When the user wants backlink analysis, link gap analysis, competitor link profiles, referring domain data, or link building research.
Library skill — the default version is maintained in GitHub; edits you make live in your own clone.
Note: LocalSEOData (
localseodata-tool) now hasbacklink_summaryandbacklink_gapendpoints. Use LocalSEOData for quick backlink overviews and gap analysis. Ahrefs remains the preferred tool for deep link analysis — anchor text profiles, lost/new links, referring domain details, and content gap analysis.
Ahrefs has an official MCP server. When connected, use it for backlink analysis and link-focused competitive intelligence. Ahrefs has the largest backlink index — it's the authoritative source for link data.
| You Need | Use Ahrefs | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Backlink profile for a domain | ✅ Best backlink database | — |
| Referring domains count/list | ✅ | — |
| Link gap (who links to competitor but not you) | ✅ Best for this | — |
| Lost/broken backlinks | ✅ | — |
| Anchor text analysis | ✅ | — |
| Keyword search volume | ⚠️ Can do it | Semrush (better keyword tool) |
| Keyword gap analysis | ⚠️ Can do it | Semrush (preferred for keywords) |
| Content Explorer (find linkable content) | ✅ Unique to Ahrefs | — |
| Technical site audit | ⚠️ Has one | Screaming Frog (more detailed) |
| SERP data | ❌ | SerpAPI |
| Local pack rankings | ❌ | Local Falcon |
| Citation data | ❌ | BrightLocal |
When: User asks "why aren't we ranking?" or needs to understand link authority.
What to pull: 1. Domain Rating (DR): Overall link authority score (0-100) 2. Referring Domains: Unique domains linking to the site (more important than total backlinks) 3. Backlink list: Individual backlinks with source, anchor text, follow/nofollow, first seen date 4. Referring domains by DR: Quality distribution of linking domains
How to interpret for local: - DR 20-40: Typical for local businesses - DR 40-60: Strong local site, likely has press or industry links - DR 60+: Very strong, probably a brand or large multi-location - Referring domains matter more than total backlinks (10 links from 10 domains > 50 links from 2 domains) - Local relevance matters: 1 link from a local news site > 10 links from random blogs
Red flags: - Sudden spike in referring domains (could be spam or negative SEO) - Mostly nofollow links (limited authority transfer) - Anchor text heavily keyword-stuffed (penalty risk) - Links from irrelevant or low-quality sites
When: User wants to find link building opportunities from competitor profiles.
What to pull: 1. Link Intersect: Domains that link to competitors but NOT to user's site 2. Filter by DR 20+ (skip low-quality) 3. Filter by dofollow links 4. Sort by referring domain authority
What to look for: - Local directories linking to competitors but not you → citation opportunity - Local news/media sites → PR opportunity - Industry associations or organizations → membership/sponsorship opportunity - Local blogs or community sites → content/relationship opportunity - .edu or .gov sites → high authority, worth extra effort
How to prioritize opportunities: 1. Local relevance (local site > random site) 2. Domain authority (DR 30+ preferred) 3. Dofollow status (dofollow > nofollow for SEO, but nofollow still has value) 4. Achievability (directory listings are easy, editorial links take effort)
When: Rankings dropped and you suspect link loss, or routine maintenance.
What to pull: 1. Lost backlinks (filtered by recent timeframe) 2. Filter by referring domain DR 20+ 3. Check if the linking page is gone (404) or the link was removed
What to do: - Page 404'd → Reach out and ask to update the link - Link removed → Understand why (content changed? contact changed?) - Domain expired → Check if link was valuable enough to pursue alternative - High-DR losses → Priority recovery targets
When: Checking for over-optimization or understanding link profile health.
What healthy local anchor text looks like: - Brand name (40-60%): "Smith Plumbing," "smithplumbing.com" - Generic (15-25%): "click here," "website," "learn more" - Location-based (10-20%): "plumber in Buffalo," "Buffalo NY plumbing" - Exact match keywords (under 10%): "emergency plumber" — too much of this is a penalty risk
When: User needs content ideas that attract links.
| Metric | What It Is | Local SEO Context |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs' authority score (0-100) | Compare to local competitors, not national brands |
| Referring Domains | Unique domains linking to you | The #1 link metric — more unique domains = more authority |
| URL Rating (UR) | Authority of a specific page | Useful for comparing location page authority |
| Dofollow % | Percentage of links passing authority | Below 50% dofollow is weak |
| Anchor text distribution | What text is used in links | Over-optimized anchors can trigger penalties |
| Link velocity | Rate of new links acquired | Steady growth is healthy, spikes are suspicious |
| What You Found | Next Action | Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor has 3x more referring domains | Build a link acquisition strategy | local-link-building |
| Found link gap opportunities (directories) | These are citation opportunities | local-citations |
| Found link gap opportunities (editorial/media) | Build targeted outreach campaigns | local-link-building |
| Anchor text over-optimized | Diversify with brand and generic anchors going forward | local-link-building |
| Lost high-value links | Outreach to recover, then build replacements | local-link-building |
| Link profile is fine but still not ranking locally | Links aren't the issue — check GBP, reviews, proximity | geogrid-analysis, gbp-optimization |
| Need this data in a client report | Include link profile comparison in deliverables | client-deliverables |
Default next step: Link analysis always raises the question "is this a link problem or something else?" If the link profile is comparable to competitors, the issue is likely GBP, reviews, or relevance — not links.