SEO Backlinks Analysis
Comprehensive backlink analysis and link building intelligence using DataForSEO API via direct curl calls.
API Configuration
Credentials stored in ~/.config/dataforseo/auth (Base64 encoded).
bash# Read auth token AUTH=$(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)
Quick Reference
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/seo backlinks profile <domain> | Full backlink profile analysis |
/seo backlinks compare <domain1> <domain2> | Compare two domains' backlink profiles |
/seo backlinks gap <your-domain> <competitor1> [competitor2] | Find link gap opportunities |
/seo backlinks toxic <domain> | Identify potentially toxic/spammy links |
/seo backlinks anchors <domain> | Analyze anchor text distribution |
/seo backlinks trend <domain> | New/lost backlinks over time |
/seo backlinks competitors <domain> | Find competitors by backlink overlap |
API Endpoints
Backlink Summary
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/summary/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"target": "example.com"}]'
Get Backlinks
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/backlinks/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"target": "example.com", "limit": 100, "order_by": ["rank,desc"]}]'
Anchor Text Analysis
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/anchors/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"target": "example.com", "limit": 100}]'
Bulk Backlinks (Multiple Domains)
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/bulk_backlinks/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"targets": ["domain1.com", "domain2.com", "domain3.com"]}]'
Bulk Referring Domains
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/bulk_referring_domains/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"targets": ["domain1.com", "domain2.com"]}]'
Bulk Ranks (Domain Authority)
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/bulk_ranks/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"targets": ["domain1.com", "domain2.com"]}]'
Bulk Spam Score
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/bulk_spam_score/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"targets": ["domain1.com", "domain2.com"]}]'
Domain Intersection (Link Gap)
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/domain_intersection/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"targets": {"1": "competitor1.com", "2": "competitor2.com"}, "exclude_targets": ["your-domain.com"], "limit": 100}]'
Competitors by Backlinks
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/competitors/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"target": "example.com", "limit": 20}]'
New/Lost Backlinks Timeline
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/timeseries_new_lost_summary/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"target": "example.com", "date_from": "2024-01-01"}]'
Referring Domains
bashcurl -s -X POST "https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/referring_domains/live" \ -H "Authorization: Basic $(cat ~/.config/dataforseo/auth)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '[{"target": "example.com", "limit": 100, "order_by": ["rank,desc"]}]'
Analysis Modes
1. Backlink Profile Analysis
Get a comprehensive overview of a domain's backlink profile:
Input: domain (e.g., "example.com") Output: - Total backlinks count - Referring domains count - Domain rank (0-1000) - Spam score (0-100) - Dofollow vs nofollow ratio - Top referring domains - Anchor text distribution - New/lost links trend
2. Competitor Comparison
Compare your backlink profile against competitors:
Input: [your-domain, competitor1, competitor2, ...] Output: - Side-by-side metrics comparison - Unique referring domains per site - Shared referring domains - Gap opportunities
3. Link Gap Analysis
Find domains that link to competitors but not to you:
Input: [your-domain, competitor1, competitor2] Output: - Domains linking to competitors but not you - Sorted by authority/relevance - Prioritized outreach list
This is the most valuable analysis for link building strategy.
4. Toxic Link Detection
Identify potentially harmful backlinks:
Input: domain Output: - Links from high spam score domains - Suspicious anchor text patterns - Low-quality referring domains - Disavow candidates
5. Anchor Text Analysis
Analyze anchor text distribution:
Input: domain Output: - Anchor text distribution chart - Brand vs keyword vs generic ratio - Over-optimized anchor warnings - Natural vs unnatural patterns
Healthy distribution guidelines:
- Brand anchors: 30-40%
- Naked URLs: 20-30%
- Generic (click here, etc.): 15-20%
- Keyword-rich: 10-15% (over 20% = warning)
- LSI/related: 5-10%
Interpretation Guidelines
Domain Rank (0-1000)
- 0-100: Low authority
- 100-300: Moderate authority
- 300-500: Good authority
- 500-700: Strong authority
- 700-1000: Excellent authority
Spam Score (0-100)
- 0-10: Clean profile
- 10-30: Low risk
- 30-60: Moderate risk (review needed)
- 60-100: High risk (cleanup recommended)
Red Flags
- Sudden spike in backlinks (potential negative SEO)
- High percentage of nofollow links from unique domains
- Anchor text dominated by exact-match keywords
- Links from irrelevant industries/topics
- Many links from same IP range or C-class
Output Format
Summary Report
markdown# Backlink Profile: [domain] ## Overview - Total Backlinks: X - Referring Domains: X - Domain Rank: X/1000 - Spam Score: X/100 ## Health Assessment [OK/WARN/BAD] Anchor distribution [OK/WARN/BAD] Referring domain quality [OK/WARN/BAD] Link velocity [OK/WARN/BAD] Spam indicators ## Top Referring Domains 1. [domain] - X backlinks, rank Y 2. ... ## Anchor Text Distribution [chart or table] ## Recommendations 1. [Priority action] 2. [Secondary action]
Link Building Prioritization
When generating outreach lists from link gap analysis:
Tier 1 (High Priority)
- Domain rank > 500
- Relevant to your industry
- Editorial links (not directories)
Tier 2 (Medium Priority)
- Domain rank 200-500
- Related industry or topic
- Resource pages, roundups
Tier 3 (Low Priority)
- Domain rank < 200
- Directories, forums
- Comment sections
Integration with Other SEO Skills
- Use
seo-contentto analyze pages that attract backlinks - Use
seo-keywordsto find keywords for linkable content - Use
seo-serpto track ranking impact of new links
[PROTOCOL]: Update this header on changes, then check CLAUDE.md


