6.84 External Link Graph, Referring Domains & Entity Voting Strength
90 checks in Schema, Local, Trust, Deep Audit. AI-assisted
Scored in the Deep Audit's AI analysis pass.
Referring Domain Graph — Volume, Diversity & Growth
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.01 | Validate number of referring domains detected | Detected | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.02 | Validate referring domain count competitive vs. peers | Competitive | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.03 | Validate domain diversity (no over-reliance on few domains) | Diverse | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.04 | Validate link acquisition trend positive over last 12 months | Positive | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.05 | Detect sudden spikes in new domains (possible manipulation) | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.06 | Validate regional/geographic diversity of referring domains | Healthy | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.07 | Validate mix of TLDs (.com, .org, ccTLDs) natural | Natural | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.08 | Detect excessive links from single low-quality network | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.09 | Validate historical link loss rate acceptable | Acceptable | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.10 | Validate new vs. returning linking domains balance healthy | Healthy | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
Link Quality — Authority, Trust & Spam Risk
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.11 | Validate proportion of high-authority domains linking | Strong | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.12 | Detect toxic or spam-flagged referring domains | Minimal | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.13 | Validate majority of links come from contextually relevant pages | Relevant | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.14 | Detect paid/sponsored link patterns without disclosure | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.15 | Validate editorial in-content links vs. boilerplate/sitewide | Editorial-weighted | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.16 | Detect PBN-like (private blog network) footprints | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.17 | Validate no large clusters from link farms or directories | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.18 | Validate institutional/brand mentions from credible sources present | Present | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.19 | Detect follow/nofollow ratio anomalies | Natural | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.20 | Validate homepage vs. deep-page link distribution balanced | Balanced | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
Entity Voting — Anchor Semantics, Brand Mentions & Contextual Signals
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.21 | Validate anchor texts reinforce brand/entity name | Reinforcing | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.22 | Validate partial-match anchors aligned with core topics | Aligned | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.23 | Detect over-optimized exact-match anchors | Minimal | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.24 | Validate co-occurring entities in linking content match business domain | Matching | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.25 | Validate unlinked brand mentions present across web | Present | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.26 | Validate knowledge-style references (lists, comparisons, guides) mention brand | Present | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.27 | Detect anchors or mentions that misclassify entity category | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.28 | Validate external content describes brand consistently (services, geo, positioning) | Consistent | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.29 | Validate entity appears in “top X”, “best X”, or resource pages in niche | Present | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.30 | Compute External Link Graph & Entity Voting Strength Score | Finalized | Critical | Deterministic + AI |
Thematic Alignment — Topic Relevance & Content Context
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.31 | Validate majority of linking pages share topical relevance | Relevant | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.32 | Validate links originate from content, not random utility pages | In-content | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.33 | Validate semantic similarity between linking page topics and target page | Similar | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.34 | Detect links from off-topic or generic pages (e.g., “resources” dumps) | Minimal | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.35 | Validate topical clusters of referring pages (e.g., local, industry, niche) | Clustered | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.36 | Validate presence of “expert hub” pages referencing the brand | Present | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.37 | Detect links from obviously AI-generated spam content | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.38 | Validate multilingual referring pages still thematically aligned | Aligned | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.39 | Validate entity-level topical themes reinforced across different sites | Reinforced | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.40 | Validate no major mismatch between overall backlink theme and site’s niche | No mismatch | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
Page-Level Targeting — Deep Linking, Service Page Support & Local Landing Pages
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.41 | Validate important service pages receive external links | Linked | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.42 | Validate important local landing pages receive external links | Linked | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.43 | Validate content/guide pages used as linkable assets | Used | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.44 | Validate blog/educational posts attract external mentions | Attracting | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.45 | Validate internal “money pages” not only relying on internal links | External support | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.46 | Detect over-concentration of links to homepage only | Balanced | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.47 | Validate local pages (City + Service) referenced from geo-relevant domains | Geo-relevant | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.48 | Validate important brand/“About” page receives entity-building links | Linked | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.49 | Detect neglected high-intent pages with zero external links | Minimal | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.50 | Validate link distribution supports the site’s topical architecture | Supportive | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
Topological Coverage — Link Graph Shape, Hubs & Authority Flow
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.51 | Validate presence of authoritative hubs linking to multiple pages on site | Present | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.52 | Validate no extreme dependency on a single authority domain | No single point | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.53 | Validate “long tail” of smaller sites contributes to natural link graph | Present | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.54 | Validate cross-section of niche blogs, local orgs & media sites | Mixed | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.55 | Detect structurally isolated clusters (links only from narrow sub-graph) | Minimal | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.56 | Validate link graph supports both authority and discovery (depth + breadth) | Balanced | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.57 | Validate “bridge” domains connecting brand to higher-tier authority sites | Present | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.58 | Detect highly circular link patterns between the same few domains | Minimal | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.59 | Validate link graph resembles organic ecosystem, not manufactured network | Organic | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.60 | Compute Thematic Alignment & Topological Coverage Score | Finalized | Critical | Deterministic + AI |
Source Trust — Editorial Reputation, Signal Quality & Domain History
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.61 | Validate links originate from editorially reviewed websites | Editorial | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.62 | Validate linking domains have stable, long-lived histories | Stable | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.63 | Validate no links from expired-domain repurposed sites | None | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.64 | Validate linking pages show evidence of real authorship | Authored | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.65 | Detect content farms or auto-generated link networks | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.66 | Validate source categories align with reputable industries | Reputable | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.67 | Detect previously penalized domains | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.68 | Validate domain WHOIS history clean & consistent | Clean | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.69 | Validate source sites have functioning navigation, not placeholder pages | Functional | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.70 | Detect sites with clear promotional link schemes | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
Editorial Safety — No Manipulation, No Paid Links & Policy Compliance
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.71 | Detect obvious paid/sponsored links without disclosures | None | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.72 | Validate sponsored links use appropriate rel attributes | Correct | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.73 | Detect manipulative link exchange patterns | None | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.74 | Validate no sidebar/footer bulk links | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.75 | Detect unnatural sitewide links | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.76 | Validate link appears editorially justified in context | Justified | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.77 | Validate outbound link density on referring pages reasonable | Reasonable | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.78 | Detect foreign-language links irrelevant to business market | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.79 | Validate AMP/mobile versions retain valid link references | Retained | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.80 | Validate no cloaking or link-hiding behaviors | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
AI Reliability — Entity Confidence, Topological Coherence & Link Graph Trust
| ID | Check | Passes when | Weight | Runs |
|---|
| 6.84.81 | Validate links increase LLM confidence in entity identity | Increased | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.82 | Validate brand’s knowledge graph nodes strengthened by external mentions | Strengthened | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.83 | Validate entity synonyms consistently reinforced across link sources | Reinforced | Heavy | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.84 | Validate link contexts improve AI summarization accuracy | Improved | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.85 | Detect contradictory external descriptions of the entity | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.86 | Validate external anchors match correct entity type (LocalBusiness, Person, Org) | Correct | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.87 | Validate KG adjacency (entity → topic → location) strengthened by links | Strengthened | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.88 | Detect AI confusion due to low-quality or conflicting link sources | None | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.89 | Validate link graph helps AI determine geographic relevance | Helpful | Medium | Deterministic + AI |
| 6.84.90 | Compute Final Link Graph Trust & Editorial Safety Score | Finalized | Critical | Deterministic + AI |
← 6.83 AI Overview Readiness, Factual Alignment & Answer Engine Signals6.85 Review Topic Extraction, Sentiment Taxonomy & AI Summary Readiness →
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