Backlinks Explorer: backlink analysis with your internal link graph beside it
Backlink analysis in Novaverb: referring domains and backlinks from a connected source, the outbound and internal link graph from your own crawl, and a Map of Content that finds orphan pages.
Know who links to you, who links to rivals, and where your internal authority flows.
Included from Free
What is backlink analysis, and what is Backlinks Explorer?
Backlink analysis is the review of the links that point at a site, the links it sends out, and the links its pages exchange. Backlinks Explorer is Novaverb's backlink analysis: it maps referring domains and backlinks from a connected source, draws the outbound and internal link graph from your crawl, and labels every figure by the source that observed it.
Backlinks Explorer maps captured referring-domain and backlink records, and pairs them with the internal link graph from your project crawl. Coverage is labeled by source.
- Category
- Research & Discovery
- Available from
- Free
- Evidence it reads
- Connected backlink source
Your project crawl
Declared schema entities
Earlier crawls - Works with
- Outbound Links
Internal Links
Map of Content
What does backlink analysis cover in Backlinks Explorer?
Backlink analysis in Backlinks Explorer covers three questions. Who links to you is read from a connected source with live, lost or redirected status. Who you link out to is read from your crawl. How your pages link to each other is drawn as a Map of Content that finds orphan pages and weak clusters. Coverage is labeled by source.
- Inbound profile: referring domains, backlinks and Domain Rating from the connected source
- Anchor text categorized as brand, naked URL, generic, descriptive or empty
- Outbound links joined to the crawl status of the pages they point at
- Internal link graph and Map of Content from your own crawl, no paid index required
- Orphan pages and thin clusters surfaced from the graph
- Risk Review that is evidence-based and review-first, never a one-click label
Who is backlink analysis for?
Backlink analysis is for people asked where a site's authority comes from and where it goes: an SEO lead deciding which pages deserve more internal links, an agency reporting a client's referring domains with the source named, a content strategist finding orphan pages no cluster reaches, and a business owner who wants the link picture without buying a verdict.
SEO leads
Read the internal link graph, find orphan pages and route authority to the pages that should earn it.
Agencies
Report referring domains and backlinks with the observing source and its scope attached.
Content strategists
Use the Map of Content to strengthen topic clusters and connect pages nothing links to.
Business owners
See who links to you, who links to rivals and where your own links leak, in one view.
Why use backlink analysis that joins inbound, outbound and internal links?
Use backlink analysis that joins inbound, outbound and internal links because each one alone misleads: an inbound count says nothing about where the authority goes next, an outbound list says nothing about broken targets, and an internal map without crawl status hides links to pages that no longer answer. Backlinks Explorer joins all three to the same crawl.
Captured referring domains
Inspect the referring-domain and backlink records available from the connected source, with its observation scope attached.
Outbound & internal in one view
Outbound Links and Internal Links show where your own authority leaks out and where it should flow instead.
Map of Content
Your internal-link graph and Schema entities, visualized, find orphan pages and strengthen your topic clusters.
How does backlink analysis work, from source to fix?
Backlink analysis works in four steps. Connect a backlink source so referring domains and inbound links arrive with their observation scope. Crawl your site so the outbound and internal graph is drawn from your own pages. Work the inbound, outbound and internal tabs, opening the evidence behind each row. Then fix, export, and let the next crawl update the finding.
- 1
Connect a source
Referring domains, backlinks and Domain Rating come from the connected source, with the scope of its observation attached. No source means honestly empty.
- 2
Crawl your site
The outbound and internal link graphs are drawn from your own crawl, joined to each target page's status, canonical and indexability.
- 3
Work the tabs
Inbound, outbound, internal and Map of Content each answer one question; every row opens the link evidence behind it.
- 4
Fix and export
Route internal links, repair outbound targets, export the lists; the next crawl updates the graph instead of the list being rebuilt by hand.
Backlink analysis reads the inbound profile from a named source
In backlink analysis, referring domains, backlinks and Domain Rating come from the connected source, each link reported as live, lost or redirected by the source that observed it, with anchor text categorized as brand, naked URL, generic, descriptive or empty. Inbound links are never inferred from your crawl: with no source connected the inbound view is empty rather than estimated.
