Link building
How to choose a site for a backlink: 8 criteria
Topic, traffic, keywords, Trust Flow, authority, referring domains, outbound links, indexing - what to check before buying a link.
Not all links are equal. Two sites at the same price can have very different effects on your rankings. Here are the eight points to check before choosing a site for a backlink.
1. Topic
This is the first filter. A link from a site about your industry, or a neighbouring one, makes more sense to Google and to readers. A general site can work if the category where the article is published matches your topic.
2. Organic traffic
A site that gets visitors from Google shows that Google trusts it. A site with no traffic, even with good metrics, should make you wary.
3. Ranking keywords
The number of keywords for which the site appears in Google complements traffic. Look at what they are, too: keywords related to the site's topic are a good sign. Unrelated keywords can reveal a site that was bought and repurposed.
4. Trust Flow and Citation Flow
These two Majestic metrics measure the trust (Trust Flow) and the volume (Citation Flow) of the links a site receives. A Trust Flow that is very low compared to the Citation Flow often points to low-quality links. Topical Trust Flow shows the topics of those links.
5. Domain Authority
Moz's Domain Authority estimates a domain's strength based on its links. It is mainly useful for comparing sites with each other. Like all third-party metrics, it is not a Google figure.
6. Referring domains
The number of different sites linking to the site matters more than the total number of links. A thousand links from three sites are worth less than a hundred links from a hundred sites.
7. Outbound links
Open a few articles. If every article contains many links to unrelated sites, the site sells without any filter and the value of each link is diluted. Prefer sites where links stay rare and useful.
8. Indexing and editorial quality
Check that the site's articles are indexed in Google (a site: search on the domain). Read two or three articles: are they useful, well written, up to date? That is what will make Google keep your article in a good position.
How to use these criteria
No single criterion is enough. A good method: filter by topic and language first, then drop sites with no traffic or keywords, then compare the rest on metrics and price. Keep a varied list: stronger sites for your main pages, more specialised ones for secondary pages.
In the RankoPress catalogue, every site shows its topic, language, traffic, ranking keywords, Trust Flow, Citation Flow, Domain Authority and referring domains, with the price visible before you sign up. Sites are sorted and checked to rule out those that do not meet these criteria. Next, read how to buy a sponsored article the right way.
Frequently asked questions
Which metric matters most?
None is enough on its own. Start with the topic and real traffic, then use Trust Flow, authority and referring domains to compare.
Is a site with a lot of traffic always a good choice?
Not necessarily. Check that the traffic comes from keywords related to the site's topic and that the articles are of good quality.
How do I check that a site is indexed?
Type site:domainname.com into Google. If few pages appear, the site probably has an indexing problem.
Keep reading
Link building: a guide to getting started What link building is, why links still weigh in rankings and how to build a clean strategy, step by step. Sponsored articles: how to buy them the right way What a sponsored article is, what it should contain, how to choose the publishing site and what to check after publication. Anchor text: how to vary it safely The different types of anchor text, why you should vary them and how to spread your backlinks naturally.