How to conduct a backlink audit: Tips, tools, & examples

Backlink audits are a core SEO check for evaluating domain health, link-building progress, and the risks that can drag rankings down. By analyzing every link pointing to a site, the process reviews backlink quality, relevance, and overall impact—highlighting both positive signals and harmful patterns. The article cites an example where Backlinko’s statistics roundup pages earned the second-highest number of backlinks from referring domains (RDs), prompting 50+ new statistics pages and updates to existing content. It also notes that 17.4% of Backlinko’s backlinks use branded anchor text such as “Backlinko” and “Brian Dean.” It further describes how audits support migration readiness, link recovery, and detecting sudden spikes in low-quality links.