# Backlink Checker API: Backlinks, Referring Domains & Anchors (`plainrows/backlink-checker`) Actor Check the backlinks of any domain or URL: source page, anchor text, dofollow, domain rank, spam score, first and last seen. Or list its referring domains with link counts. Up to 10,000 rows per target, no Ahrefs or Semrush subscription. Pay only per result. - **URL**: https://apify.com/plainrows/backlink-checker.md - **Developed by:** [PlainRows](https://apify.com/plainrows) (community) - **Categories:** SEO tools, Marketing, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.20 / 1,000 backlinks This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md. ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run. For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below. Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`). # README ## Backlink Checker API: Backlinks, Referring Domains & Anchors Check the **backlinks of any website or page**: linking URL, anchor text, dofollow/nofollow, domain rank, page rank, spam score, first and last seen dates. Or list its **referring domains** with backlink counts. A pay-per-use backlink checker and Ahrefs / Semrush backlink alternative, with no subscription. It reads a live backlink index through a commercial data API instead of scraping an SEO tool's website: **results in seconds, no login, no blocked runs**, up to 10,000 rows per target. **You pay per row returned** plus a small fee per target looked up (see Pricing). ### Typical uses - **Competitor backlink research**: see which sites link to a competitor, with which anchor, and which links pass authority (dofollow). - **Link building prospecting**: list the referring domains of competing pages, sorted by rank, and contact the best ones. - **Backlink audits**: spot spammy, broken, lost or nofollow links pointing to your site. - **New link monitoring**: sort by newest to see links found recently; schedule the run weekly. - **Automations and AI agents**: feed n8n, Make, Zapier, Google Sheets or an MCP client with structured JSON. ### What you get **Backlinks mode** (one row per link): | Field | Description | |---|---| | `sourceUrl`, `sourceDomain`, `sourceTitle` | The page that links to your target, its domain and title | | `targetUrl` | The page of your target that is linked | | `anchor`, `linkType` | Anchor text; link type (`anchor`, `image`, `redirect`, `canonical`...) | | `dofollow`, `relAttributes` | Whether the link passes authority; its rel attributes (`nofollow`, `ugc`, `sponsored`...) | | `sourceDomainRank`, `sourcePageRank` | Rank of the linking domain and page, 0 to 100 | | `spamScore` | Spam score of the backlink, 0 to 100 | | `firstSeen`, `lastSeen` | When the link was first and last found (ISO 8601, UTC) | | `isNew`, `isLost`, `isBroken`, `isIndirect` | New in the latest crawl update; gone; pointing to a broken page; reaching the target through a redirect | | `targetStatusCode`, `sourceLanguage`, `sourceServerCountry`, `sourcePlatformTypes`, `sourcePageExternalLinks`, `imageUrl` | Extra context on both pages | **Referring domains mode** (one row per linking domain): | Field | Description | |---|---| | `referringDomain` | The linking domain | | `rankPassed` | Rank (0 to 100) this domain passes to your target through its links: high means strong links, not necessarily a big site | | `backlinks`, `dofollowBacklinks`, `nofollowBacklinks`, `referringPages` | How many links (and pages) from that domain point to your target | | `spamScore`, `brokenBacklinks` | Spam score of its links; links to broken pages | | `firstSeen`, `lostDate`, `isLost` | When the domain first linked, and when it stopped | Every row also has `target` (what you checked), `targetType` (`domain` or `url`), `totalAvailable` (how many backlinks or referring domains exist for the target with your filters, before your row limit), `found`, `observedAt` and `schemaVersion`. Missing values are always `null`, never guessed. ### Input ```json { "targets": ["backlinko.com", "https://ahrefs.com/blog/"], "mode": "backlinks", "maxResultsPerTarget": 100, "sortBy": "rank", "dofollowOnly": false, "onePerDomain": false, "includeLostLinks": false, "includeSubdomains": true } ``` - **targets**: up to 1,000 per run. A domain (`example.com`) or subdomain covers the whole site; a URL with a path (`https://example.com/blog/post`) covers that page only. `www.