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Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Backlink Profile Analysis agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The seo-backlinks skill teaches an AI agent to audit which other websites link to a site and how healthy those links are. It is written for SEO specialists, marketers and site owners who need a structured link review, and it works even if you have never used agent skills before. By the end of this guide you will know what the skill produces, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and what to check before acting on its results.

Backlink Profile AnalysisAgriciDaniel/claude-seo · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Download the ZIP. Get the seo-backlinks ZIP from the directory page. It contains SKILL.md and LICENSE.txt.
  2. 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
  3. 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP.
  4. 4Add optional API keys. Sign up for free Moz, Bing Webmaster or Keywords Everywhere keys if you want richer data, then run /seo backlinks setup for instructions.
  5. 5Ask for an audit. Name the site and state that links are the focus, for example a full backlink profile analysis of a domain.
  6. 6Review the report. Check the seven sections and verify any toxic-link flags manually before taking action.

What the seo-backlinks skill makes the agent do

The skill analyses a site's backlink profile, including anchors, toxic signals, competitors, link gaps and disavow candidates. It is meant only for requests where links or referring domains are the main focus. If links are not the topic, the skill says it should not be used.

The report has seven sections: Profile Overview, Anchor Text Distribution, Referring Domain Quality, Toxic Link Detection, Top Pages by Backlinks, Competitor Gap Analysis, and New and Lost Backlinks. The skill uses whichever data sources you have configured, and falls back to free Common Crawl domain data when none are set up.

Install the skill from the ZIP download

Download the ZIP from the directory page. The package contains LICENSE.txt and SKILL.md. You can install it in one of two ways.

For a personal install, unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, in the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.

  • Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
  • Single project: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside the project
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Add optional data sources for richer results

The skill works with no keys, but results are thinner. It checks for four optional sources. Moz API gives Domain Authority, Page Authority, spam score, linking root domains and anchors. Bing Webmaster gives link details. Keywords Everywhere gives a 0-10 Open PageRank and a referring-domain count. DataForSEO is a paid extension that unlocks the most detailed data, including new and lost link tracking.

Moz, Bing Webmaster and Keywords Everywhere each need a free-signup API key. The skill needs Python for its bundled helper scripts. If only the always-available tier is configured, the skill suggests running /seo backlinks setup to add the free Moz and Bing keys.

  • Moz API: free signup
  • Bing Webmaster: free signup
  • Keywords Everywhere: free signup
  • DataForSEO MCP extension: paid
/seo backlinks setup

Check which sources are available

Before analysing, the skill detects which sources are available. You can run the check yourself to see what is configured. The command below is the one the skill uses to check all sources at once.

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/claude-seo" run backlinks_auth.py --check --json

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You can ask for the skill in ordinary language, as long as your request is about links or referring domains. Name the site and say what you want to know. The skill also has direct commands, listed in the quick reference below, which you can use if you prefer exact control.

Be specific about the goal. A request for a full audit, a competitor comparison and a disavow review will lead to different parts of the report.

  • Audit the backlink profile of example.com and flag anything toxic
  • Compare the backlink gaps between my site and a competitor's domain
  • Check whether these known backlinks still exist
  • Review the anchor text spread for my domain before a disavow review

Quick reference of commands

These are the commands listed in the skill's quick reference. Replace the placeholders with your own URLs or file names.

  • /seo backlinks <url>: full backlink profile analysis using all available sources
  • /seo backlinks gap <url1> <url2>: competitor backlink gap analysis
  • /seo backlinks toxic <url>: toxic link detection and disavow recommendations
  • /seo backlinks new <url>: new and lost backlinks (DataForSEO only)
  • /seo backlinks verify <url> --links <file>: verify known backlinks still exist
  • /seo backlinks setup: show setup instructions for free backlink APIs

Safety notes: scripts and network use

This skill runs scripts and uses the network. Its helper scripts are invoked through the Claude SEO plugin's scripts folder, and they call external data services. The verification step checks whether suspicious links still exist, which also makes network requests.

Your API keys are used by the scripts to query those services. Review the scripts and the sources you enable before running the skill on sensitive domains. The skill is MIT licensed.

  • It runs bundled Python scripts through the Claude SEO plugin
  • It sends requests to data providers and checks linking pages
  • Only the sources you configure are used beyond Common Crawl and verification

Tips for reading the results

Treat toxic-link flags as review aids, not verdicts. The skill's heuristics are not verified penalty rules, so a human should decide on any disavow file. Common Crawl only gives domain-level metrics with low confidence and no verified referring-domain counts, so a Common Crawl-only report is a weaker basis for decisions.

Free sources only give point-in-time snapshots. New and lost link tracking requires the DataForSEO extension.

  • Always review disavow candidates manually before submitting anything
  • Add Moz or Bing keys if you rely on referring-domain counts
  • Use the verify command on links you already know about

What people use it for

  • Preparing a link audit or disavow review for a client site
  • Comparing your referring domains against a competitor to find link building opportunities
  • Investigating a sudden drop in search traffic that may be tied to links
  • Checking whether a list of known backlinks still exists
  • Finding pages that attract the most links or that return 404s with links pointing to them

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the seo-backlinks skill?

Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.

Is the seo-backlinks skill free?

The skill is MIT licensed, as stated in its LICENSE.txt. Common Crawl and the verification crawler are always available. Moz, Bing Webmaster and Keywords Everywhere need free-signup API keys, and the DataForSEO extension is paid.

What do I need to run the seo-backlinks skill?

The skill requires the Claude SEO plugin scripts and Python for its bundled helper scripts. Optional API keys from Moz, Bing Webmaster or Keywords Everywhere add more data. Without them, it uses free Common Crawl domain data.

Why does the report say Common Crawl data is low confidence?

Common Crawl gives domain-level PageRank and presence data but no verified referring-domain counts. The skill marks these metrics as low confidence, so you should add other sources for a more reliable report.

Can the seo-backlinks skill track new and lost backlinks for free?

No. The source says free sources cannot track new or lost links over time and provide point-in-time snapshots only. New and lost link tracking requires the DataForSEO extension.

Can I trust the toxic link results enough to submit a disavow file?

Not on their own. The skill describes its toxic-link heuristics as review aids rather than verified penalty rules, so a human should review every disavow candidate before submitting anything.

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Our verdict

This skill suits SEO specialists preparing link audits or disavow reviews, marketers comparing link profiles with competitors, and site owners investigating link-related traffic drops. It is less suitable if links are not your focus, if you need final disavow decisions made automatically, or if you only have Common Crawl data and need verified referring-domain counts.

Download the skill