Backlink analysis joins outbound and internal links to the crawl
Backlinks Explorer draws Outbound Links and Internal Links from your crawl and joins them to the status of every target page, so a link pointing at a 4xx, redirect or noindex page is visible as a problem rather than counted as a link. Both graphs are crawl native, need no paid index and update when you crawl again.
Backlink analysis draws a Map of Content that finds orphan pages
In Backlinks Explorer, the Map of Content visualizes your internal link graph with the schema entities your pages declare, so a topic cluster is a shape you can read: which pages hold it together, which hang off one link, and which are orphans. The fix queue turns those shapes into internal-link work, ordered by the evidence in the graph.
Evidence-based backlink analysis vs. a one-click toxic-link score
A one-click toxic-link score reads an inbound list, applies a hidden model and hands you a verdict to disavow by. Evidence-based backlink analysis shows each link with the source that observed it and its current status, joins your outbound and internal links to crawl evidence, and leaves the review to you. One sells a label, the other shows the links.
| A one-click toxic-link score | Backlinks Explorer in Novaverb |
|---|---|
| A hidden model decides which links are bad | Risk Review is evidence-based and review-first |
| Inbound counts with no observing source named | Every inbound figure names its source and scope |
| Outbound and internal links ignored or unpriced extras | Outbound and internal graphs from your own crawl, no paid index |
| Broken targets counted as links | A link to a 4xx or noindex page is shown as a problem |
What data does backlink analysis read?
Backlink analysis reads three things that are usually kept apart: a connected backlink source for who links to you with each link's status and the scope of the observation, your crawl for who you link out to, and the same crawl for how your pages link to each other with the schema entities they declare. Each figure keeps its source.
Connected backlink source
Referring domains, backlinks, Domain Rating and per-link status, with the observation scope attached.
Your project crawl
Every outbound and internal link on your captured pages, joined to the target's status, canonical and indexability.
Declared schema entities
The entities your pages declare, drawn beside the internal graph in the Map of Content.
Earlier crawls
The graph is redrawn on each crawl, so a repaired target closes its finding on the next run.
How these figures are produced and checked: how Novaverb measures.
What can you produce with backlink analysis?
What you can produce with backlink analysis is the work behind a link strategy: a referring-domain and backlink profile with source and status, an anchor-text breakdown, outbound links pointing at broken or non-indexable targets, an internal link graph, a Map of Content with orphan pages and weak clusters, a fix queue for internal links, and exports for each tab.
- Referring-domain and backlink profile
- Anchor-text breakdown
- Live, lost and redirected link status
- Outbound links with broken or noindex targets
- Internal link graph
- Map of Content with orphan pages
- Internal-link fix queue
- Per-tab exports
How is Novaverb's backlink analysis different?
Novaverb's backlink analysis is different in what it will not pretend. Inbound links are never inferred from your crawl, so no source means an honestly empty view; Risk Review is evidence-based and review-first, never a one-click toxic label; the outbound and internal graphs are entirely crawl native with no paid index; and every figure keeps the source that observed it.
- Inbound links only from a connected source; no source means honestly empty
- Risk Review is evidence-based and review-first, never a one-click 'toxic' label
- Outbound and internal graphs are crawl native, no paid index required
- Every link and every figure carries the source and status that observed it
How does backlink analysis help SEO?
For SEO, backlink analysis answers three questions: which domains link to you and what the anchors say, which outbound links point at pages that no longer answer, and which of your pages are orphans or hang off a single link. The internal graph is where the fastest wins usually sit, because routing links between pages you own needs no outreach.
How does backlink analysis help AI answer visibility?
For AI answer visibility, backlink analysis matters through the internal graph. An answer engine retrieves pages it can reach and understand. An orphan page is neither. The Map of Content shows which topic clusters are connected and which entity pages stand alone, so the content studio's answer-ready pages are linked into a structure a crawler and an engine can follow.
Which plans include backlink analysis?
Backlink analysis is included from the Free plan for the crawl-native part: the outbound and internal link graphs and the Map of Content need only your own crawl. Imported inbound backlink profiles open on Solo and above when a source is connected. Tiers differ in URLs per crawl, data credits a month, seats, workspaces and history depth.
- FreeIncluded from here
- SoloIncluded
- StarterIncluded
- ProIncluded
- EnterpriseIncluded
Outbound Links, Internal Links, Map of Content
Crawl-native outbound and internal link graphs on Free, imported inbound backlink profiles on Solo and above
How much does backlink analysis cost?
