Backlinks are still a key part of authority and trust in the complicated world of search engine optimization. But not all links are the same. To rank high in search results, you need a healthy, strong backlink profile. If your profile is full of low-quality or manipulative links, it can hurt your website’s performance and even get you in trouble.

This is where a thorough backlink analysis comes in. My expert backlink audit service goes beyond just looking for obvious spam. It uses a detailed system of more than 50 carefully crafted “footprints.” These unique criteria let me do much more than automated tools can, giving you a nuanced, human-driven evaluation of every link that points to your site. I put these important indicators into two main groups: Red Formulas (which show risk) and Green Formulas (which show quality).

Red Formulas: How to Find Dangerous and Toxic Backlinks

Red Formulas are made to find links that could hurt your SEO. They show spam, dishonest tactics, or links that could get you in trouble or lower your site’s authority. Finding these links is important for a successful disavow strategy and long-term SEO health.

R1: Google doesn’t index the domain.

If Google doesn’t index the linking domain, it means that Google doesn’t trust or think the site is useful. A link from a site like this doesn’t help your SEO and could even be a sign of a spam network, which could hurt your site’s ranking.

R2: Link across the whole site.

If there isn’t a good reason for them, site-wide links that show up on every page (like in the footer or sidebar) can look strange. They often mean that someone is trying to change the rankings instead of giving a real endorsement. This is a high-risk factor that Google’s algorithms are trained to ignore or punish.

R3: The domain is flagged as suspicious (malware or phishing).

Linking to a domain that has been flagged for malware, phishing, or other bad activities is very risky. These kinds of links directly tell Google that your site is linked to bad content, which hurts your reputation and search rankings right away and severely.

R4: A lot of links from the same IP C-subnet

A group of links from domains that share the same C-class IP subnet usually means that they are hosted on the same server or are run by the same person. This is a common pattern in private blog networks (PBNs) or spam farms, which shows that the link-building scheme is not natural and is meant to trick people.

R5: There are several links on the page.

If a single page has too many outbound links, the authority given to each link is lessened. This could mean that the directory is of poor quality or a “link farm” that only exists to pass link juice, which has little or no SEO value.

R6: An old domain that doesn’t have PageRank (n/a)

An old domain that has never gotten a noticeable PageRank (or any other modern authority metric) shows that Google has never trusted it. A link from a site that is not well-known or has low quality is not likely to add any real SEO value to your profile.

R7: The page is in a different language than the website being analyzed.

A link from a page whose main language is very different from the language of your target audience or website is a sign of an unnatural link acquisition. This often means that the spammer is trying to get as many links as possible, which search engines see as low quality.

R8: Several links to the website that was looked at

Some links that happen again and again can be natural, but if a lot of links from the same domain to your site have the same anchor text or placement, it can look like you’re trying to trick people. This is a warning sign for too much optimization or spammy behavior.

R9: Found black words (spam/porn).

If there are spammy, illegal, or pornographic keywords on the linking page, that’s a very bad sign of a toxic link. Linking to your site from this kind of content is very bad for your site’s reputation and is a very strong sign that Google will punish you.

R10: Duplicate content means that the same content is on more than one domain.

If the content on the linking page is copied a lot from other sites, it means that the source is probably low-quality, syndicated, or scraped. Search engines may see links from this kind of content as spam and not give them much SEO value.

R11: Links with anchor text

This flag shows that there may be a problem if the anchor text is too optimized, not relevant, or part of a clear pattern meant to be manipulated. It makes you want to look into the variety and naturalness of the anchor text used.

R12: Links that follow

When there are other “red” flags, “dofollow links” often mean that there is an unnatural pattern or too many dofollow links from sources that aren’t trustworthy. It suggests a non-organic strategy that is only about passing “link juice” without any editorial value, which makes them dangerous.

R13: Page not found or HTTP 404

A broken link is one that comes from a page that gives an HTTP 404 “Page Not Found” error. This kind of link doesn’t give any authority, wastes crawl budget, and shows that the source is poorly maintained or dead, which doesn’t help your profile’s SEO.

R14: The domain is down.

If the whole linking domain is down or can’t be reached all the time, the link doesn’t work at all. This means that the source is no longer useful, which means that the link is dead and doesn’t add anything to your backlink profile.

R15: The link could not be found.

This flag means that a tool found a link, but it couldn’t be checked on the page that linked to it. This usually means that the data is old, the link has been removed, or the linking site is trying to trick you, which doesn’t help your SEO.

R16: A low spam API score

If a reputable spam detection API (like SpamZilla) gives a linking domain a low score, it means that the domain is seen as spammy. This is a strong sign that your backlink profile might be in danger.

R17: The Ahrefs Domain Rating for the domain is low.

If Ahrefs or another tool gives a linking domain a very low Domain Rating (DR) or similar authority metric, it means that search engines don’t trust or give it much authority. Links from these kinds of domains aren’t very useful for SEO and can show that the sources are low-quality.

