Beyond a single metric
It's tempting to reduce link quality to one number — a Domain Authority or Domain Rating score — because a single number is easy to compare. The problem is that both metrics are third-party estimates, not something search engines publish or use directly (see Domain Authority vs Domain Rating), and a high score on a spammy or irrelevant page doesn't make the link useful. The metric is a shortcut, not the actual answer.
The actual checklist
These are the criteria we check before any site is offered as a placement, regardless of package or service:
- 1Topic-matched siteThe host site's subject aligns with your page.
- 2Editorial body copyPlaced in the article, not a footer, sidebar or list.
- 3Reviewed anchor textWording that reads naturally in the sentence.
- 4Chosen target URLThe page you want supported receives the link.
- Topical relevance — does the linking page's subject matter genuinely relate to your target page?
- Real content — is there substantive, independently readable content around the link, or is the page built only to hold outbound links?
- Editorial placement — does the link sit within the body of a piece of content, rather than a sitewide footer, sidebar, or directory listing?
- Natural anchor text — does the anchor read like part of a sentence, not a keyword dropped in for its own sake?
- Site independence and diversity — for network-based links specifically, is the hosting and template distinct from other sites in the same network?
How to evaluate a link you already have
If you're auditing an existing backlink profile rather than building new links, run each backlink through the same five checks above. A link that fails two or more — especially relevance and editorial placement — is worth disregarding or disavowing rather than counting as an asset. Our natural backlink profile guide covers what a healthy mix looks like once you've filtered for quality.
Common red flags
- The linking page has no content beyond a list of outbound links
- The anchor text is an exact-match keyword with no surrounding context
- The site's only apparent purpose is to sell or host links
- The link sits in a widget, footer, or sidebar present on every page of the site
These are the patterns we screen out before an in-content placement is offered. (Our PBN Sidebar option is different by design: it is a site-wide placement you choose knowingly and is priced separately on PBN Plans.) See how that process works in full on our services page.