 hrs
[Industry directory]	Niche relevance	Listing submission	30 min

Unique Competitor Links (Competitor Advantages)

Competitor	Unique High-Value Link	How Earned	Replication Strategy
Comp 1	[authoritative site]	[article/sponsorship]	[strategy]
Comp 2	[local news piece]	[newsworthy event]	[pitch angle]

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Section 6: Link Building Opportunities

Priority Categories (Local Business Focus)

1. Local Authority Links (Highest Impact per effort)

Opportunity	Target DA	Effort	Timeline	Priority
Chamber of Commerce	60–70	1–2 hrs	Week 1	5×5=25
BBB membership	90	1 hr	Week 1	5×5=25
City government vendor directory	70–80	1 hr	Week 1	5×5=25
Local business association	50–60	2–4 hrs	Week 2	4×5=20
Local newspaper feature	60–80	4–8 hrs	Month 1	5×3=15

2. Industry Directory Links Use Whitespark Citation Finder to identify top 10 industry directories:

Directory	Niche	DA	Listed?	Action
[Angi/HomeAdvisor]	Home services	80	Yes/No	Submit
[Houzz]	Home/decor	90	Yes/No	Submit
[Thumbtack]	Services	75	Yes/No	Submit

3. Digital PR (Link-Earning Content)

Angle	Target Publications	Links Expected	Effort
Local statistics: "[X%] of [city] homeowners..."	Local news, [City] magazine	3–8 links	8–16 hrs
Expert commentary for local journalists	Local TV/newspaper	2–5 links	2–4 hrs
Community sponsorship (charity, little league)	Event + local coverage	2–4 links	$X + 2 hrs
Original local market research	Industry publications	5–15 links	20–40 hrs

4. Unlinked Brand Mentions Search "[Business Name]" -site:[domain] in Google and Ahrefs Alerts:

• List any site mentioning the brand without linking
• Outreach template: "Thank you for mentioning us — could you add a link?"
• Conversion rate: ~15–20% of unlinked mentions become links with outreach

5. Broken Link Building

• Use Ahrefs → Broken Links → filter for local or industry resource pages
• Find dead competitor links → create equivalent content → pitch as replacement
• Effort: 1–2 hrs per target | Expected: 1 link per 5–10 outreach emails

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Section 7: Link Velocity & History

From Ahrefs → New/Lost Referring Domains → chart view:

Period	New RDs	Lost RDs	Net	Interpretation
Last 30 days
31–60 days ago
61–90 days ago
6 months ago

Flags:

• Sudden +500% spike in 30 days: possible purchased links — investigate
• Steady RD loss: links from deleted pages or site restructuring — recover lost links
• Zero velocity for 3+ months: no link building activity — opportunity

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Section 8: Internal Link Equity Distribution

External authority distributes through internal links. Cross-reference {AUDIT_DIR}/technical-findings.md:

• Homepage (most externally linked) → does it pass PageRank to key service pages via internal links?
• Key service pages: adequate internal links (target ≥3 internal links each)?
• Deep pages (depth >3): getting authority from internal link structure?

Run Ahrefs → Site Explorer → Pages → filter by Internal Links count — flag pages with 0 or 1 internal link.

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Numbered Action Plan

Immediate (Week 1 — Quick Win Links)

1. Join Chamber of Commerce — DA 60–70 local link, instant credibility signal. Most chambers approve within 1–3 business days. Effort: 1–2 hrs + annual membership fee. Priority: 20.
2. Claim BBB listing — DA 90, free basic listing available. Paid membership ($X/yr) adds "Accredited Business" badge + editorial trust. Effort: 1 hr. Priority: 20.
3. Submit to city government vendor directory — Many city websites maintain local business directories for residents. DA 70–80. Search: site:[city].gov business directory. Effort: 1 hr. Priority: 20.
4. Claim all Tier 1 citation aggregators — Data Axle, Neustar/Localeze, Acxiom, Foursquare. These generate dofollow links from downstream directories. Effort: 2 hrs. Priority: 16.
5. Outreach for unlinked brand mentions — Run "[Business Name]" -site:[domain] in Google. Find 5 mentions → email webmaster: "Thanks for mentioning us — could you add a link?" Expected: 15–20% response rate. Effort: 30 min/mention.

