Free Backlink Audit Checklist: Review Links Safely and Systematically

Why this checklist is cautious about disavowing

Disavowing tells Google to ignore certain links. Done wrongly, it can discard links that were helping. Google's documentation describes the disavow tool as an advanced feature to be used carefully, relevant mainly when you have a large number of spammy or low-quality links and those links have caused or are likely to cause a manual action. If you have no manual action and no history of link schemes, it is usually better to leave low-quality links alone.

Using Bizsenti AutoSEO for the audit

The backlink monitoring dashboard tracks status (live, new, lost), follow versus nofollow, a link health score and toxic-link flags with reasons. You can set keep, monitor or disavow for each flagged link and download a disavow file for review. Its toxic scores are heuristics and its link data is a sample, so cross-check with Search Console.

The columns for your audit spreadsheet

Set up one sheet with these columns before you start.

Column	Purpose
Linking domain	The site that links to you
Linking URL	The exact page
Target URL	The page on your site
Anchor text	How the link is worded
Link type	Follow, nofollow, sponsored, UGC
Date first seen	When it appeared
Status	Live, lost, unknown
Relevance (1 to 5)	Topic and audience fit
Credibility (1 to 5)	Real site with an audience
Risk flag	None, review, high
Action	Keep, monitor, request removal, disavow
Notes	Contact made, outcome, reasoning

Sort by risk flag first, then by relevance.

A simple decision path for a suspicious link

Use this order for each link you flag.

1
Is it actually harmful?
Open the page. Is it spam, or just low-quality and harmless? Harmless links can be left alone.
2
Did you or someone acting for you create it?
If it came from a paid or exchange arrangement, remove or qualify it.
3
Can the site owner remove it?
Try contacting them. A short, polite request often works for genuine sites.
4
Is there a manual action?
Check Search Console. A link-related manual action changes the urgency.
5
Only then consider disavow
Disavow remaining clear cases in a small, documented file.

A removal request you can adapt

"Hi [Name], I noticed a link to [URL] on [page URL]. We did not place it and would prefer it were removed, as it does not reflect our site. Could you please take it down? Thank you for your help."

Keep it short and polite. Do not threaten. Record the date and any reply.

Documenting a disavow decision

Keep a record for each disavow: the domains or URLs, why you chose them, evidence (screenshots, notes), the date, who approved it, and the date the file was uploaded. If something goes wrong later, the log lets you review and reverse the decision. Remember the disavow file is reviewed and reuploaded as a whole; keep the master copy.

Use the resource

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1. Gather the data

Export links from Google Search Console (Links report: top linking sites and pages)
Add links from any other source you use (backlink monitoring tool, link-building records)
Combine into one sheet; deduplicate by linking domain and URL
Record link target page, anchor text, follow/nofollow and date first seen where available

2. Understand the profile

Count total links and referring domains
Review the anchor text mix; look for unnatural repetition of exact-match commercial anchors
Identify which of your pages attract the most links
Note follow versus nofollow, sponsored and user-generated links
Identify the most valuable links (relevant, editorial, reputable) and record them

3. Check status

Confirm that important links are still live and pointing to the right URL
List valuable links that were lost or changed and decide whether to recover them
Check for links to pages that now redirect or return 404 and fix with redirects or restored content

4. Assess risk

Flag links from obvious spam: irrelevant foreign sites, link farms, scraped content
Check whether any paid or exchanged links you made violate Google's spam policies (use rel="sponsored" or remove)
Look for sudden spikes of low-quality links and note dates
Check Search Console Manual actions for any link-related penalty
Review each flagged link's reasons rather than relying on a single score

5. Decide actions

For harmful links you control or can ask about: request removal first
Disavow only clear cases (for example after a manual action or a deliberate spam attack), and keep the file small and reasoned
Keep a dated record of every disavow and why
Leave low-quality but harmless links alone

6. Opportunities and follow-up

Identify unlinked brand mentions and plan outreach
Compare with two or three competitors to find link gaps
Schedule recurring checks (monthly status, quarterly full audit)

Progress is saved in this browser only; nothing is sent to our servers.

Frequently asked questions

Should I disavow after every audit?

No. Most audits end with keep or monitor. Disavow is for clear harmful cases.

How long should a backlink audit take?

A small site can be reviewed in a few hours; larger profiles take longer. Start with the highest-risk and highest-value links.

How often should I audit backlinks?

Monitor status monthly and do a full audit quarterly, or after a suspicious change.

Should I disavow low-quality links?

Rarely. Google says it generally ignores spammy links. Disavow only clear, harmful cases.

Where do I get backlink data for free?

Google Search Console's Links report shows top linking sites and pages for sites you have verified.

What is a toxic backlink?

There is no official definition. Tools use heuristics to flag likely spam links; treat flags as prompts to investigate.

Sources and references

Written by the Bizsenti AutoSEO editorial team. Last reviewed November 2026. Third-party facts can change; check the linked sources for the latest.

Free Backlink Audit Checklist