A link audit is a review of the links connected to a website. It usually covers backlinks coming from other websites and may also examine internal links between pages on the website itself.
The purpose is to see where links are coming from, whether they are useful, and whether there are any obvious problems. A link audit can also reveal broken links, outdated links and pages that are receiving very few internal links.
What Does a Link Audit Check?
For backlinks, an audit looks at which websites are linking to the site and which pages receive those links. It can also examine anchor text, which is the clickable wording used for a link.
Not every backlink has the same value. A genuine link from a relevant and established website can be useful, while large numbers of unusual or unrelated links may need closer examination. However, a strange-looking backlink does not automatically mean that it is harming the website.
Internal links are another part of the picture. These links help visitors move between related pages and give Google clearer paths through the website. An audit can find important pages that are difficult to reach or links that lead to deleted or moved pages.
Link Audits and SEO
Links remain one of the signals Google can use when understanding websites and individual pages. Reviewing them gives an SEO team a clearer view of how a website is connected both internally and across the wider web.
A link audit can be useful after a website migration, during a broader SEO audit, when rankings change unexpectedly, or before starting a link-building campaign. The findings can then be used to repair broken links, improve internal linking and decide whether any backlinks require further investigation.