Free tool

Backlink Quality Checker

Answer eight questions about a link. Get an honest quality score and the reasoning behind it.

Scores are transparent estimates, not API-backed metrics — the logic is explained on this page.

Most backlink tools hand you a single mystery number. This one does the opposite: it walks through the same eight questions I ask when I evaluate a link prospect for a client, and shows you exactly how each answer moves the score. It is an estimate — a structured expert checklist, not a crawler — but it will catch the judgment errors that get sites into trouble.

How topically relevant is the linking site to yours?

Relevance is the heaviest signal. Same niche > adjacent niche > general > unrelated.

Where does the link sit on the page?

Editorial links inside body content carry the most weight.

Does the linking page or site get real organic traffic?

Check any traffic estimator, or look for ranking pages. Real traffic = real site.

Does the site have editorial standards?

Named authors, coherent topic focus, real about/contact pages, content a human edited.

What anchor text would/does the link use?

Branded and natural-phrase anchors look earned. Exact-match commercial anchors look engineered.

Who else does the page link to?

Open the page and check its other outbound links — you are judged by the company you keep.

Is the linking domain new to your profile?

The first link from a domain matters most; the fiftieth barely registers.

Any signs the site sells links?

“Write for us” pages with fees, sponsored posts without disclosure, link-insertion offers.

0 of 8 answered — the score appears when all questions are done.

Read the score as a decision aid: 70+ means pursue or keep the link; 40–69 means fine if it is free and natural, but not worth effort or money; below 40 means skip it — and if it already points at your site in volume, consider a cleanup review. When in doubt, the relevance and editorial-context answers matter more than any metric a toolbar shows you.

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool crawl the linking page?

No. It is a structured self-assessment based on what you can see when you open the page — which is exactly what an experienced link builder checks first. API-backed metrics (traffic, domain rating) are on the roadmap and will be labeled separately when they arrive.

Is a nofollow link worthless?

No. Nofollow and sponsored links from relevant, trafficked pages still send referral visitors, build brand recognition, and contribute to a natural-looking link profile. They just should not be the only kind of link you earn.

What score should I aim for when doing outreach?

Qualify prospects at roughly 70 or above before you invest outreach time. A smaller number of highly relevant, editorial placements beats a large volume of mediocre ones — in results and in safety.

Not sure what your link profile is doing to you?

A backlink audit maps every referring domain, flags what's helping, what's dead weight, and what's risky — with a cleanup and growth plan.

Request a backlink audit