` and `https://` are handled for you. - **mode**: `backlinks` (one row per link) or `referringDomains` (one row per linking domain). - **maxResultsPerTarget**: 1 to 10,000 (default 100). Big sites have millions of links: you get the first rows in your sort order. - **sortBy**: `rank` (strongest first, default: linking domain rank in backlinks mode, rank passed in referring domains mode), `newest` (most recently found first), or `backlinks` (referring domains with the most links first). - **dofollowOnly**: skip nofollow links. **onePerDomain**: keep one link per linking domain. **includeLostLinks**: also return links that disappeared. **includeSubdomains**: count links to the target's subdomains too. ### Output example Real row from a run on 2026-10-07 (target `backlinko.com`, backlinks mode, default sort by domain rank): ```json { "target": "backlinko.com", "targetType": "domain", "found": true, "sourceUrl": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seoquake-go/id1184890971", "sourceDomain": "apps.apple.com", "sourceTitle": "‎SEOquake Go on the App Store", "targetUrl": "https://backlinko.com/tools/seo-checker", "anchor": "App Support", "linkType": "anchor", "dofollow": true, "relAttributes": [], "sourceDomainRank": 100, "sourcePageRank": 7, "spamScore": 20, "firstSeen": "2019-06-17T23:37:10.000Z", "lastSeen": "2025-10-06T10:16:44.000Z", "isNew": false, "isLost": false, "isBroken": false, "isIndirect": true, "targetStatusCode": 200, "sourceLanguage": "en", "sourceServerCountry": "US", "sourcePlatformTypes": [ "ecommerce" ], "sourcePageExternalLinks": 30, "imageUrl": null, "totalAvailable": 885847, "observedAt": "2026-10-07T13:15:07.795Z", "schemaVersion": "1.0" } ``` A target with no backlink returns one free row: `{"target": "...", "targetType": "domain", "found": false, "totalAvailable": 0, ...}`. ### Pricing Pay per use, no subscription. See the **Pricing** tab for current prices. Two events: - **Backlink or referring domain returned**: one per row in your dataset, cheaper on higher Apify plans. - **Target looked up**: a flat fee per domain or URL checked, because each lookup in the backlink index has a fixed cost. When you ask for more than 1,000 rows for one target, each extra block of 1,000 rows is one more lookup. A target with no backlink found is charged its lookup fee only (its `found: false` row is free). Invalid targets, duplicates and lookups that fail are never charged. The run never spends more than the maximum cost you set: it stops before a lookup it could not pay for. **Free Apify plan:** each run checks up to 2 targets with up to 20 rows each, so you can check the output. A paid Apify plan removes these limits. ### Use it from code, automations or AI agents **API (one call, results returned directly):** ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/plainrows~backlink-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"targets": ["backlinko.com"], "maxResultsPerTarget": 50, "dofollowOnly": true}' ``` **n8n, Make, Zapier:** use the Apify integration, pick `plainrows/backlink-checker`, and send the rows to Google Sheets, Airtable, your CRM or a database. **AI agents (MCP):** add `https://mcp.apify.com?tools=plainrows/backlink-checker` to Claude, Cursor or any MCP client. The agent gets a typed tool and pays per result. ### What this is not - **Not Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz data.** Ranks and spam scores come from an independent backlink index (DataForSEO), on their own 0 to 100 scale; they do not match Ahrefs DR or Moz DA exactly, and link counts differ between tools. - No traffic, keyword rankings or domain-level summary metrics: rows are backlinks or referring domains. - Not affiliated with Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz or Google. ### Run summary Each run stores a summary in the key-value store (`OUTPUT`): targets checked, lookups charged, rows billed, targets with no backlinks, total backlinks available per target, duplicates and invalid targets, and anything skipped because of the free-plan or budget limit. ### FAQ **How do I see who links to a website?** Enter the domain in **targets** and run in `backlinks` mode: one row per linking page with anchor text, dofollow flag, ranks and dates. Use `referringDomains` mode for one row per linking website. **Can I check the backlinks of a single page?** Yes: give the full URL with its path (`https://example.com/blog/post`); a bare domain covers the whole site. **How do I find new or lost backlinks?** Sort by `newest` to see the most recently found links first, and turn on **includeLostLinks** to also get links that disappeared (`isLost: true`). **Is this Ahrefs or Moz data?** No. Ranks and spam scores come from an independent backlink index (DataForSEO) on their own 0-100 scale, so they do not match Ahrefs DR or Moz DA. **How many backlinks can I get?