What is a Website Link Audit?

Why Perform a Website Link Audit? 

When performing a website link audit, you should note down the domain and text surrounding each low-quality link. These links are considered negative SEO, and their presence on your website can have serious consequences. Thankfully, negative SEO patterns are easy to recognize. Spammers are generally looking to do the least amount of work possible. If you notice spam comments with the same body and anchor text, these links are most likely a source of negative SEO. 

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Sitewide links aren’t always “bad” 

Some SEO experts believe sitewide links are bad for ranking, but Matt Cutts recently said that they don’t always have to be. They are not always spamming if used appropriately. The problem is when sitewide links go to unrelated websites or have keyword-rich anchor text. In general, most sites don’t allow sitewide links unless they’ve been paid for, and Google will punish those sites that abuse this tactic. 

Sitewide links are most commonly found in the footer and menu, but you can also find them in the sidebar. They appear on every page of your site, so you should focus on placing the most important ones in these areas. Although they’re not necessarily “bad” for SEO, they’re important to the overall design of your site and navigation flow. If you’re concerned about the link structure, consider limiting sitewide links to only the most important pages on your site. 

Identifying high-risk backlinks 

Performing a website link audit will show you which links are high-risk and which are not. It is crucial to keep your backlink profile updated regularly and to focus on authoritative domains. You can use tools like Google Search Console to review your website’s external links. Dedicated tools can help you see your competitors’ link profiles and identify opportunities for improving your link-building strategy. 

First, use the Linking Domains sub-module to double-check suspicious links. These links should be relevant and trustworthy. Usually, these websites are not even in English! They also don’t have good page content and can have detrimental effects on your SEO. You should also take note of their anchor text and domain. Identifying high-risk backlinks during a website link audit is a critical step for your website’s overall SEO. 

Performing a website link audit 

Performing a website link audit is crucial for a variety of reasons. First, the links should provide a positive user experience. You should also note the domain and text surrounding the links. Negative SEO practices have detrimental effects on your SEO. Luckily, there are some easy ways to recognize these patterns during a link audit. Spammers tend to use the same anchor text and body of comments as often as possible, which makes them easy targets. 

When you perform a link audit, you can identify spammy links and identify valuable ones. In addition, it will help you decide how to build future link-building campaigns. You can also make sure that all the links point to your site. It’s also crucial for general SEO, as old sites often have low-quality links. Performing a website link audit helps you spot these problems and strategize future link-building efforts. 

Identifying the best and worst referring sites 

When determining which referring sites should be penalized, look for those with a high-quality backlink profile. You should avoid low-quality referring sites that are associated with low-quality content, such as content farms. These links are also easy to identify since their anchor text is keyword-rich and easy to spot. When evaluating the referring domains of your website, check the frequency of incoming links. 

Once you’ve determined your site’s backlink profile, you’ll need to take a look at your anchor texts. The “Anchors” section of Site Explorer 2.0 shows you which referring pages are using which anchor text. Anchor text is a link that when clicked, takes users to another page. Performing a backlink audit can help you identify spammy anchors and identify opportunities to improve your website’s credibility.