What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link from a page on one website to a page on another. It can act as a citation, a recommendation, navigation or an advertisement. The surrounding context helps explain why the link is present. A count alone does not tell you whether a reference is useful or appropriate.
Review the source and the destination
Look at the referring page, its subject, its accessibility and its audience. Then check the destination: does it support the statement around the link, and does it still exist? Record the anchor text and relevant link attributes. Separate links that serve readers from placements that have no meaningful editorial reason.
What backlink metrics can and cannot show
Commercial SEO tools maintain their own indexes and scoring systems. Their domain metrics can help organise research, but they are not Google scores or guarantees. Different tools can report different links because their crawlers and update schedules differ. Use the underlying page as part of the assessment.
Turn the review into action
Fix broken destination pages or redirect them appropriately when content has genuinely moved. Improve resources that deserve attention, identify missing citations and plan relevant outreach. Track changes over time using a consistent method. Keep link research alongside technical and content review rather than treating it as a standalone explanation of performance.