** 1 to 10,000 per target and run (**maxResultsPerTarget**), strongest first by default. ### More PlainRows tools Same pay-per-result pricing, same clean JSON, built to chain together in n8n, Make, Zapier or AI agents. - **SEO and keywords:** [Keyword Search Volume, CPC & Difficulty](https://apify.com/plainrows/keyword-search-volume) · [Keyword Ideas Generator](https://apify.com/plainrows/keyword-ideas-generator) · [Google Autocomplete & People Also Ask](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-autocomplete-questions) · [Google Trends Explorer](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-trends-explorer) · [Website Organic Traffic & Top Keywords](https://apify.com/plainrows/domain-seo-overview) · [Bulk Domain Authority Checker](https://apify.com/plainrows/domain-authority-checker) · [Broken Link Checker](https://apify.com/plainrows/broken-link-checker) · [AI Search Visibility Tracker (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode)](https://apify.com/plainrows/ai-search-brand-visibility) - **Leads and companies:** [Google Maps Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-maps-businesses) · [Website Technology Checker](https://apify.com/plainrows/website-tech-stack) · [ATS Jobs Scraper (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters)](https://apify.com/plainrows/ats-job-postings) · [Google Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-jobs-scraper) · [Google Ads Transparency Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-ads-transparency) · [Company Registry Lookup (SIRENE, LEI, Brreg)](https://apify.com/plainrows/company-registry-lookup) · [Public Tenders Search (EU TED & UK)](https://apify.com/plainrows/public-tenders-search) - **E-commerce and travel:** [Amazon Product Search Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/amazon-product-search) · [Google Shopping Prices Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-shopping-prices) · [Google Hotels Prices Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-hotels-prices) - **Content and media:** [Google News Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-news-scraper) · [YouTube Search Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/youtube-search-scraper) · [Google Images Scraper](https://apify.com/plainrows/google-images-scraper) · [Website Screenshot API](https://apify.com/plainrows/website-screenshot) · [App Reviews Scraper (Google Play & App Store)](https://apify.com/plainrows/app-reviews-scraper) **Compared with other APIs:** [Ahrefs API alternative](https://nadaho.github.io/plainrows/ahrefs-api-alternative/) · [Semrush API alternative](https://nadaho.github.io/plainrows/semrush-api-alternative/) ### Support Missing a field or found a bug? Open an issue on this page. Issues are read and answered. # Actor input Schema ## `targets` (type: `array`): One per line. A domain ("example.com", also covers its subdomains) or a subdomain gives the backlinks of the whole site; a full URL with a path ("https://example.com/blog/post") gives the backlinks of that page only. Up to 1,000 targets per run. ## `mode` (type: `string`): Backlinks: each linking page with anchor, dofollow, ranks and dates. Referring domains: each domain that links to the target, with its number of backlinks. ## `maxResultsPerTarget` (type: `integer`): Each row returned is billed; targets with more backlinks are cut at this number (best-ranked first by default). Above 1,000, each extra block of 1,000 rows adds one lookup fee (see Pricing). ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): Order of the rows, which also decides which rows you get when a target has more than the maximum. ## `dofollowOnly` (type: `boolean`): Skip nofollow links. In referring domains mode, only domains with dofollow links are listed and counts cover dofollow links only. ## `onePerDomain` (type: `boolean`): Backlinks mode: keep only the best link from each linking domain (handy to scan a large profile). ## `includeLostLinks` (type: `boolean`): Also return links that were found before but are gone now (isLost = true). Off: live links only. ## `includeSubdomains` (type: `boolean`): For a domain target, also count links pointing to its subdomains (www, blog, shop...). ## Actor input object example ```json { "targets": [ "backlinko.com" ], "mode": "backlinks", "maxResultsPerTarget": 100, "sortBy": "rank", "dofollowOnly": false, "onePerDomain": false, "includeLostLinks": false, "includeSubdomains": true } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description ## `referringDomains` (type: `string`): No description ## `summary` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "targets": [ "backlinko.com" ], "maxResultsPerTarget": 100 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("plainrows/backlink-checker").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "targets": ["backlinko.com"], "maxResultsPerTarget": 100, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("plainrows/backlink-checker").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}") for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "targets": [ "backlinko.com" ], "maxResultsPerTarget": 100 }' | apify call plainrows/backlink-checker --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,plainrows/backlink-checker" } } } ``` The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer ` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations). ## OpenAPI specification Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/L1bTsLKS6XoVPd6U3/builds/mbLpL1aAT0FvZZ7YO/openapi.json