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Backlink research for small agencies
Last checked: Oct 16, 2026. AI-assisted research. We have not tested these tools hands-on yet.
Backlink research has two jobs: check a client's own links for problems, and find the links that help competitors rank.
Options
| Tool | Why consider it | Published facts | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking Backlink Checker | Client link audits plus tracking | 2.9T backlinks indexed; toxicity score; new and lost referring domains; broken backlinks; Data Studio report; included in all plans; free for 14 days in trial; API only on Growth | Try SE Ranking |
| Mangools LinkMiner | Competitor link prospecting | 9.5 trillion backlinks including Majestic's fresh and historic index; Link Strength metric; in-tool page preview; save links to lists | Try LinkMiner |
| Semrush | Broad research suite | See vendor page | Semrush pricing |
| Moz Pro | Established SEO suite | See vendor page | Moz Pro |
How to do the job
- Pull the client's referring domains and flag low-quality or broken links.
- Run the top 3 competitors and list domains that link to them but not the client.
- Save the best prospects to a list and plan outreach.
- Re-check new and lost links monthly in the client report.
Which to pick
- Ongoing client audits and reports: SE Ranking, because toxicity and new and lost tracking sit next to rank tracking.
- Prospecting on a budget: LinkMiner, which uses Majestic data.
FAQ
Is SE Ranking's backlink tool an add-on? SE Ranking says it is included in all plans.
Where does LinkMiner's data come from? Mangools says it includes Majestic's fresh and historic index.
Sources (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- SE Ranking Backlink Checker: https://seranking.com/backlink-checker.html
- Mangools LinkMiner: https://mangools.com/linkminer
- Semrush prices: https://www.semrush.com/prices/
- Moz Pro: https://moz.com/products/pro