Legacy “cheap link” residue
Old packages, PBNs, or blast networks leave footprints that don’t help — and may hurt.
Risk & rescue · Backlink audit
Clean the risk. Then grow with confidence.
If you’ve bought cheap links, inherited a messy profile, or suspect spam is holding rankings back — start here. We identify toxic and wasted links, recommend disavow actions, and map a safer rebuild.
How long does an audit take?
Most single-domain audits are delivered within 5–10 business days of receiving exports/access. Larger estates take longer — we’ll set expectations upfront.
From £350 · Plain-English report · Optional rebuild plan
The problem
A dirty backlink profile quietly taxes every SEO pound you spend
New content and good campaigns underperform when toxic clusters, spam directories, and worthless links dilute trust — or worse, create recovery work later.
You can’t tell signal from noise
Exports from Ahrefs or GSC show thousands of rows. Without triage, you’re guessing what to keep or disavow.
Growth feels unsafe
Leadership won’t approve new link spend until someone proves the profile won’t bite you.
Order links
Sound familiar? Order the fix.
Choose a link package — or order this service as part of a custom mix for your practice areas.
Clear packs · Legal niche focus · Live URL reports
Desired outcome
Clarity on risk — and a path to authority you can defend
A good audit doesn’t just scare you with red flags. It tells you what to ignore, what to act on, and how to rebuild cleanly.
01
Toxic and low-value links identified
Clusters, spam patterns, and worthless referring domains called out with priority.
02
A keep / monitor / disavow plan
Clear actions — not a dump of unclassified URLs.
03
Disavow file ready when needed
Formatted guidance you can implement in Search Console with confidence.
04
Rebuild roadmap
Optional next-step plan to replace junk with relevant white-hat placements.
The solution
Human-led backlink triage — not a traffic-light PDF from a tool alone
We combine crawler data with editorial judgement: anchors, neighbourhoods, patterns, and commercial context — then explain it in plain English.
Profile analysis
Referring domains, anchors, spam signals, and toxic clusters reviewed against your niche and history.
Action prioritisation
Keep, monitor, or disavow — ordered so your team isn’t drowning in low-impact noise.
Safe growth path
If you want to rebuild, we map velocity and services (guest posts, edits, PR) that fit a cleaned profile.
What’s included
- Backlink export review (Ahrefs / GSC / your source)
- Toxic & low-value cluster identification
- Anchor and spam-pattern notes
- Prioritised keep / monitor / disavow plan
- Disavow file guidance (when recommended)
- Optional white-hat rebuild recommendation
Best for
- Sites with past cheap / grey-hat link spend
- Acquired domains or inherited SEO messes
- Agencies needing a client-ready audit
- Brands pausing link building until risk is clear
Benefits
Why start with an audit before buying more links
Stop wasting budget on a broken base
New links work harder when you’re not fighting legacy junk.
Board- and client-ready clarity
A narrative you can take into a QBR: what’s wrong, what’s fine, what happens next.
Lower penalty / recovery anxiety
Disavow when it helps — skip theatre when it doesn’t.
Cleaner brief for future campaigns
Exclusions, velocity, and quality bars informed by your real profile.
Process
From export to action plan — typically within days, not months
Tight scope. Clear deliverables. No black-box “trust us” summary.
Intake
Site URL, history notes, tool access or exports, and any known past vendors.
Analyse
Referring domains, anchors, spam patterns, and toxic clusters reviewed in context.
Recommend
Prioritised keep / monitor / disavow actions + disavow file guidance if needed.
Rebuild (optional)
Roadmap to replace junk with relevant white-hat placements — only if you want it.
Proof
Built for teams who need risk answers — not scare tactics
We won’t invent a crisis to sell links. If the profile is mostly fine, we’ll say so. If it isn’t, you’ll get specifics.
Plain English Findings you can explain to non-SEOs
Prioritised Act on what matters — ignore noise
Disavow-ready Guidance formatted for Search Console
Rebuild-aware Optional path into clean acquisition
“Finally a partner who explained every placement. The cleanup alone was worth it — then the rankings followed.”
Objections
Straight answers before you commission an audit
“Can’t I just run a free spam score tool?”
Tools help. They don’t replace judgement. We interpret patterns against your niche, history, and commercial goals — and tell you what not to obsess over.
“Will you push a huge disavow for everything?”
No. Over-disavowing can be as clumsy as ignoring risk. We recommend disavow where the case is strong, and monitoring where it isn’t.
“Do I need an audit if rankings are fine?”
Sometimes no. If you’re about to scale link spend, acquire a domain, or you’ve used shady vendors before, an audit is cheap insurance.
“Is this just a sales funnel into retainers?”
The audit stands alone. Many clients stop at the report. Others ask us to rebuild — that’s optional and quoted separately.
“Can agencies white-label the report?”
Yes. We can format findings for your client with your branding preferences.
Guarantee
What you can hold us to
Clarity is the product. Here’s the bar.
Deliverable guarantee
You receive a written prioritised plan — not a vague summary call with no artefacts.
Honesty guarantee
If the profile doesn’t need aggressive action, we won’t invent drama to upsell.
Actionability guarantee
Recommendations are tagged keep / monitor / disavow so your team knows what to do next.
Fit-first follow-on
Rebuild campaigns are optional and only recommended when they make sense.
Pricing context
Fixed audit scopes — clear before you buy
From £350 for a focused audit. Larger profiles, multi-domain estates, or white-label client reports are scoped up. Rebuild campaigns are quoted separately after findings.
Essential audit
Essential audit
From £350
Single domain · prioritised action plan
- SMEs and first-time cleanups
- Scope confirmed before delivery starts
- Live URL reporting
Most chosen
Growth audit
From £650
Deeper cluster analysis + disavow pack
- Competitive sites with messy history
- Scope confirmed before delivery starts
- Live URL reporting
Agency / estate
Agency / estate
Custom
White-label or multi-domain reviews
- Agencies and portfolio operators
- Scope confirmed before delivery starts
- Live URL reporting
Share your domain and rough referring-domain count on the enquiry — we’ll confirm the right tier before work starts.
FAQ
Backlink audit FAQs
How long does an audit take?
Most single-domain audits are delivered within 5–10 business days of receiving exports/access. Larger estates take longer — we’ll set expectations upfront.
What do you need from us?
Site URL, any known past link vendors, and either tool access or CSV exports (Ahrefs/Semrush/GSC). Context on recent ranking changes helps.
Will you implement the disavow for us?
We provide the file and guidance. Implementation in Search Console can be done by you, your agency, or scoped as an add-on.
Do you guarantee ranking recovery?
No honest auditor can. We guarantee clarity and a sound action plan. Rankings depend on competition, content, and many factors beyond disavow alone.
Should we audit before guest posts or PR?
If you’ve used low-quality vendors or the domain history is unclear — yes. If the profile is young and clean, you may skip straight to acquisition.
Next step
Get a clear read on your backlink risk
Request an audit. We’ll confirm scope, timeline, and fee — then deliver a prioritised plan you can act on or hand to your team.
- Plain-English findings
- Keep / monitor / disavow plan
- Optional rebuild recommendation