Link profile
What is a link profile?
A link profile, or backlink profile, is the complete set of backlinks pointing to a website or page. It covers how many links and referring domains there are, how strong and relevant the linking sites are, which anchor texts they use, the mix of followed and nofollowed links, and how all of this changes over time.
A natural profile tends to look varied. Links come from sites of all sizes, mostly in your topic area, with anchors dominated by your brand and URLs. An unnatural profile often has a footprint: lots of links from unrelated sites, the same commercial anchor repeated, sudden bursts from new domains, or links from networks of sites with no real audience.
Why link profile matters for SEO
Your link profile is how search engines see your reputation across the web. A strong, relevant profile supports rankings for competitive keywords. A profile full of manipulative links can lead to a manual action if you built them, or simply to links Google ignores.
Comparing link profiles is also one of the clearest ways to see why a competitor outranks you, and what kind of links you would need to catch up.
How to analyse a link profile
- Start with totals and trends: referring domains over time, and new and lost links each month.
- Check the strongest backlinks and the pages they point to.
- Review the anchor text mix for over-optimised commercial anchors.
- Look at the share of followed versus nofollowed links and at link types (editorial, directory, forum, sitewide).
- Compare with two or three competitors who rank above you.
- Note anything that looks like a scheme you or a past agency built. That, not random spam, is what needs cleaning up.
Link profile FAQ
What is a healthy backlink profile?
One with links from a range of relevant, real websites, a natural anchor mix led by branded and URL anchors, and steady growth rather than sudden unexplained spikes.
How often should I check my link profile?
Monthly is enough for most sites. Check sooner after a sudden ranking drop or a manual action notice in Search Console.
Related SEO terms
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of trust and use them to rank and discover pages.
A referring domain is a website that links to your site at least once. Each domain counts once, no matter how many links it sends.
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. Search engines read it as a clue to what the linked page is about.
Toxic backlinks are low-quality or manipulative links to your site. Google ignores most of them; only links from schemes you built tend to need action.
Link velocity is how fast a site gains or loses backlinks over time. It is a useful monitoring metric, not a confirmed Google ranking factor.
Lost backlinks are links that used to point to your site but no longer do, because the link, page or target URL changed or was removed.