Backlinks

Where the data comes from

Two sources, with different properties:

• Search Console, when connected — Google's own view of links to your site. Available on every plan, because it is your data and costs us nothing to read.
• A backlink data provider on paid plans — broader coverage, including links Search Console does not surface, at a real per-fetch cost.

The app labels which source a link came from. They disagree more than people expect, and knowing which one is claiming something matters.

Reading it

Referring domains matter more than raw link count: a hundred links from one site is roughly one endorsement. Look for new and lost referring domains over time rather than the total, which mostly drifts.

In Site optimization

On plans that include it, backlink data feeds the audit: links pointing at pages that now 404 or redirect (reclamation opportunities — someone already decided to link to you and the link is being wasted), and lost links worth investigating.

Limits

• No backlink index is complete. Every provider, including Google's own tooling, sees a sample.
• Discovery lags. A link may exist for weeks before any index reports it.
• We do not score link quality with a made-up metric. What we show is what was found and where.