Step-by-Step Guide on How to Monitor My Backlinks
Getting backlinks is great. Keeping them is better. It's already super hard to get good backlinks, you need to invest in making sure they're still there. Here is how in this article.
Since you're reading this post, we're sure you understand the importance of backlinks in search engine optimization (SEO). They signal to search engines that a site is valuable and credible. This makes it easier for your website to rank higher. But understand that acquiring backlinks alone isn't enough. In addition, you need to monitor them, making sure they remain active and valuable to your site’s authority.
- What exactly is backlink monitoring?
- Why should you monitor your backlinks?
- How to monitor your backlinks?
Read on to discover all you need to know about these questions.
What is backlink monitoring?
Backlink monitoring is an SEO practice that tracks links that point to your website. This ensures your backlink profile remains healthy for search engine optimization. Today, backlink monitoring focuses on three different things:
- Monitoring to identify new backlinks
- Backlink monitoring helps to identify lost links.
- It helps to identify broken links that can harm your site’s credibility.
Here's why backlink monitoring matters
Backlink monitoring in SEO matters for many reasons today. Below are some key benefits of this SEO practice:
- As you already know, losing high-quality backlinks can hurt your site's ranking and performance. By monitoring your backlinks, you can quickly identify the ones you have lost. This allows you to do the needful before your SEO and website performance gets hurt.
- If you understand how broken backlinks work, you'll certainly agree that they are dangerous. They disrupt the value coming from authoritative websites. They increase your bounce rates. They also lower your website ranking.
- Backlink monitoring shouldn't only focus on your website. You can also perform it on your competitors. This allows you to uncover opportunities for better rankings.
- Lastly, backlink monitoring is ideal for identifying the sites linking to your website. It allows you to stay away from spammy links that could hurt your site's reputation. It also provides you with more partnership opportunities.
Bottom line: backlink monitoring ensures you retain your valuable links. It also allows you to remove harmful links for maximum SEO benefits.
Understanding how to monitor your backlinks
The following steps will help you better monitor your backlinks for the best SEO benefits:
You need the right tools
Today, backlink monitoring requires the use of the right tools. While manual tracking sometimes works, it's time-consuming and slightly inefficient. This explains why it makes sense to use the right monitoring tool to automate the process.
We recommend the following monitoring tools for effective monitoring:
- KarmaLinks
- Google Search Console
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
Ahrefs most certainly requires you to opt for a premium plan to ensure its monitoring features. However, KarmaLinksvand Google Search Console have free plans. SEMrush also has a free plan, but this is limited.
Features
- KarmaLinks.io is a reliable backlink exchange platform for B2B SaaS. This platform supports backlink monitoring. It offers automatic notifications as soon as it discovers any missing links.
- Ahrefs offers comprehensive backlink tracking. This tool provides lost link alerts. You can also use it for your competitor analysis.
- Google Search Console offers free backlink data from Google. The only issue is that it only provides limited details.
- SEMrush allows for backlink audits. It also offers link-building suggestions. You can also rely on it to identify toxic backlinks.
As you can see, all tools have their strengths and weaknesses. If you run a B2B SaaS business, we recommend using KarmaLinks.io. It allows for effortless exchange of high-quality backlinks. It also allows you to secure and track your backlinks conveniently.
Setup your backlink monitoring system
The four monitoring systems mentioned above have different ways of setting them up. Below, you'll discover exactly how to set up your favorite tool(s).
KarmaLinks
To set up your tool, here's what we recommend:
- Start by signing up and joining the backlink exchange club.
- Add your website details.
- Earn enough Karma points by giving websites backlinks.
- Use the earned points to acquire backlinks that matter to your site.
- Get real-time alerts when you lose quality backlinks.
Google Search Console
To get started with Google Search Console, here's what you need:
- Visit Google Search Console
- Choose your ideal website properly
- Locate “Links” and navigate to “Top Linking Sites”.
- Lastly, consider existing data. This allows you to identify the URL that links to your site.
Ahrefs
Here's how to set up Ahrefs for backlink monitoring:
- Visit the app’s backlink checker.
- Enter your domain.
- Next, click on "Check Backlinks".
- Proceed by checking for new backlinks, lost backlinks, and toxic links. You should also take advantage of Ahrefs’ real-time updates to identify these links quickly.
SEMrush
To set up your SEMrush, here's what you need:
- Start by logging into Semrush.
- Navigate to the “Link Building” section. This is located at the left-hand bottom end of your screen.
- Click on “Backlink Analysis”.
- Enter your website to start analyzing your backlinks.
Backlink analysis and action
Since you've set up your tool, it's time to start analyzing your backlinks. As you already know, not all backlinks are beneficial. Some will end up hurting your SEO. Below are a few ways to spot these spammy links and avoid them:
- Links from private blog networks are red flags!
- Avoid spammy, low-quality links
- Avoid links from over-optimized anchor texts.
Instead, ensure the backlinks are from a high-DR website. Target websites with a DR of 50+. Furthermore, ensure the links are relevant to your niche. They should also come with natural anchor texts. Lastly, the backlinks should be do-follow links.
After analyzing the backlinks, what is next is to take action.
- For lost high-quality backlinks, ensure to contact the website owner. Ask them if they can restore the links. If you have outdated content, be ready to provide updated resources. Take advantage of KarmaLinks' ethical link exchanges to replace lost backlinks.
- For toxic backlinks, you need to remove them quickly to avoid hurting your SEO. Start by contacting the website to remove the spammy links. You can also use advanced tools, such as Google Disavow Tool, to eliminate the toxic links.
