--- name: rampstackco/seo-backlink-audit source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/rampstackco-seo-backlink-audit@2/SKILL.md source_sha256: 2367223c328a --- # SEO Backlink Audit Audit a backlink profile using data pulled from the Ahrefs MCP. Stack-agnostic. Produces a profile health assessment, a toxic link list (if needed), a reclamation list, and a gap analysis against competitors. --- ## When to use - Periodic backlink health check (quarterly or biannual) - Recovering from a Google manual action or unnatural link warning - Scoping a disavow file - Pre-acquisition due diligence on link equity - Planning a link building campaign (need a baseline) - Investigating ranking drops correlated with link loss - Recovering lost links after a migration or replatform ## When NOT to use - Building new links (use `seo-offpage`) - General SEO audits (use `seo-audit-orchestration`) - Keyword opportunity analysis (use `seo-keyword-gap-audit`) - Technical issues unrelated to links (use `seo-site-health-audit`) --- ## Required inputs - Target property (root domain, subdomain, or URL prefix) - Competitor set (3-5 properties with comparable strategies) - Time window (typically last 12-24 months) - Confirmation Ahrefs MCP is connected and has access to the property - Search Console manual action status (if any) - Recent SEO history (migrations, link campaigns, penalties) --- ## The framework: 5 dimensions of a backlink profile A profile is healthy when all five dimensions are healthy. Issues in any one can cap rankings or invite penalties. ### Dimension 1: Referring domain quality Volume of links matters less than the quality and relevance of the linking domains. Pull from Ahrefs: - Total referring domains (current and trended) - Domain Rating distribution (DR bands) - Topical relevance of linking domains - Geographic distribution (where appropriate) - Domain age and trust signals Healthy signal: a long tail of relevant, established domains. Concentration in any single source is a risk. ### Dimension 2: Link velocity How fast links are gained or lost. Pull from Ahrefs: - New referring domains per month (trended 12-24 months) - Lost referring domains per month - Net change Healthy signal: steady positive growth. Sudden spikes suggest paid campaigns or negative SEO. Sudden drops correlate with redirect mistakes, content removal, or the linking sites going down. ### Dimension 3: Anchor text distribution The mix of anchor types tells search engines what the property is about and whether the profile looks natural. Categories to map: - Branded (the brand name) - Naked URL - Generic ("click here", "this page") - Exact-match keyword - Partial-match keyword - Image (alt text or none) Healthy signal: branded and naked URL anchors dominate. Exact-match keyword anchors are a small minority. Heavy exact-match concentration triggers spam filters. ### Dimension 4: Link types Not all links are equal. Categories: - Dofollow versus nofollow - Editorial versus directory or comment - In-content versus footer or sidebar - Sponsored or UGC tagged - Redirect chains - Lost links recoverable via outreach Healthy signal: editorial in-content dofollow links from relevant sites dominate. ### Dimension 5: Competitive gap What links do peers have that you do not? Pull from Ahrefs: - Domains linking to 2+ competitors but not the target - Domains linking to 1 competitor with high relevance to the target - Top performing competitor pages by referring domain count Healthy signal: the gap is shrinking over time. A widening gap is a strategic risk. --- ## Workflow 1. **Charter the audit.** Goal, scope, time window, competitor set. 2. **Pull baseline data.** Referring domains, anchor text, link types, lost links, competitor overlap. 3. **Map the profile across 5 dimensions.** One section per dimension. 4. **Identify red flags.** Velocity spikes, anchor concentration, low-DR concentration, suspect TLDs, repeated footprints. 5. **Build the toxic list (if needed).** Use the criteria in [`references/toxic-link-criteria.md`](references/toxic-link-criteria.md). 6. **Build the reclamation list.** Lost links worth recovering via outreach. 7. **Build the gap list.** Domains linking to peers, prioritized by relevance. 8. **Synthesize.** Profile health verdict, top 3 risks, top 3 opportunities. 9. **Recommend.** Disavow (rare), reclamation outreach, link building targets, monitoring cadence. 10. **Document and hand off.** Outputs feed `seo-offpage` and `seo-audit-orchestration`. --- ## Failure patterns - **Disavow happy.** Most profiles do not need a disavow. Disavowing legitimate links damages rankings. Use it only after a manual action or clear algorithmic signals. - **Counting links instead of evaluating them.** A profile with 10,000 referring domains can be weaker than one with 200 high-quality editorial links. - **Ignoring lost links.** Recovering a lost link is faster and cheaper than building a new one. - **No competitor benchmark.** Profile health is relative. A "low" backlink count for a tier-1 competitor is a "great" count for a niche site. - **Anchor text panic.** A high exact-match percentage in absolute terms is fine for niche sites where the brand and keyword overlap. Investigate before disavowing. - **One-time audit.** Profile health drifts. Audit on a cadence (quarterly minimum for active properties). - **Treating Ahrefs as ground truth.** Ahrefs sees most links but not all. Triangulate with Search Console for completeness. - **Over-indexing on Domain Rating.** DR is a relative metric, not a quality signal. A DR-30 niche site can be more valuable than a DR-80 generalist. --- ## Output format A backlink audit document with: 1. **Executive summary.** Profile health verdict and top risks. 2. **Profile snapshot.** Key metrics: referring domains, DR distribution, anchor mix, velocity, or state the gap per the data-availability rule. 3. **5-dimension analysis.** One section per dimension with findings. 4. **Toxic link list.** If needed. Disavow file ready format. 5. **Reclamation list.** Lost links worth recovering, with contact paths. 6. **Gap list.** Top 50 domains linking to competitors but not target. 7. **Recommendations.** Disavow (Y/N), reclamation outreach plan, link building targets. 8. **Methodology.** Data sources, pull dates, criteria used. Length: 8-15 pages depending on profile complexity. --- ## If required data is unavailable This skill's output depends on data, measurements, or tool results it cannot generate on its own. When a required input, tool, or data source is unavailable or unverifiable, the sanctioned output is the deliverable with the gap stated: what was needed, what was actually obtained or verified, and which parts of the output are affected. Fabricating, estimating, or interpolating a required number to complete the deliverable is never sanctioned. A stated gap is a complete answer. --- ## Reference files - [`references/toxic-link-criteria.md`](references/toxic-link-criteria.md) - Decision framework for classifying a link as toxic, including the disavow file format and threshold guidance.