When you build a link strategy — through exchange or buying — the most important step is identifying which links are worth the investment. Quality backlinks drive rankings within weeks. Bad ones don't get counted at all — and sometimes actually hurt.
This is the practical tool we at LinkHub use to vet partners. All metrics are data-based, can be checked in under 5 minutes per link, and are covered in any standard SEO tool (Ahrefs / Semrush / Moz).
01Domain Rating (DR)
DR is an Ahrefs metric (Moz calls it Domain Authority, Semrush calls it Authority Score). In short: a 0–100 scale that reflects domain strength based on its link profile.
Recommended threshold: as a rule of thumb, look for a link from a site with DR at least equal to yours, and ideally 10–20 points higher. A link from a much lower-DR site is less attractive — but not worthless.
02Real organic traffic
DR alone is misleading. A site can have DR 50 thanks to a PBN — without real traffic. Organic traffic from Google proves the site doesn't just "look strong" — it is strong.
Recommended threshold: 1,000+ organic visits a month. Less than that — red flag. Check in Ahrefs / Semrush.
03Topical relevance
The most valuable link is from a site in the same niche. A 2026 site linked by 5 sites in its niche is worth more than one linked by 50 sites in unrelated niches.
Recommended threshold: check the site's top 10 pages. At least 30%–50% of them should be on a topic close to yours.
04Domain type
Government (.gov), educational (.edu), and organization (.org) domains are by default considered more authoritative than .com. In Israel — .ac.il (academic) and .gov.il are similar. Suspicious foreign TLDs (.tk, .ml, .ga) — red flag.
05Domain age
A 10-year-old domain that built up traffic over time is gold. A one-year-old domain with DR 50 — suspicious. Check the Wayback Machine for when the site was first established and what its historical content was.
06Anchor text profile
Check the last 100 links into the site (Ahrefs > Anchors). If most anchors are exact-match on commercial keywords — the site is probably selling links. A natural anchor profile = brand, URL, descriptive, occasional exact.
The complete anchor-text strategy guide.
07Link position on the page
A link in the first paragraph of a relevant article is worth far more than one in a footer or sidebar. Google has officially stated it considers the "context relevance" of link placement.
08Dofollow vs Nofollow
Dofollow passes link equity, Nofollow doesn't (or only partially). If you're paying for a link — make sure it's dofollow. But a healthy profile includes a mix: 70% dofollow, 30% nofollow is natural. Full explainer.
09Outbound link count on the page
If the page has 200 outbound links, your link only gets a tiny share of the link equity. Recommended threshold: fewer than 30 outbound links on the page.
10Is the page indexed in Google
A simple check: site:domain.com/page-url in Google. If the page doesn't appear, Google doesn't know it exists — and your link probably isn't being counted.
11Site engagement metrics
A site with a 90% bounce rate and a 5-second average session — a sign of problems. SimilarWeb / SEMrush show this. A strong site = high engagement.
12Domain history
Wayback Machine + Whois History. Check: did the domain change ownership recently? Was there a completely different site in the past? Were there sudden content changes? All potential red flags.
The checklist in short — a worksheet
| Metric | Minimum threshold | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| DR | ≥ your DR | Ahrefs |
| Organic traffic | 1,000+/month | Ahrefs/Semrush |
| Relevance | 30%+ overlap | Top 10 pages |
| Age | 2+ years | Wayback / Whois |
| Anchor profile | Less than 15% exact | Ahrefs anchors |
| Placement | Inside content | Manual view |
| Dofollow | Yes (for paid link) | view source |
| Outbound | Less than 30 | Ahrefs / manual count |
| Indexed | Yes | site: in Google |
| Engagement | bounce<70% | SimilarWeb |
| History | Clean | Wayback |
FAQ
Do I have to run all 12 metrics?
No. The first four (DR, traffic, relevance, age) are mandatory. The rest are recommended but mostly useful for distinguishing between two links that already pass the initial bar.
How long does it take to vet a link with the checklist?
Manually: 10–15 minutes per link. In LinkHub: seconds — the system automatically checks all metrics from Ahrefs and Semrush APIs.
What if a link passes 10 out of 12 — worth pursuing?
Yes, absolutely. No link is perfect. The goal is to spot links that fail on 3–4 metrics — those are the ones that aren't worth it. 10/12 = a very good partner.