Verify Backlinks · Help Center

Backlink Audit Help Center

Learn how to prepare Excel and CSV backlink files, understand live URL checks, read backlink quality signals, review toxic backlink checks and interpret Excel, PDF and disavow.txt outputs.

Browse help articles View FAQ overview
How to use this Help Center
From raw backlink files to confident audit review.
Guides Outputs Decisions
1
Prepare your backlink file
Learn how Excel and CSV uploads are read, including backlink URLs, anchors, sheets, source rows and mixed file structures.
2
Understand audit signals
Break down live URL checks, follow type, indexability, backlink quality, toxic backlink signals and Error messages.
3
Read outputs and decisions
Use the guides to interpret Excel, PDF and disavow.txt outputs with Keep, Review and Consider disavow labels.
Learn Understand how backlink audits read files, check URLs and turn signals into practical outputs.
Interpret Read quality signals, toxic backlink checks, Error messages and decision labels with more confidence.
Apply Use the same review logic across vendor files, outreach exports, client audits and cleanup workflows.
The sections below group help articles by workflow: uploads, live checks, scoring, outputs and disavow review.
Step 1 · System flow

The Backlink Audit Workflow From Upload to Output

Verify Backlinks follows one repeatable flow: account access, backlink file upload, live URL checks, backlink quality review and downloadable audit outputs.

  1. 1

    Sign up or log in

    Create your account with email, or log in if you already have access. The same dashboard handles the free trial and paid audits.

  2. 2

    Choose trial or audit capacity

    Start with the free 5-link trial or choose a paid backlink audit size based on the number of URLs in your file.

  3. 3

    Upload your backlink Excel or CSV

    Upload the backlink file you already have from a tool, vendor, agency or outreach workflow. No reformatting is required.

  4. 4

    The audit engine checks URLs live

    Each submitted URL is checked for backlink presence, follow type, indexability, backlink quality and toxic backlink signals.

  5. 5

    Review the audit decisions

    Results are returned as Keep, Review or Consider disavow, with Error messages when a backlink cannot be verified.

  6. 6

    Download Excel, PDF and disavow.txt

    When processing finishes, download the full Excel workbook, PDF summary, disavow.txt suggestion or complete ZIP package.

Step 2 · File input

Upload the Backlink Excel or CSV File You Already Have

The audit engine is built for real backlink exports from SEO tools, vendors, agencies and outreach workflows. Upload your file as-is, and the system extracts backlink URLs while keeping every result traceable.

A

Accepted files

Use the backlink file you already work with

Upload an Excel or CSV backlink list from a tool, provider, agency or campaign without rebuilding the file first.

  • Vendor backlink delivery files
  • Outreach and placement exports
  • SEO tool exports from your workflow
  • Single-sheet and multi-sheet files
B

Automatic detection

Messy exports can still be processed

The audit engine detects valid backlink URLs from real-world sheets, including mixed headers, extra notes and uneven file structures.

  • Visible URLs and clickable hyperlinks
  • Mixed column names and formats
  • Extra headers, notes or blank rows
  • Extra metadata columns are allowed
C

Traceability

Every audit result maps back to your file

Each backlink audit row keeps source context, so reviewers can trace results back to the original file, sheet and row.

  • Filename and sheet name are retained
  • Original row number stays visible
  • Input Sr. No. is copied when present
  • No backlinks are edited automatically
Step 3 · Live verification

What the Audit Engine Checks Per Backlink URL

Each submitted URL is checked live for backlink presence, follow type and verification status. If a backlink cannot be confirmed, the report shows an Error message instead of hiding the failure.

Follow type

The backlink result shown per URL

Follow type tells you whether the backlink was found live, whether it can pass value, or whether the link was missing or unreachable.

  • dofollow

    A backlink is present and no nofollow-style attribute was detected.

  • nofollow

    A backlink is present but marked as nofollow, sponsored or UGC.

  • no link

    The page was checked, but the backlink to your target domain was not found.

  • error

    The page could not be fetched or verified, so the Error message explains why.

Error message

Why a backlink could not be verified

Error messages keep failed live URL checks visible in the Excel and PDF, so backlink quality review does not depend on guessing.

  • Backlink not found

    The page loaded, but the backlink was not present on the live URL.

  • HTTP status

    The page returned a status such as 403, 404, 406 or 429 during verification.

  • Timeout

    The page did not respond fast enough for the backlink check to complete.

  • Connection failed

    The URL could not be reached due to a connection or request failure.

  • Unknown error

    The URL failed for an unexpected reason, but the audit continues safely.

Tip: these terms match the audit outputs, so you can filter the Excel and read the PDF without guessing.
Step 4 · Signals & scoring

How Backlink Quality, Toxic Signals and Decisions Work

The audit separates content risk, SEO risk, backlink quality signals and final recommendations, so every backlink audit decision stays readable in the Excel and PDF outputs.

1

Risk label

Content safety labels such as clean, adult, gambling or drugs.

Risk label shows content safety context. It is separate from Toxic score and appears per backlink in the Risk label column and in the PDF legend.

