Backlink Tracker Template

Free editable Backlink Tracker Template. Copy, personalize, or download the Word .docx template from UNmiss.

A backlink tracker is only useful when every row tells you whether a link is live, worth the effort, and where it came from. This template helps you pick the columns that matter, pull data from Search Console and your backlink tool, and keep earned links separate from the ones you built. Use the placeholders to log your own links and set your own quality bar, so the tracker reflects your profile, not a generic benchmark.

6 ready-to-use variants

Choose Columns by Purpose

Use when you need to decide which columns actually belong in the tracker before you start logging links.

Start with the decision, not the column

Every column should earn its place by answering a question you will actually ask: is this link live, was it worth the outreach, did the campaign produce anything. Begin by writing what you need to decide, then add only the fields that inform it. A tracker bloated with columns no one updates rots within a month.

  • Link goal: [e.g., build authority to a money page]
  • Link source type: [e.g., editorial, guest post, resource page]
  • Primary field: [e.g., live status]
  • Supporting field: [e.g., anchor text]
  • Owner & review date: [set your own]

Keep one row per link so the sheet stays sortable and easy to dedupe. Remember that some columns are inputs you fill once at acquisition, like source URL, anchor, and date, while others are living status you recheck, like live or lost and index state. If a column never changes a decision, drop it or move it to a notes tab.

Core Link Attributes

Use when you want each row to fully identify one link so no one has to reopen the source page to understand it.

Capture the identity of every link

The core attributes make a link findable and auditable months later. Record where the link lives, what it points to, and exactly how it is worded, so anyone can verify it without hunting. These fields are the backbone every other column hangs off.

  • Source URL: [exact page the link sits on]
  • Target page: [your URL it points to]
  • Anchor text: [exact wording of the link]
  • Link attribute: [dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, ugc]
  • Placement: [in-content, author bio, footer]

Log the full source URL, not just the domain, so you can re-check the exact page a link was placed on. Watch your anchor text across rows; an over-optimized exact-match profile is a bigger risk than a natural mix of branded and partial anchors. Note whether the link is in-content or a low-value footer or bio placement, because location changes how much a link is worth.

Authority & Relevance Metrics

Use when you need to judge whether a link is worth chasing or keeping, not just confirm that it exists.

Measure link quality, not just count

A hundred weak links can matter less than a handful of relevant ones. This view records the signals that separate a strong link from filler: the linking domain's authority, its topical fit, and whether it sends real traffic. Pull authority scores from your backlink tool and sanity-check relevance by hand.

  • Domain Rating / Authority: [from your backlink tool]
  • Referring domain traffic: [estimated monthly visits]
  • Topical relevance: [high, medium, low to your niche]
  • Referral clicks: [from analytics, if any]
  • Spam / toxicity flag: [note anything risky]

Treat Domain Rating as a directional signal, not a verdict; a lower-DR page that is tightly relevant and sends clicks often beats a high-DR page that is off-topic. Third-party authority scores are estimates that differ between tools, so pick one source and stay consistent across rows. Flag anything that looks like a paid or spammy link so a future audit does not mistake it for an earned one.

Status & Health Monitoring

Use when you need to catch lost, nofollowed, or de-indexed links before they quietly erode your profile.

Keep every link alive and accounted for

Links decay. Pages get pruned, an editor swaps your dofollow for a nofollow, or a whole site drops out of the index after a redesign. Status columns are your early-warning system so you notice before the loss shows up in rankings. Recheck these on a schedule rather than assuming a link stays put.

  • Live status: [live, lost, redirected]
  • Dofollow check: [still dofollow or changed]
  • Index status: [source page indexed or not]
  • Last checked date: [when you verified]
  • Action needed: [reclaim, replace, ignore]

Treat status as a recurring check, not a one-time entry; keep a last-verified date and flag any link untouched for too long. A link that turns to nofollow or 404s is a reclaim opportunity, so log the action needed rather than just marking it lost. When a link disappears, note the likely cause so the next reviewer does not re-investigate a site redesign from scratch.

Data Sources & Update Cadence

Use when you need to define where each figure comes from and how often you re-verify the tracker.

Reconcile discovery with verification

Your backlink tool and Search Console rarely agree, and neither is ever fully current. A tool may still list a link an editor quietly removed weeks ago, while Search Console can take days to surface one you just earned. Record which source each field came from and the date you pulled it, so a cached DR score or a phantom live status never gets mistaken for fact.

