Objective: The aim of this guide is to perform a thorough backlink audit for any website, providing insights into the current state of its backlink health and actionable steps for improvement.

 

Importance: Backlinks play a crucial role in search engine rankings. A backlink audit ensures that your website leverages quality links and avoids penalties associated with poor-quality ones.

 

Tools Required: Browser, Google Docs, Google Sheets, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.

 

Frequency: Conduct the audit periodically, ideally every 3-6 months or when there are suspicions of penalization due to the website’s link profile.

 

Performed by: The individual responsible for SEO.

 

Environment Setup

 

1. SEMrush Account Setup:
   • Visit SEMrush’s signup page.
   • Create an account by providing necessary details.
2. Ahrefs Account Setup:
   • Go to Ahrefs’ website.
   • Choose a suitable plan (Standard plan is generally sufficient).

 

Step-by-Step Backlink Audit Process

 

1. Identify Potentially Toxic Backlinks using SEMrush:

 

• Log in to your SEMrush account and navigate to “Backlink Audit.”
• Enter the website to be audited and start the backlink audit process.

 

 

• Configure settings including brand settings, domain category, and target countries.

 

                   

 

• Once the audit is completed, review the Overall Toxic Score.

 

 

• Export the results to CSV and open it in Google Sheets.

 

 

• Paste the data into the Backlink Audit Template.

 

 

• Analyze each link manually and assign a Risk Score.

 

 

• Decide on actions for each link: Remove, Disavow, or No Action based on risk assessment.

 

 

2. Take Action on Spammy Backlinks:

 

• For links marked for removal, attempt to contact the website owner to request removal.
• Utilize various methods to find contact information, prioritizing personal contacts over generic email addresses.
• If necessary, use tools like Mail Hunter or Whois lookup for contact details.
• Follow up with a polite removal request email template provided.

3. Identify 404 (Broken) Backlinks using Ahrefs:

 

• Open Ahrefs and enter the website for analysis.

 

 

• Select “Broken” to identify broken backlinks.

 

• Export the data to CSV and paste it into the 404 Audit Sheet in the Backlink Audit Template.

 

 

 

• Review each link and decide on actions: Contact for fix, Redirect, Bring page back, or No Action.

 

4. Take Action on 404’d Backlinks:

 

• For links needing a fix, attempt to contact the website owner to request correction.
• Follow similar steps as mentioned earlier to find and contact the responsible party.
• If redirection is required, follow the provided procedure for implementation.
• For recreating content, follow appropriate content creation guidelines.
• For links marked with no action, move on to the next link.

 

5. Analyze Your Top Linked Pages using Ahrefs:

 

• Use Ahrefs to analyze the top linked pages of the website.

 

 

• Export the data to CSV and paste it into the Popular Pages Sheet in the Backlink Audit Template.

 

 

• Add comments and actions as needed based on the analysis.

 

• Extract insights for future link building campaigns and content creation strategies.

 

Conclusion:

By following these steps, you’ll be able to conduct a comprehensive backlink audit for your website, identifying areas for improvement and implementing necessary actions to enhance its overall SEO performance. Regular audits and proactive measures are essential for maintaining a healthy backlink profile and improving search engine rankings.