  • Helps flag content-risk backlinks even when the URL is live.
  • Supports manual review for brand safety and disavow risk.
  • Keeps content risk visible per row instead of hiding it in averages.
2

Toxic score

A 0–100 SEO risk score used for toxic backlink checks.

Toxic score reflects SEO risk. A low score is cleaner, while a high score points to stronger risk signals that should be reviewed before trusting the backlink.

  • Shown per backlink in Toxic score and explained in Toxic explanation.
  • Supports toxic backlink check workflows, cleanup review and PDF health summaries.
  • Measured separately from content safety labels such as adult, gambling or drugs.
3

Backlink quality signals

Context fields that explain why a backlink looks strong, weak or risky.

Quality signals turn the audit into a backlink quality checker. They explain the context behind each decision, instead of showing only a final label.

  • Topical score and Topical relevance show niche fit.
  • Manipulation pattern score and Manipulation pattern surface footprint risk.
  • Placement and Placement detail show where the backlink sits on the page.
  • Target language, Detected language and language relation explain audience fit.
  • Noindex, Canonical mismatch, Robots blocked and duplicates show technical blockers.
  • Link power and Link quality score help sort, filter and compare backlinks faster.
4

Final recommendation

Index, Noindex or Consider disavow for each backlink row.

The audit engine turns verification results, toxic signals and backlink quality signals into a clear recommendation. This appears per row in Indexing recommendation.

  • Index: backlink found and no major risk signals detected.
  • Noindex: low-value, missing, blocked or error-based result that should not be counted as a trusted backlink.
  • Consider disavow: high-risk backlink or disavow links candidate for manual review.
Step 5 · Outputs

How to Use the Excel, PDF and disavow.txt Outputs

Every backlink audit returns the same delivery format: a full Excel workbook, a readable PDF summary, a disavow.txt suggestion and a complete ZIP package.

Delivery bundle

Download each output separately, or use the complete ZIP when the full backlink audit package needs to be shared, stored or reviewed later.

X

Excel workbook

The full working file for filtering, sorting and link-level review.

The Excel workbook is the main backlink audit file. Use it to inspect every submitted URL, trace results back to the source file and review backlink quality, toxic signals and decisions per row.

  • Results shows every backlink URL with follow type, risk label, toxic score and Error message.
  • Summary groups counts by follow type, risk label and audit status.
  • Explanation defines the columns so the workbook stays easy to interpret.
P

PDF report

A readable summary for fast review, reporting and client handoff.

The PDF turns the audit data into a clean overview. It is built for quick decisions, backlink quality review and explaining risk without digging through every Excel row first.

  • Summary panel with health, ratios, averages, totals and high-risk backlink counts.
  • Table view with follow type, risk label, toxic score and recommendation.
  • Legend that explains the same output labels used in the Excel workbook.
D

disavow.txt

A review file built from links marked Consider disavow.

The disavow.txt file is a suggestion only. It collects disavow links candidates from the audit results, but nothing is uploaded or submitted automatically.

  • Includes only backlinks marked Consider disavow in the audit outputs.
  • Can include domain entries and individual URL entries for review precision.
  • Final cleanup or upload decisions always stay under manual control.
Z

Complete ZIP

All backlink audit outputs in one download package.

The ZIP keeps the Excel workbook, PDF report and disavow.txt suggestion together. This is useful for agencies, client delivery, internal reviews and audit archives.

  • One download for the complete backlink audit package.
  • Useful for storing audits by client, campaign, domain or date.
  • Keeps the delivery format consistent across every audit run.
Step 6 · Decision matrix

How to Read Index, Noindex and Consider Disavow

The decision matrix helps you interpret the final recommendation in your backlink audit outputs. It is a reading guide for the Excel and PDF, not a disclosure of internal scoring mechanics.

Recommendation guide

Use this when reviewing backlink quality, toxic backlink checks and disavow links guidance in the Results tab or PDF summary.

Clean backlink found

Observed

The backlink is found live and no major backlink quality or toxic risk signals are flagged.

What it means

The link appears usable in the audit and can stay in the backlink profile review.

Recommended action
Index

Missing, blocked or failed verification

Observed

The backlink is not found, the page cannot be verified, or an Error message explains the issue.

What it means

The link has low confirmed value and should not be treated as a trusted live backlink.

Recommended action
Noindex

High SEO risk or disavow risk detected

Observed

Toxic backlink signals, risky patterns, poor quality or policy-sensitive context are detected.

What it means

The backlink may belong in a disavow links review before any cleanup action is taken.

Recommended action
Consider disavow
Interpretation guide only. Final recommendations appear per backlink in the Excel workbook and PDF report.
Support
Need Help Reading Your Backlink Audit?
Questions about Excel, PDF, disavow.txt or audit decisions.

Contact support if you need help interpreting backlink quality signals, toxic backlink checks, Error messages or Keep, Review and Consider disavow outcomes.

Support covers audit interpretation and platform usage not link building, backlink removals or Search Console submissions.