So, you've got a new SEO client or you're now in charge of your company's website SEO. The first thing you should do? Perform a backlink audit. Think of it like inspecting a house before you start renovating – you don't want to invest time and effort in a crumbling structure.
This audit serves as your insurance against inheriting issues from past questionable SEO practices. But it's not just about finding the bad stuff; it's a goldmine of insights for future link building and making your life easier.
Let me guide you through a quick and insightful backlink audit using Ahrefs – a tool that's pretty much all you need.
High-quality pages and websites should have a natural link profile. Avoid artificial link schemes that manipulate search engine rankings.
Step 1: Get a high-level view of your backlink profile
Plug your site into Ahrefs Site Explorer, choose "prefix" mode if you're focusing on a specific part of the site. Check how your backlink profile compares to competitors. Look at the number of backlinks and referring domains – key indicators. But don't stop there; compare the pace of link acquisition over time against competitors.
Step 2: Look deeper
Find wasted backlinks: Ensure none of your hard-earned backlinks are wasted. Use the Best by links report to identify pages with the most backlinks and filter for 404 errors – fix those broken pages.
Find the best and worst sites that link to you: Explore the Referring domains report. Identify low-quality sites by sorting with a dofollow filter and sorting by Domain Rating (DR) from low to high. Also, discover your existing super fans – those high-quality sites with a high DR linking to you.
Check for spam in the full "anchors" report: Spammy anchor text is a red flag. Check the full Anchors report for any suspicious text. Use a search function or export the report, sort by CPC to find commercial keywords.
Look for backlinks from the same C-Class IPs (advanced): Use the Referring IPs report to see if multiple domains share the same c-class IP. This might indicate a Private Blog Network (PBN), a potential issue. But be cautious, this is for advanced SEOs.
Step 3: Review the full backlinks report
Now, dive into the full Backlinks report. Focus on individual web pages rather than the entire domain. Start with the Best by links report, sort by referring domains, and analyze one page at a time. Filter out "nofollow" links and sort by organic traffic if you're looking for referral traffic.
It’s important to regularly review your backlinks and ensure they align with Google’s quality guidelines. A clean backlink profile is crucial for sustainable SEO success.
Source: Quote from Google's John Mueller
Key takeaways:
Learn from your most powerful links – identify commonalities in anchor text, site type, and surrounding link text.
For instance, if you see links from list-style posts, find more of them to potentially get more links.
Understand why certain sites are linking to you – it makes finding new prospects much easier.
Remember, while this is a basic guide, every SEO professional might have their own approach. If you want a more advanced version, let me know. Happy auditing!