R18: The chance of an IP or domain being true is greater than 0.

This flag means that there is a chance (or confirmed link) that the linking IP address or domain is involved in spam or private blog networks (PBNs). Even a small chance could mean that you are part of a sketchy network.

R19: Time out of connection

When you try to access the linking domain and get connection timeouts a lot, it means that the server is unstable or the site is down a lot. Because the link isn’t always passing authority, it could mean that the host is bad or that the website is being ignored.

R20: The site or page is bigger than 2MB, and the domain is on black hat lists.

A very large page size (which usually means bloated code or too much media) and the domain being on black hat lists are both bad signs. It strongly suggests that the site is not well optimized, may be trying to trick people, or is focused on spam.

R21: There are a lot of links to other domains that go out, and the domain is on black hat lists.

Link farms or content mills often have too many outbound links, and the domain is on black hat lists. This is a very strong sign that the source is toxic and meant only for SEO manipulation, which is a big risk.

R22: Spammy anchor text or black hat lists

Using anchor text that is spammy or full of keywords, or linking from a domain that is on black hat lists, shows that you want to manipulate the search engine results. This is a big risk for Google penalties and hurts the trustworthiness of your site.

R23: The spam API score is bad, and the connection times out.

A low spam API score and frequent connection timeouts make it clear that this linking source is very unreliable and could be harmful. This double whammy is a big threat to the health of your backlink profile.

R24: The spam API score is bad, and the page size is more than 2MB.

A low spam API score and a page size that is too big (over 2MB) mean that the site is both low-quality/spammy and not well-optimized. Links from these kinds of sites don’t help SEO at all or even hurt it.

R25: Domain that is parked or has expired

A link from a parked domain (an inactive holding page) or one that has recently expired means that the site is dead or has been repurposed and is no longer useful. These kinds of links don’t give any authority and make it look like the link profile has been neglected.

R26: The homepage of this domain is well linked, but there are almost no social links.

A domain with a homepage link profile that looks strong but doesn’t seem to get much social engagement can be suspicious. It could mean that the profile is fake because it doesn’t naturally get social shares, which could mean that it is a link-building network.

R27: A subpage that is well linked to but has almost no social links

Like R26, if a certain subpage has a lot of links but no social shares, it makes you wonder how the links were acquired in the first place. This could mean that the links were built in a way that isn’t natural.

R28: The ratio of external links to text length

If there are too many external links compared to the actual text on the page, it usually means that the directory is low quality, the page is just a link farm, or the page is just there to pass link juice and not provide value.

R29: “High risk” (common in SEO) website engine

This means that the website that is linking to you uses a platform or CMS (engine) that is well-known for being used to send spam or has security holes that spammers often target. Linking from a platform like this raises your risk.

R30: A big part of the link profile is the anchor.

If one or two anchor texts or a very small number of anchors make up most of your backlinks, it’s a clear sign that you’ve over-optimized. If you use this aggressive method, Google’s filters for unnatural link building could easily catch you and give you harsh punishments.

R31: Other HTTP errors are 403 and 50x.

Other HTTP errors on the linking page, like 403 Forbidden or 5xx server errors, show that there are serious, long-lasting problems with the source server or content. Links from these kinds of untrustworthy sources don’t help with SEO and could mean low quality.

R32: The ratio of external dofollow links to internal links

A page that has a lot more external dofollow links than internal links is likely meant to pass external link juice. This is a common trait of link farms or spam networks that are made to change rankings.

R33: The domain might have a link profile that is risky (low quality/unnatural).

This is a meta-footprint, which means that the linking domain itself shows signs of having a manipulative, low-quality, or unnatural backlink profile. Linking your site to a domain like this is inherently risky and not a good idea.

R34: Anchor has black word(s) in it.

It is a big red flag if the anchor text used to link to your site directly contains spammy or banned keywords, such as those from the gambling, pharmaceutical, or adult industries. This is a strong sign of bad SEO or aggressive, dishonest link building.

R35: An IP address that contains a URL (not a domain name)

A link that uses an IP address instead of a real, registered domain name in its URL is very suspicious. Spammers often use this trick to get around domain-based filters, or it could mean that the source is very low-quality and not trustworthy.

Green Formulas: Finding Authoritative and High-Quality Backlinks

Green formulas show the good things about a backlink, like how strong, trustworthy, and valuable it is. These connections help your site’s authority and search engine rankings. These are the links you want to keep and use.

G1: Links that don’t follow

Even though nofollow links don’t pass “link juice” directly, having them can be a good sign. This means that the link comes from a site that thinks your content is good enough to link to it. This is usually from high-authority sites, like news sites or social media, where dofollow links are not usually given. They bring in traffic and make your brand more visible without putting your SEO at risk.

G2: The domain has an Alexa rank of some kind.

