It may not be the most exciting part of the process, but it’s always a good idea to evaluate backlinks before buying a website. After all, that link profile tells you more than traffic charts ever could. 

Backlinks can help you figure out how the site earned its rankings, whether those rankings will stick, and what kind of SEO baggage you might be inheriting upon purchase.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to assess backlink quality, spot red flags, and make link analysis a clear part of your due diligence. Not an afterthought.

Understand What Makes a Backlink Profile Worth Owning

Before you evaluate backlinks with any SEO tools, take a step back and look at the link profile as a whole. Does it feel like the site has built genuine trust in its niche, or does the backlink strategy seem rushed, artificial, or all over the place?

For best results, you should be aiming for a profile that shows relevance, consistency, and staying power. That usually means links from real sites with real audiences, preferably in a similar industry or topic area. It also means links that appear in actual content, not buried in footers or slapped onto irrelevant pages.

But the most telling sign of quality? The backlinks make sense. If they feel like natural endorsements rather than forced placements, you’re on solid ground.

Use Tools to Scan, But Don’t Let Metrics Make the Call

If you’re looking to evaluate backlinks, you’ll likely use Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, or similar tools. But you shouldn’t just use them to look at Domain Ratings or Trust Scores. You need to dig deeper.

You’ll want to:

• Check referring domains over time. A gradual growth curve usually signals organic traction. Sharp spikes, on the other hand? These could mean link buying or manipulative tactics.
• Review top-linked pages. Are links spread across content types, or are they weirdly concentrated on one old post?
• Explore anchor text variety. A natural mix suggests real engagement; repetitive anchors hint at manufactured links.
• Manually spot-check top referring domains. Do they look like real sites with real audiences, or thin blogs and ghost directories?
  

The numbers may be what gets you in the door, but it’s your judgment that decides if it’s worth staying.

Watch for Red Flags That Could Sink SEO Value

Some backlinks don’t just fail to help — they actively hurt. If you’re not careful, you could inherit penalties, manual actions, or algorithmic issues without realizing it until rankings start to slide.

Here’s what should raise an eyebrow when you evaluate backlinks:

• Domains that look auto-generated, irrelevant, or overly spammy.
• Comment or forum links with no contextual tie-in.
• Large volumes of links from foreign sites that make no business sense.
• Backlinks clustered around a handful of thin content pages.

You don’t need to panic over one or two bad links. But if low-quality links dominate the profile, it’s time to reevaluate the deal or renegotiate terms.

Do Backlink Due Diligence Like You’re Buying the Business

A backlink audit isn’t a side task. It’s central to understanding the value of the site. After all, you’re not just measuring SEO strength, you’re assessing what kind of risk, effort, or cleanup might be waiting for you after the handoff.

So, be sure to ask questions that go deeper than surface numbers. How was this link profile built? Are there any link-building campaigns the seller ran that could eventually expire or backfire? Has the site had any manual penalties in the past? And most importantly, can you sustain or replace these links if needed?

Treat the profile like a core business asset, because it is. If it crumbles, rankings and revenue will likely follow.

Make Backlinks Part of the Real Valuation

Ultimately, evaluating backlinks comes down to this: if the backlink profile is clean, stable, and built on substance, it should add value. If it’s built on thin tactics or short-term plays, that’s likely a cost. Simple as that.

You don’t need a perfect profile, but you do need predictability. A good backlink foundation means less SEO stress, more organic visibility, and better long-term growth. And if you’re not sure how to gauge that on your own, try buying through platforms that do that work for you.

Motion Invest is one of those platforms. Every site listed has gone through vetting, including a close look at backlink quality, so you can buy with confidence and clarity, not guesswork. Check out our available sites today.