How to Monitor Your Backlinks Automatically: The Complete Guide

You invest time (and money) to acquire backlinks. But do you really know what happens to them afterward?

A deleted link. An attribute changed to nofollow without warning. A page that suddenly returns a 404.

It happens every day. And most of the time, you don't notice until it's too late.

The good news? There are solutions to monitor your backlinks automatically, without spending hours every week.

In this guide, we'll explain why it's crucial, how to set up an effective monitoring system, and which tools to use based on your budget.

Why Monitoring Your Backlinks Has Become Essential

A few years ago, you'd place a link and move on.

Today, that's a strategic mistake.

The Problem with "Ghost" Backlinks

A ghost backlink is a link you think is active... but isn't anymore.

The causes are numerous:

• The webmaster deleted the article (or the link)
• The site migrated and your links weren't redirected
• The rel attribute changed (dofollow → nofollow)
• The source page returns a 404 or 500 error
• A cache or security plugin blocks the crawl

The result? You lose link juice. And you keep believing your link profile is solid.

The Real Impact on Your Rankings

A quality backlink can be worth several hundred dollars.

Losing it without knowing is literally throwing money out the window.

But that's not all. Google regularly reevaluates your link profile. If you lose important backlinks, your rankings can drop — sometimes overnight.

What to Monitor (and How Often)

Before talking about tools, let's clarify what we really need to track.

The 5 Key Metrics to Track

1. HTTP status of the source page — Is the page linking to you still online (200) or returning an error (404, 500, 301)?
2. Link presence — Is your link still present in the page's HTML code?
3. The rel attribute — Dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, ugc... The attribute can change without warning.
4. Anchor text — Has the clickable text been modified?
5. Page indexation — A deindexed or noindexed page no longer passes link juice.

The Right Checking Frequency

The answer depends on your context:

• Paid backlinks (sponsored posts): daily checking recommended
• Quality organic backlinks: weekly checking
• Low-value links: monthly checking (or not at all)

In practice, an automated monitoring tool handles all of this for you. You don't have to think about it anymore.

Manual vs. Automated Method: The Comparison

Let's be honest: you can monitor your backlinks manually.

But is it really a good idea?

The Manual Method (Excel Spreadsheet)

The principle: you list your backlinks in an Excel file or Google Sheets. Then you check each link, one by one, regularly.

Pros:

• Free
• Full control over data

Cons:

• Time-consuming (expect 2-3 hours/week for 100 links)
• Risk of human error
• No real-time alerts

The Automated Method (Monitoring Tool)

The principle: you import your backlinks into a dedicated monitoring software. The tool checks everything automatically and alerts you when there's a problem.

Pros:

• Massive time savings (just a few minutes/week)
• Instant alerts via email or Slack
• Complete change history
• Professional client reports

Cons:

• Monthly cost (typically $10-$100/month depending on volume)

The Best Tools for Monitoring Your Backlinks

The market offers several solutions. Here are the main ones, with their strengths and limitations.

All-in-One Solutions (Ahrefs, Semrush)

These SEO giants include backlink tracking features.

• Price: starting at $99-129/month
• Best for: those who already subscribe for other features
• Limitation: monitoring isn't their core focus, alerts can be limited

Specialized Monitoring Tools

These tools focus solely on backlink monitoring. They do one thing, but they do it well.

Linkazu

• Price: starting at $9/month
• Strengths: daily checks, real-time alerts, multi-client management, unlimited PDF reports, simple CSV import
• Ideal for: freelancers, SEO agencies, webmarketers who want a dedicated tool without breaking the bank
• Free trial: 30 days, no credit card required

How to Set Up Your Monitoring System

Let's get practical. Here are the steps to automate your backlink tracking.

Step 1: Export Your Backlink List

Start by gathering all your known backlinks.

Possible sources:

• Google Search Console (Links section)
• Export from Ahrefs, Semrush, or Majestic
• Your Excel link building tracking file
• Publication confirmations from your sponsored posts

Step 2: Import Into Your Monitoring Tool

Most tools accept CSV or JSON imports.

Prepare a file with at minimum:

• The source page URL (the one containing your link)
• The destination URL (your target page)
• The expected anchor text (optional but recommended)

Step 3: Configure Your Alerts

This is THE crucial point.

Set up alerts to be notified immediately when:

• A link is removed
• A link changes to nofollow
• A source page returns an error
• The anchor text has changed

Via email, Slack, or app notification — choose the channel you check most often.

Step 4: Schedule a Weekly Review

Even with an automated tool, take 15 minutes per week to:

1. Check the global dashboard
2. Handle unresolved alerts
3. Add newly acquired backlinks
4. Remove obsolete or low-value links

Conclusion: Take Action Now

Monitoring your backlinks automatically is no longer optional in 2025. It's a necessity.

The links you've worked hard to earn deserve to be protected. And your time deserves to be spent elsewhere than on manual checks.

What you can do right now:

1. Export your backlink list (even partial)
2. Test a free monitoring tool for 30 days
3. Set up your first alerts

In one hour, you'll have an operational monitoring system. And you'll sleep better knowing your backlinks are under control.