Short-Term (Month 1)

6. Submit to top 5 industry-specific directories — Use Whitespark Citation Finder for niche list. Each = 30 min. Expected: 5 relevant backlinks with contextual relevance signals. Priority: 15.
7. Pitch local newspaper — Identify a newsworthy angle (local statistic, community contribution, award, notable project). Contact local editor directly. Expected: 1 editorial link = 5–10× value of directory links. Effort: 4–8 hrs. Priority: 15.
8. Community sponsorship link — Sponsor local charity, little league team, or school event → get linked from their thank-you/sponsors page. DA 40–70, highly local and relevant. Effort: $X sponsorship + 2 hrs. Priority: 12.
9. Cross-referral links — Contact 3–5 non-competing complementary businesses (e.g., plumber → electrician → HVAC). Offer to add them to a "trusted partners" page and request reciprocal link. Effort: 2 hrs. Priority: 12.
10. Recover lost links — Ahrefs → Lost Referring Domains → filter last 90 days. For each lost link from a DA 30+ site: check if their linking page moved, identify new URL, outreach. Effort: 30 min/link. Priority: 16.

Medium-Term (Months 2–3)

11. Digital PR: Local market research — Survey 50+ local customers → publish "[City] [Industry] Study: X Key Findings for [Year]" → pitch to local news, industry publications. Expected: 5–15 editorial links. Effort: 20–40 hrs. Priority: 10 (high impact, low feasibility).
12. Broken link building — Ahrefs → Competing domain → Broken Outbound Links → find dead resources → create replacement content → pitch as replacement. Expected: 1 link per 5–10 outreaches. Effort: 2–4 hrs per target.

AI Visibility Link Connection (2025)

Link Source	AIO Benefit	SEO Benefit
Local news editorial	AIO citations favor domains mentioned by authoritative local sources	High-DA, topical local relevance
Industry association	AI recognizes business entity as industry-certified	Topical authority signal
.edu partnerships	AIO trusts .edu domains as authoritative sources	High-trust domain
BBB Accredited	AI recommendation thresholds often check BBB status	DA 90, trust signal
Google Business Profile	GBP website link counts as citation even if nofollow	Local entity verification

Priority Matrix

Action	Impact (1–5)	Feasibility (1–5)	Priority	Effort
BBB membership (DA 90 link)	4	5	20	1 hr
Chamber of Commerce join	4	5	20	1–2 hrs
City government vendor directory	4	5	20	1 hr
Unlinked mention outreach	3	5	15	30 min/mention
Industry directory submissions	3	5	15	30 min each
Local newspaper pitch	5	3	15	4–8 hrs
Digital PR original research	5	2	10	20–40 hrs
Disavow toxic links (if confirmed)	4	4	16	2–4 hrs
Recover lost DA 30+ links (Ahrefs)	4	4	16	30 min/link
Cross-referral partner links	3	4	12	2 hrs

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Scoring

Category	Weight	Score
Referring domain count vs. competitors	20%	/20
Link quality (TF:CF ≥0.5, editorial, niche-relevant)	30%	/30
Anchor text distribution (natural — brand dominant)	20%	/20
No toxic/manipulative links	15%	/15
Link velocity (consistent monthly growth)	15%	/15

Veto: Confirmed manual action for unnatural links → maximum 40/100 until resolved.

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Output

Write to {AUDIT_DIR}/backlink-findings.md with YAML frontmatter. Also write HTML report to {REPORTS_DIR}/phase-12-backlinks.html and convert to PDF via python3 scripts/generate_pdf.py.

---
skill: strategy/backlink-audit
phase: 12
date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
business: [Business Name]
url: [URL]
score: [X/100]
referring_domains: [X]
domain_rating: [X]
tf_cf_ratio: [X.X]
toxic_links_found: [yes|no|count]
---

Include:

• Score X/100 with per-category breakdown
• Profile overview metrics table (client vs. 3 competitors)
• Anchor text distribution analysis vs. healthy targets
• Top 10 most valuable links
• Toxic link list (with disavow recommendations)
• Competitor link gap analysis (common links client is missing)
• Link opportunity list by category (priority matrix scored)
• Link velocity/history chart summary
• 30/90/180-day link building plan

Key consumers:

• audit/penalty-check — reads for toxic link and anchor text signals
• cross-cutting/serp-trust-auditor — Off-Page Authority dimension
• output/report-generation — backlink score in master report section 12