Backlink analysis costs what your plan costs, there is no separate license, and the Free plan includes the crawl-native graphs. Plans are priced on scale, URLs per crawl, data credits a month, seats, workspaces and history depth, and the amounts for each tier are on the pricing page, read from one source so this page never quotes a stale number.
Best practices for backlink analysis
The best practices for backlink analysis start inside your site. Crawl before reading any link view. Fix orphans and broken outbound targets before spending on outreach. Read an inbound figure with its source and scope, not as a market total. Treat Risk Review as a review, not a disavow list. Re-crawl after changes so the graph tells you what happened.
- Crawl first; the outbound and internal graphs come from your own pages
- Fix orphan pages and broken outbound targets before chasing new inbound links
- Read every inbound figure with the source and scope that observed it
- Use Risk Review to review, not as an automatic disavow list
- Re-crawl after internal-link changes and let the graph close the findings
How does backlink analysis work with the rest of Novaverb?
Backlink analysis reads the crawl the rest of Novaverb reads and hands its findings on. Crawl Explorer captures the pages and their links, Site Health Audit flags targets that fail, Competitive Analysis shows which domains co-rank on your tracked terms, the content studio fills the clusters the Map of Content shows as thin, and Reports carry the link picture, dated.
Crawl Explorer
Inspect every URL captured in your project crawl, and turn each supported technical finding into an action.
See the productSite Health Audit
A source-aware technical checklist that prioritizes supported findings and records fresh rechecks.
See the productDecision Ladder
Audit the journey from search click to conversion, the UX layer classic SEO ignores.
See the productSEO Tools
One workspace for crawl, keywords, backlinks, content, AI visibility and reporting.
See the productRead more about Backlinks Explorer
- How to Check Backlinks for Any Website in 5 MinutesGuides
- Understanding Link Buying and Manual ActionsGuides
- The Truth About Internal Linking: Quality Over QuantityGuides
- Internal Linking Quick Wins That Lift RankingsGuides
- What Is a Crawl Path in SEO? Routes, Depth and ExamplesDefinitions
- Backlink CheckerTry it free
Frequently asked questions about backlink analysis
The short answers about backlink analysis: inbound links come only from a backlink source you connect, the outbound and internal graphs come from your own crawl on every plan, a link to a broken page is shown as a problem, orphan pages appear in the Map of Content, and no link is labeled toxic for you.
Where do the inbound links in backlink analysis come from?
From a backlink source you connect, and only from there. Referring domains, backlinks, Domain Rating and each link's live, lost or redirected status carry the scope of that source's observation. Inbound links are never inferred from your own crawl, so with no source connected the inbound view is honestly empty.
Does backlink analysis label links as toxic?
No. Risk Review is evidence-based and review-first: it shows the links and the facts observed about them and leaves the judgment to you. A one-click toxic label would be a verdict from a hidden model, and a disavow made on it could remove links that were helping. The review is the product, not a score.
Can backlink analysis find orphan pages?
Yes. The internal link graph is drawn from your own crawl and the Map of Content visualizes it with the schema entities your pages declare, so pages nothing links to, pages hanging off a single link and thin clusters are visible as shapes. The fix queue beneath the map turns them into internal-link work.
Do I need a paid backlink index for backlink analysis?
Not for the outbound and internal graphs or the Map of Content: those are crawl native and available on the Free plan from your own crawl. An imported inbound backlink profile needs a connected source and opens on Solo and above. The two halves are labeled separately so you always know which one a figure came from.
How does backlink analysis treat a link to a broken page?
As a problem, not as a link. Outbound and internal links are joined to the crawl status of the page they point at, so a link to a 4xx, a redirect chain or a noindex page is shown with that status beside it. Repair the target or the link, re-crawl, and the finding closes on the fresh evidence.
How often does backlink analysis update?
The crawl-native graphs update every time you crawl, and the inbound profile updates when the connected source is refreshed within your plan's data credits. Each figure keeps the date and source of its observation, so a comparison between two runs is a comparison between two records rather than a guess about change.
Start your backlink analysis
Start your backlink analysis by creating a free workspace and crawling your site; the outbound and internal graphs and the Map of Content draw from that crawl at once, and a connected source adds the inbound profile. Compare the plans if you already know the crawl size and inbound coverage you need.