Backlink monitoring that shows what you have, what you lack and what you lost
Backlink monitoring tracks the links that point to your site and warns you when they disappear. Rankmetr shows your backlink profile and the strength of each linking domain, finds sites that link to competitors but not to you, and checks that the links you paid for are still live.
What a backlink is and why you should monitor it
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. For Google it is still one of the main signals of trust: a page with links from relevant, strong domains usually ranks higher than a similar page without them. Links also bring referral traffic and help AI assistants find and cite your brand.
Backlinks are not permanent. Sites get redesigned, pages are deleted, editors remove links or add nofollow, and paid placements expire quietly. Without monitoring you only notice when rankings drop, and by then it is hard to tell which link was the reason. Backlink monitoring tools check your links on a schedule and show what changed, so you can ask for a link to be restored or replace it.
Backlinks module features
Backlink profile
Referring domains, linking pages and anchor text, so you see how your link profile is built.
Domain strength
A rank for each referring domain based on its own backlink profile, to tell strong links from weak ones.
Backlink gap analysis
Domains that link to your competitors but not to you. This is the shortlist for link building.
Paid link control
Regular checks that links you bought or placed are still on the page and still point to your site.
Mentions without a link
Pages that already mention your brand without linking, plus forums and sites for crowd marketing, from brand monitoring.
How to start backlink monitoring
- 01
Add your site and competitors
The module collects your backlink profile and the profiles of the competitors you choose.
- 02
Review the profile
Sort referring domains by strength, check anchor text and spot suspicious links.
- 03
Find the gap
Get the list of domains that link to several competitors but not to you, ranked by strength.
- 04
Track placed links
Add the links you build or buy, and the module checks that each one stays live.
Competitor backlinks: where link building starts
The fastest way to find link opportunities is to look at competitor backlinks. If a directory, a news site or an industry blog links to three of your competitors, it is likely to accept a link to you too. Backlink gap analysis turns that into a list: domains, their strength and how many competitors they already link to.
From there the work is outreach: a listing request, a guest article, an expert comment, a sponsorship or a paid placement. Whatever the method, every new link goes into monitoring, so the effort is not lost a few months later. To see which competitors rank for your keywords in the first place, use competitor analysis.
What to watch in a backlink profile
- Lost links: a link that disappeared from a strong domain is worth a message to the site owner.
- Referring domains, not just links: ten links from one site are worth less than one link from each of ten relevant sites.
- Anchor text: too many exact-match anchors to one page look unnatural; brand and URL anchors keep the profile safe.
- Domain strength and topic: a relevant site with real traffic beats a strong domain from an unrelated topic.
- Paid placements: check that the link is live and still points to the right page; it is also worth checking by hand that it was not hidden or switched to nofollow after payment.
Could a backlink monitoring tool boost your chances of success?
Monitoring does not create links, but it protects the value of the ones you have and focuses link building on what works. The data helps you understand which links actually moved rankings, which domains are worth a second placement and where you lose links faster than you gain them.
Popular SEO tools such as Ahrefs, Majestic and SE Ranking keep their own large link indexes, and many teams already use one of them for research. The difference here is the connection to the rest of the work: backlink metrics sit next to rank tracking, the site audit and mentions, so a lost link or a new competitor link turns into a task, not just a line in a report. For a detailed comparison with big suites, see Semrush and Ahrefs alternatives.
Link building tool or link building services?
A link building tool gives you data: who links to competitors, which domains are strong, which links are alive. The links themselves still need outreach, content and negotiation. If you want the work done for you, our team builds and monitors links as part of SEO services. An outreach module for cold emails to site owners is in development; see cold outreach, coming soon.
For quick checks without an account, use the free backlink checker and domain authority checker. To build links through domains with an existing link profile, see expired domains.
Who needs backlink monitoring
SEO specialists
Plan link building from real competitor data and prove that every placed link is still working.
Businesses that buy links
Make sure each paid placement stays live for as long as you paid for it.
Agencies
Track links for many client projects. Agency mode is coming soon.
FAQ
What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines treat links from relevant, trusted sites as a signal that your page deserves to rank.
Can you monitor backlinks?
Yes. A backlink monitoring tool checks on a schedule that your links are still on the page and still point to your site, and shows which ones were lost.
Why is backlink monitoring important?
Links disappear when sites are redesigned or pages are deleted, and paid links can be removed after payment. Monitoring shows the loss early, before rankings drop.
What is backlink gap analysis?
It compares your backlink profile with competitors and lists domains that link to them but not to you. It is the most practical starting point for link building.
How do you build backlinks?
Through outreach to relevant sites, guest articles, expert comments, directories, digital PR, crowd marketing on forums and paid placements. Each new link should go into monitoring.
Is there a free backlink checker?
Yes, the backlink checker on this site is free and in early access. Regular monitoring is part of the platform, which is in private beta with prices not published yet.
Monitor your backlinks with Rankmetr
The backlinks module is live for beta users. Leave your email and website, and we will collect your link profile and the gap with competitors.