Even a small Alexa Rank means that the domain gets some traffic and isn’t completely unknown. It doesn’t directly affect SEO rankings, but it does show that the linking site is getting some real-world attention and activity.

G3: A well-known social media site

A link from a well-known and active social media site, like Facebook or Twitter, can bring a lot of traffic to your site and help people see your brand. It means that people are noticing and getting involved, even if the link is nofollow.

G4: The domain has some Domain Authority (Moz).

Moz’s Domain Authority (DA) score shows that a domain has strong overall SEO strength and is well-known in its niche. Links from domains with a high DA are generally seen as powerful and very valuable, and they add a lot to your site’s authority.

G5: The domain has a MozRank score.

MozRank is a unique measure that shows how popular a domain’s links are. A higher MozRank means that the domain has gotten a lot of high-quality links, which makes its links to your site more valuable and trustworthy.

G6: Subpage with Page Rank

PageRank is a measure of a subpage’s internal authority, even though Google no longer updates it publicly. A link from a page that is so strong and authoritative on its own suggests that the linking website is well-organized and very trustworthy.

G7: A good score for the spam API

A high score from a reputable spam detection API means that the linking domain is seen as clean, real, and safe. This is a clear positive sign that the link is not linked to any spam networks or harmful practices.

G8: There are some backlinks to the domain.

A domain that has successfully gotten its own backlinks shows that it is well-known and respected in its field. This means that it’s a real, established site, and its links are more valuable and add more value to your backlink profile.

G9: The homepage or subpage has some social media shares.

A lot of social shares on the linking page or its homepage show that users are actively engaged and that the page is popular. This means that people value and share the content, which makes the link more credible and could be useful for getting more traffic and brand exposure.

G10: The subject of the page matches

A strong contextual link is when the content on the linking page is very relevant and on the same topic as the content on your website. This relevance is very important for SEO because it shows search engines that you are an expert on the topic and that it is important.

G11: Majestic says that the domain is strong in some ways.

Majestic’s High Trust Flow or Citation Flow metrics show that a domain has a lot of link equity and influence in its niche. Links from domains that are well-known and powerful are great for improving your site’s SEO authority.

G12: Ahrefs Domain Rating says that the domain has some authority.

A domain with a high Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) has a strong overall link authority and a strong backlink profile. Links from domains with a high DR are always some of the best for improving your site’s authority and rankings.

G13: The code for Google Adsense is on this page.

If a website has Google AdSense code on it, it is likely a real publisher that is making money from its content. Even though it’s not a direct SEO signal, it usually means that the site is real and active and follows Google’s content rules, which means that the quality is good.

G14: The Google Analytics code is on this page.

If a website has Google Analytics code, it means that the owner is keeping track of visitor data and looking at how well the site is doing. This suggests that the site is professional and active and that it is trying to understand its audience, which usually means it is real and could be good.

G15: Anchor only has a website address.

A “naked URL” is a type of link that is natural and not manipulated. It is just the URL of your website. It means real referencing instead of trying to trick search engines into thinking you have a lot of keywords in your profile.

G16: Only links to URLs in forum posts

This pattern is common in forums where users paste direct URLs without using complicated anchor text. This can be a sign of real, unoptimized mentions and conversations about your brand or content, but context is always important.

G17: Just text links.

A natural, editorial link is often one that prefers simple, descriptive text links to complicated image links or other embeds. Text links are simple, clearly pass authority, and are a key part of natural linking practices.

G18: Link shows up in some Google search results.

If the page that links to you ranks for relevant keywords in Google search results, it means that Google trusts and values that page. A link from a page that is well-known and trusted is very useful for giving your site authority.

G19: Link shows up in some Google search results for relevant topics.

This makes G18 better by focusing on how relevant the topic is. The link’s contextual value goes up a lot if the page that links to it ranks for keywords that are directly related to your niche or content. It shows search engines that you have a lot of knowledge about the subject and that it is important.

The Strength of My Unique Footprints in Your Backlink Audit

My manual backlink analysis method is based on my large collection of Red and Green Formulas. Automated tools can miss small details or put links in the wrong category, but I carefully apply these rules to give you the most detailed and accurate information possible. This all-encompassing approach makes sure that:

• Every link that could be dangerous is found and looked at.
• Every useful link is acknowledged for how it helps your profile.
• You get useful information that helps you keep your site safe from penalties.
• Your backlink profile is set up to get the most out of SEO and keep growing.

I have been doing this for more than 15 years and have done more than 1000 detailed backlink audits. My expertise turns raw data into a clear strategic advantage for your website.

Want a backlink analysis that really gives you information?

Don’t leave the backlinks on your website to chance or automated guesses. A thorough, human-led SEO link audit using these powerful footprints will give you the information and direction you need to become the best in your field.

Get in touch with me today to learn how my in-depth backlink analysis can help you improve your search rankings and protect your digital future.

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