What Backlinks Intelligence Provides

Domain Authority Metrics

Domain Rank (DR) — 0-100 authority score
Page Rank (PR) — Page-level authority score
Total backlinks count
Unique referring domains
Referring IPs for quality assessment

Link Profile Analysis

Referring domains list with authority scores
Individual backlink details with anchor text
DoFollow vs. NoFollow link distribution
Broken backlink detection (404 pages)
First seen and last seen dates for link age

Competitive Intelligence

Link gap analysis (domains linking to competitors but not you)
Domain intersection analysis
Authority-aware opportunity scoring
Competitor link profile comparison

Where Backlinks Data Appears

1. Keyword Brief Analysis

When creating a Keyword Brief, backlink metrics are fetched for top-ranking competitors:

Navigate: Briefs > View Brief > Competitive Metrics section

What You See:

Competitor domain authority (DR) scores
Referring domains count for each competitor
Authority tier classification (High DR 50+, Medium DR 30-49, Low DR <30)
Average competitor DR for the keyword

How It's Used:

Opportunity scoring weighs keyword difficulty against your domain authority
Content recommendations factor in whether you can realistically compete
Brief rationale explains if keyword is authority-appropriate

2. Domain Health Tracking

Weekly snapshots of your domain authority:

Navigate: Intelligence > Domain Health

What You Track:

Domain Rank (DR) trend over time
Referring domains growth/decline
Total backlinks count
Week-over-week change percentages

3. Competitive Gap Analysis

Gap reports compare your link profile against competitors:

Navigate: Reports > Create Gap Analysis

What You See:

Your domain authority vs. competitor authority
Referring domains comparison
Link gap count (domains linking to competitors but not you)
Top 50 link gap opportunities with domain authority scores

How to Use:

Select 2-3 competitors
Review link gap section
Prioritize high-authority domains (DR 50+) for outreach
Focus on domains linking to multiple competitors (higher relevance)

4. Authority-Aware Opportunity Scoring

Briefs calculate opportunity scores that factor in domain authority:

What This Means:

Keywords with DR 70+ competitors score lower if your DR is <40
Prevents wasted effort on unwinnable keywords
Prioritizes keywords where you have authority parity

Authority Tier Classification

ILLIXIS classifies domains into authority tiers:

High Authority (DR 50+)

Strong ranking power
Difficult to acquire links
High SEO value

Medium Authority (DR 30-49)

Moderate ranking power
Realistic outreach targets
Good ROI for link building

Low Authority (DR <30)

Limited ranking power
Easy to acquire
Volume strategy (quantity over quality)

Your Authority (Your Domain's DR)

Used to calculate authority gaps
Tracked weekly
Factors into opportunity scoring

Link Gap Analysis Workflow

Step 1: Run Gap Analysis

Navigate to Reports > Create Gap Analysis

Enter 2-3 competitor domains (e.g., competitor1.com, competitor2.com)

Step 2: Review Link Gap

Gap report shows:

Domains linking to competitors but not you
Domain authority for each opportunity
Number of competitors each domain links to (higher = more relevant)

Step 3: Prioritize Outreach

Filter by authority tier:

DR 50+: High-value targets (prioritize these)
DR 30-49: Medium-value targets (bulk of your outreach)
DR <30: Low-value targets (skip unless niche-relevant)

Focus on domains linking to 2+ competitors (strong topical relevance)

Step 4: Export and Outreach

Use link gap data to:

Build outreach target list
Craft personalized pitches ("I noticed you linked to competitor1.com and competitor2.com...")
Track outreach success rate

Automation Schedule

| Task | Schedule | What It Does |
|------|----------|--------------|
| Domain Authority Tracking | Monday 2:00 AM UTC | Records DR, referring domains, and backlinks for each account |
| Brief Backlink Analysis | On-demand (during brief creation) | Fetches competitor backlink metrics |
| Link Gap Analysis | On-demand (during gap report creation) | Compares link profiles against competitors |

Troubleshooting

"Backlinks data unavailable"

Causes:

Domain not yet indexed (new domains <30 days old)
API rate limit hit
Service temporarily unavailable

Check:

Verify domain age (must be live >30 days)
Contact support if the issue persists

"Authority gap too wide"

Meaning: Competitors have DR 20+ points higher than your domain

Action:

Focus on long-tail keywords (lower competition)
Build authority before targeting competitive keywords
Review link gap analysis for easier link-building targets

"No link gap found"

Causes:

Competitors have no shared referring domains
Your domain already has links from all shared domains
Competitors' backlink profiles too small to analyze

Action:

Try different competitors with more established link profiles
Use referring domains list directly for each competitor
Focus on content gaps instead of link gaps

Best Practices

1. Track DR Weekly, Not Daily

Domain authority changes slowly. Weekly snapshots are sufficient.

2. Focus on Authority-Matched Keywords

Don't waste content efforts on keywords where competitor average DR is 20+ points above yours. Build authority first.

3. Prioritize High-DR Link Gaps

Link gap domains with DR 50+ are your highest-value targets. Focus outreach here.

4. Use Broken Backlinks for Quick Wins

Broken backlinks pointing to your domain are easy reclamation opportunities. Fix the 404s or redirect them.

5. Check Competitors Before Creating Briefs

If all competitors have DR 70+ and you're at DR 25, skip that keyword and find easier targets.

6. Track DR Growth Monthly

Review domain authority history monthly to measure SEO progress. DR gains of 5+ points indicate successful link building.

Related Features

Competitive Gap Analysis — Uses backlinks data for link gap identification
Keyword Briefs — Authority-aware opportunity scoring
Domain Health Dashboard — DR tracking and trend visualization
SERP Intelligence — Competitor backlink metrics shown in briefs

Backlinks Intelligence