Glossary
What is a backlink audit?
A backlink audit is a review of all the links pointing to a site, to find what's working, what's lost and whether anything risky needs cleaning up. For most startups it's less about removing bad links and more about spotting lost listings, broken targets and the next link opportunities.
Steps
- Export links from Search Console and one SEO tool.
- Group by referring domain and sort by authority and traffic.
- Check the pages they link to: any 404s? Redirect or restore them.
- Find lost links: removed listings, changed URLs. Reclaim what you can.
- Look for risk: paid links without sponsored, PBN patterns, exact-match anchors from unrelated sites.
- Compare with two competitors to find gaps.
What to fix first
| Finding | Fix |
|---|---|
| Links pointing to 404 pages | 301-redirect to the right page |
| Lost directory listing | Resubmit or contact the directory |
| Wrong URL or old brand in listings | Update the listing |
| Links you paid for, unmarked | Ask for sponsored, or disavow |
| Random spam | Ignore |
Example
An audit shows 34 links pointing to an old pricing URL that now returns 404. One redirect recovers them. It also finds 6 directory listings that disappeared; 4 are reinstated after a short email.
FAQ
How often should I audit backlinks?
Every few months, or after a site migration or URL change.
Do I need a paid tool?
Search Console is enough to start; paid tools find more links.
Should an audit end with a disavow file?
Rarely. Only if there's a manual action or you knowingly built manipulative links.