About This Gig
A backlink audit tells you what is actually pointing at your site: which links help, which do nothing, and which could be dragging you down. We review your link profile by hand and with data, flag the toxic backlinks and manipulative patterns, and give you a disavow file ready to upload to Google Search Console if one is needed. Every flagged link comes with a short note explaining why it made the list.
People usually order this after a traffic drop they cannot explain, after buying links from a cheap seller in the past, when they suspect a negative SEO attack, or before buying a website, when they want to know what comes attached to the domain.
A Quick Word on Disavowing
Google is good at ignoring low-quality links on its own, so most sites do not need to disavow anything. A disavow file is worth submitting when there is a clear pattern of unnatural links that you or a previous agency built, or when you have a manual action in Search Console. Disavowing good links can hurt, which is why we are conservative. If our backlink audit finds nothing worth disavowing, we will say so plainly rather than hand you a long file to justify the fee.
Inside Our Backlink Audit
Collecting the data
We combine the links Google Search Console reports, which you share with us, with data from third-party crawlers. No single source sees everything, so merging them gives a fuller picture. Links are grouped by referring domain, because decisions are made at domain level far more often than URL by URL.
Automated flags, then human judgement
Tools are useful for sorting and poor at deciding. We use them to surface patterns such as sudden spikes in new domains, sitewide footer links, foreign-language spam, exact-match anchors on unrelated pages, and domains with no organic traffic at all. Then a person reviews the flagged links. We open the pages, check whether the site sells links openly, look at outbound link ratios, and decide whether each one is harmless, low value or genuinely toxic.
Anchor text distribution
An anchor profile heavy on exact-match money terms is one of the clearest signs of past manipulation. On Standard and Premium, we chart your anchor text distribution across branded, naked URL, generic, partial-match and exact-match anchors, and compare it with what looks natural in your niche.
Lost and broken links
Audits are not only about removing things. We also look for good links you have lost and for links pointing at pages on your site that now return 404 errors. Those can often be recovered with a redirect or a quick email, which is the cheapest link building there is.
Building the disavow file
Flagged domains go into a properly formatted .txt file, using domain: entries where appropriate and comments so you can see what was added and why. Uploading it takes a few minutes, and we include short instructions.
Matching the Package to Your Link Profile
The main difference between backlink audit tiers is the size of profile we handle. Basic covers up to 1,000 backlinks, with a toxic link report, a ready-to-upload disavow file and manual review of the top 100 flagged links. It suits small business sites and newer blogs.
Standard covers up to 5,000 backlinks and manually reviews the top 300 flagged links. It adds the anchor text distribution analysis and a lost and broken link check, which is where many mid-sized sites find quick recoveries.
Premium handles up to 20,000 backlinks, and every flagged link gets a manual review. On top of everything in Standard, you receive a written recovery plan covering what to disavow, what to fix and what kind of links to build next, plus removal outreach to the webmasters of the worst offenders where contact details exist. Choose it if you are dealing with a manual action, a history of heavy link buying or a large, established domain.
Not sure how many backlinks you have? Send us your domain through our contact page and we will check before you order.
Access and Details We Need
- Your domain, plus restricted or full user access to Google Search Console so we can export your link data.
- Any existing disavow file. We review it too, since old files sometimes disavow links that are perfectly fine.
- Whatever history you know about: past link purchases, previous agencies, site migrations, or the date traffic fell.
- Whether you have received a manual action notice.
Things We Will Not Do
We will not inflate the toxic list to make the audit look busy, and we do not disavow a link just because a tool gives it a scary score. Nothing is submitted to Google without your approval, and we never promise that a disavow will reverse a penalty. Nor will we sell you replacement links from PBNs or link farms once the clean-up is done. Any recommendations for new links point to real, editorial placements of the kind described in our quality standards.
Your Audit Pack
Delivery includes a spreadsheet of reviewed links, sorted by risk level with a reason for each flag, a toxic link report summarising the patterns we found, and the disavow file. Standard adds the anchor text breakdown and the lost link list. Premium adds the recovery plan and a record of removal requests sent. Everything comes as plain files, so you can share them with a developer or another agency.
What Happens After the Clean-Up
If a manual action is involved, a reconsideration request can follow once the clean-up is complete, and the Premium recovery plan explains how to approach it. For algorithmic issues there is no switch to flip. Google needs to recrawl the affected links, which takes weeks or sometimes months, and recovery also depends on content, technical health and the quality of links you earn afterwards. We do not guarantee ranking or traffic recovery from any backlink audit, and anyone who does is guessing.
Once the profile is clean, steady and natural link acquisition is the next step. Our monthly link building plans are designed for that stage.
Compare Packages
| Feature | Basic · $59 | Standard · $129 | Premium · $249 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backlinks reviewed | Up to 1,000 | Up to 5,000 | Up to 20,000 |
| Toxic link report | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Disavow file, ready to upload | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manual review of flagged links | Top 100 | Top 300 | All flagged |
| Anchor text distribution | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lost and broken link check | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Written recovery plan | – | – | ✓ |
| Removal outreach to webmasters | – | – | ✓ |
| Delivery time | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
| Price | $59 | $129 | $249 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I actually need a backlink audit?
Not every site does. Google ignores most low-quality links automatically. An audit makes sense if traffic dropped without a clear cause, you or a previous agency bought links, you received a manual action, you suspect negative SEO, or you are about to buy a website. If none of those apply, a quick look at your profile may be enough, and we will tell you if that is the case.
What makes a backlink toxic?
We look for links that exist to manipulate rankings rather than to help readers. Common signs include sites that openly sell links to anyone, private blog networks, hacked pages, spun or auto-generated content, sitewide footer links with money anchors, and domains with no real traffic. A low authority score on its own does not make a link toxic, which is why every flagged link gets human review.
Will disavowing links hurt my rankings?
Disavowing genuinely harmful links should not hurt you. Disavowing good links can, because you are telling Google to ignore signals that were helping. That is why we take a conservative approach and explain the reason behind each entry. You can review the file before uploading it, and you stay in control of whether and when it is submitted.
Why do you need Search Console access?
Google Search Console shows links Google itself has found, which third-party tools sometimes miss. Combining both sources gives the most complete picture of your link profile. Restricted user access is usually enough to export the link reports, and you can remove our access as soon as the audit is delivered. If access is not possible, we can work from an export you send us.
How is the disavow file delivered?
You receive a plain .txt file formatted to Google's requirements, using domain-level entries where a whole site is a problem and URL-level entries where only specific pages are. Comments in the file show what was added and why. We include short step-by-step instructions for uploading it through the disavow tool, which takes a few minutes.
Can you remove bad links instead of disavowing them?
Premium includes removal outreach to the webmasters of the worst offending sites where contact details exist. Response rates for removal requests are usually low, since many spam sites are unattended, so the disavow file remains the main safeguard. Records of the requests sent are included in your audit pack, which is useful if you need to file a reconsideration request.
How soon will I see a recovery after the audit?
It depends on the problem. A manual action can be lifted after a successful reconsideration request, which takes time to process. Algorithmic issues resolve gradually as Google recrawls the affected links, often over weeks or months. Recovery also depends on your content and the quality of links you build afterwards, so we cannot guarantee a ranking or traffic outcome.
What if my site has more than 20,000 backlinks?
Large profiles are common for established brands and sites that once had sitewide links. Get in touch before ordering and tell us your domain. We will check the size and makeup of the profile and suggest how to scope the audit, for example by grouping repetitive sitewide links so the review stays thorough without becoming unmanageable.