Backlink Analysis
Audit your site’s referring domains and toxic links so you can plan disavows and off-page SEO fixes without guessing.
Overview
Backlink Analysis is an agent skill for the Launch phase that guides a structured audit of referring domains, link quality, toxic links, and competitive backlink profiles for off-page SEO.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills --skill backlink-analysisWhat is this skill?
- Structured backlink audit: quality assessment, toxic links, and competitive profile comparison
- Key metrics table: referring domains, DR/DA, anchor mix, and link velocity
- Initial assessment flow for domain, tool access (Ahrefs/Semrush or free alternatives), and goals
- Scoped to off-page SEO with explicit handoff to link-building for acquisition
- First-use intro optional; subsequent runs go straight to analysis output
- Analysis framework includes quality assessment plus key metrics: referring domains, backlinks, DR/DA, anchor distributio
Adoption & trust: 796 installs on skills.sh; 586 GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You know backlinks matter for rankings but cannot tell which referring domains are helping, which are toxic, or what to disavow without a repeatable audit framework.
Who is it for?
Solo builders or small teams with a live site who need a first backlink audit, competitive link comparison, or prep before a disavow or outreach push.
Skip if: Sites with no published URL yet, pure on-page-only SEO tweaks, or teams that only want link outreach templates without profile analysis.
When should I use this skill?
User wants backlink analysis, backlink audit, referring domains, toxic links, link profile review, or disavow file planning.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a metrics-grounded backlink profile assessment with quality issues flagged and a clear path to improvements or link-building follow-up.
- Backlink profile quality assessment with issue list
- Metric summary (referring domains, authority, anchor mix, velocity)
- Recommended next steps including when to escalate to link-building or disavow
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Backlink analysis is classic off-page SEO work you run when the product is live and you need search authority and link-profile health. The skill centers on link profile metrics, competitive backlink comparison, and disavow planning—core launch-phase SEO, not product build.
How it compares
Use for diagnosing link profile health; pair with a link-building skill when the goal is acquisition rather than audit.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is backlink-analysis for?
Indie founders, marketers, and builders shipping content or SaaS who own off-page SEO and need a structured way to read referring domains, authority signals, and risky links.
When should I use backlink-analysis?
During Launch SEO when you mention backlink audit, toxic links, referring domains, link profile review, or disavow planning—and before scaling link outreach so you know baseline quality.
Is backlink-analysis safe to install?
It is procedural SEO guidance; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page before installing and avoid pasting live API keys into prompts when describing tool access.
Workflow Chain
Then invoke: link building
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Backlink Analysis
# SEO Off-Page: Backlink Analysis Guides backlink profile analysis: assessing quality, identifying issues, and planning improvements. **When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output. ## Scope (Off-Page SEO) - **Backlink audit**: Analyze profile; toxic links; competitive analysis - **Authority Score**: Monitor domain/page authority; referring domains ## Initial Assessment Identify: 1. **Domain**: Site to analyze 2. **Tool access**: SEO tools (e.g. Ahrefs, Semrush) or free alternatives 3. **Goals**: Audit for issues, competitive analysis, or growth planning ## Key Metrics | Metric | Meaning | |--------|---------| | **Referring domains** | Number of unique sites linking | | **Backlinks** | Total number of links | | **Domain Rating (DR) / Domain Authority (DA)** | Domain strength score | | **Anchor text distribution** | Mix of branded, generic, exact match | | **Link velocity** | Rate of new links over time | ## Analysis Framework ### 1. Quality Assessment - **Relevance**: Do links come from related niches? - **Authority**: Are referring domains trusted? - **Context**: Editorial vs. footer/sidebar links? - **Anchor text**: Natural or over-optimized? ### 2. Risk Signals | Signal | Action | |--------|--------| | **Toxic links** | Consider disavow (use cautiously) | | **Spammy anchors** | Diversify anchor text naturally | | **Link schemes** | Remove or disavow | | **Sudden spike** | Investigate; may trigger penalty | ### 3. Competitive Comparison - Compare backlink profile to competitors - Identify link gaps (sites linking to competitors but not you) - Find link opportunities from competitor backlinks - See **competitor-research** for full methodology ## Disavow File - Use only when necessary (manual penalty, toxic links) - Submit via Google Search Console (see **google-search-console** for Links report and disavow submission) - **Caution**: Over-disavowing can harm; use sparingly - **References**: [Google Disavow](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing#disavow-links) ## Output Format - **Profile summary**: Key metrics, trends - **Quality assessment**: Strengths and weaknesses - **Risk signals**: Toxic or suspicious links - **Recommendations**: Link building priorities, disavow if needed - **Competitive insights**: Link gap opportunities ## Related Skills - **google-search-console**: Links report, disavow file submission - **seo-monitoring**: Backlink metrics in full SEO monitoring; quality vs quantity, referral ROI - **link-building**: Use analysis to plan link building - **competitor-research**: Competitor backlink analysis; link gap methodology