Semrush backlink audit

Semrush Backlink Audit

Use semrush backlink ... commands to evaluate authority, link profile health, anchor distribution, competitor gaps, and link-building priorities.

Prerequisites

Check install and auth when needed:

command -v semrush
semrush account auth status --output json --quiet

Choose the right --target-type before running reports:

Target type	Use
root_domain	Whole domain, default for audits and competitor comparisons.
domain	Host/subdomain-level analysis.
url	Specific page-level analysis.

Workflow

1. Confirm target, target type, competitors, and audit purpose.
2. Pull overview, authority score, referring domains, anchors, and indexed pages.
3. Compare against competitors for link gaps and authority benchmarks.
4. Inspect link list, filters, TLD, geo, categories, and history when needed.
5. Separate findings into risks, opportunities, and validation follow-ups.

Core Commands

Profile baseline:

semrush backlink overview example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet
semrush backlink authority-score example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet
semrush backlink history example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet

Profile composition:

semrush backlink referring-domains example.com --target-type root_domain --limit 100 --output json --quiet
semrush backlink anchors example.com --target-type root_domain --limit 100 --output json --quiet
semrush backlink indexed-pages example.com --target-type root_domain --limit 100 --output json --quiet
semrush backlink tld-distribution example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet
semrush backlink geo example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet
semrush backlink categories example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet
semrush backlink category-profile example.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet

Individual links and comparisons:

semrush backlink list example.com --target-type root_domain --limit 250 --output json --quiet
semrush backlink list example.com --target-type root_domain --filter "type=text" --sort "page_ascore desc" --limit 250 --output json --quiet
semrush backlink competitors example.com --target-type root_domain --limit 50 --output json --quiet
semrush backlink compare example.com competitor.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet
semrush backlink batch example.com competitor.com another.com --target-type root_domain --output json --quiet

Interpretation

Use these checks before recommending action:

Check	Look for
Referring domain quality	Authority, topical fit, country/TLD mix, and link concentration.
Anchor distribution	Excess exact-match anchors, irrelevant anchors, or missing branded anchors.
Indexed linked pages	Pages attracting links and pages that need consolidation or redirects.
Link velocity	Sudden spikes or drops that need manual validation.
Competitor gap	High-quality domains linking to competitors but not the target.

Do not label links as toxic from Semrush data alone. Flag suspicious patterns and recommend manual review before disavow decisions.

Output Format

Return:

1. Profile snapshot: authority, backlinks, referring domains, target type, and database/command context.
2. Health findings: risks with evidence and confidence.
3. Opportunity findings: linkable assets, competitor gaps, and outreach targets.
4. Action list: preserve, reclaim, build, monitor, or manually review.
5. Commands run and any filters used.

Related Skills

• Use semrush-competitor-research to connect link gaps to keyword gaps.
• Use semrush-traffic-trends to verify whether authority changes align with traffic movement.
• Use semrush-batch-workflows for repeated backlink overview and list recipes.