  • Backlink tool: [new referring domains, DR, anchors]
  • Search Console: [top linking sites, linked pages]
  • Analytics: [referral traffic from links]
  • Manual check: [live status, dofollow, placement]
  • Update cadence: [e.g., weekly new links, monthly full audit]

Split the work into two rhythms: log newly discovered links often while their details are fresh, then run a slower hands-on pass that reopens each source URL to confirm the link is still live and still dofollow. Trust what you see on the page over any tool's cached status, and stamp the date of that last verification on every row so no one has to guess whether a link is really still there.

Tracker Structure & Layout

Use when you have your columns chosen and need to lay out a sheet people will actually keep updated.

Lay it out so it stays usable

Structure decides whether a tracker survives past its first month. Put the fields you sort and filter by up front, group the living status columns together, and separate links you earned from links you actively built so each pipeline is clear. A sheet that is a chore to scan gets abandoned.

  • Identity columns (left): [source URL, target page, anchor]
  • Quality columns: [DR, relevance, referral traffic]
  • Status columns: [live, dofollow, last checked]
  • Segments: [earned vs built, link type, campaign]
  • Summary tab: [total live links, new this month, lost]

Add a summary tab that rolls up totals so you can answer how many live links you have without scrolling every row. Use filters and a status color code so lost and at-risk links jump out. Keep segments consistent, tag which links were genuinely earned versus built through outreach, and resist adding columns no one maintains; a lean tracker that stays current beats an exhaustive one that goes stale.

How to use this template

  1. List what you need to decide from your link data first, then add only the columns that inform those decisions so the tracker stays lean.
  2. Set up your data sources: pull new links, Domain Rating, and anchors from a backlink tool, and cross-check with the Search Console Links report for what Google sees.
  3. Give every link one row and record its core identity: source URL, target page, exact anchor text, and whether it is dofollow or nofollow.
  4. Add quality columns such as Domain Rating, topical relevance, and referral traffic so you can tell a strong link from filler instead of only counting links.
  5. Create status columns for live or lost, dofollow, index state, and a last-checked date so you catch decayed or reclaimable links early.
  6. Tag each link as earned or built and by campaign or link type so you can see which outreach and content efforts actually produce links.
  7. Note the source and date for every figure, and flag any paid or sponsored placement so a future audit never mistakes it for an earned link.
  8. Set an update cadence that matches the work, logging new links weekly and running a full status re-check monthly, and assign an owner.

Pro tips

  • Watch your anchor-text distribution across rows; a natural mix of branded and partial-match anchors is safer than an over-optimized exact-match profile.
  • Treat Domain Rating as a directional signal, not a verdict; a relevant, traffic-sending page often beats a high-DR page that is off-topic.
  • Recheck live and dofollow status on a schedule, since links decay quietly, and log the action needed so lost links become reclaim opportunities.
  • When you land a hard-won link, save a dated screenshot or an archived snapshot of the placement; if it is later removed or the anchor is changed, that record turns a vague dispute into a concrete reclaim request.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a referring domain and a backlink?

A backlink is a single link from one page to yours, while a referring domain is a unique website that links to you no matter how many individual links it hosts. Ten backlinks from one site count as one referring domain. For authority and diversity, referring domains usually matter more than raw backlink count, so log both and pay attention to how many distinct domains you have earned.

Which tools provide the data for a backlink tracker?

The free foundation is Google Search Console, whose Links report shows the top sites and pages Google associates with you. A dedicated backlink tool adds discovery of new links, Domain Rating or authority scores, and anchor-text data, while analytics shows referral clicks. Note the exact source next to each column so a DR score or a live status is always reproducible and never debated.

What is the difference between a dofollow and a nofollow link?

A dofollow link passes authority signals to your page, while a nofollow, sponsored, or UGC link tells search engines not to pass that signal. Both can send real referral traffic and belong in your tracker, but they play different roles in a link profile. Log the attribute per link and recheck it over time, since editors sometimes switch a dofollow to nofollow without telling you.

How often should I update a backlink tracker?

Match the cadence to the task. Logging newly earned or built links is worth doing weekly so nothing slips through, while a full re-check of live status, dofollow, and index state fits a monthly rhythm. Whatever you choose, keep it consistent, record a last-checked date on each row, and assign an owner so the tracker never drifts into stale data.

Should I track links I earned and links I built separately?

Yes. Editorially earned links and links you built through outreach or guest posts come from different work and carry different risk, so tag each row accordingly. Separating them shows which campaigns actually produce links and keeps your profile honest. Always disclose sponsored placements and mark them as such, and focus your effort on relevant, earned links rather than volume for its own sake.

What counts as a good backlink worth recording as a win?

A strong link tends to be relevant to your topic, sits in the main content rather than a footer or bio, comes from a page that itself has authority and traffic, and points to a page you actually want to rank. Instead of copying a generic DR threshold, judge each link against your own baseline and niche. Record why a link qualified so future reviews apply the same standard.