# Trust Flow: Majestic's Quality Metric Explained

Understand Trust Flow—Majestic's metric for measuring link quality and trustworthiness. Learn how to use TF alongside Citation Flow.

Canonical: https://backlinkgrid.com/glossary/trust-flow


**Trust Flow (TF)** is a metric developed by Majestic that measures the quality and trustworthiness of a website based on the quality of sites linking to it. Scored from 0-100, Trust Flow indicates how trustworthy a site is based on its backlink profile's quality rather than quantity.

## How Trust Flow Works

### The Concept

Trust Flow is based on the idea that:
- Trust flows through links
- Links from trusted sites confer trust
- Trust decays across link distance
- Quality matters more than quantity

### Seed Sites

Majestic uses "seed sites"—manually curated trusted websites—as the foundation:
- Government sites
- Major educational institutions
- Established, trusted publications
- Industry authorities

Sites close to seed sites (in link distance) have higher Trust Flow.

### The Algorithm

Trust Flow measures:
1. How many clicks away from seed sites
2. Quality of sites in the link chain
3. Strength of trust signals along the path

---

## Trust Flow vs Citation Flow

### The Pair

Majestic provides two complementary metrics:

| Trust Flow (TF) | Citation Flow (CF) |
|-----------------|-------------------|
| Measures quality | Measures quantity |
| How trustworthy | How influential |
| Based on link quality | Based on link volume |
| Harder to manipulate | Easier to inflate |

### Using Them Together

**TF:CF ratio** reveals link profile health:

| Ratio | Interpretation |
|-------|----------------|
| TF ≈ CF | Balanced, healthy profile |
| TF much greater than CF | Rare, very high quality |
| TF much less than CF | Many low-quality links |

### The Ratio Rule of Thumb

**Healthy**: TF is at least 50% of CF

**Warning**: TF is less than 25% of CF

**Example**:
- TF 30, CF 35 = Healthy (ratio ≈ 0.86)
- TF 15, CF 60 = Concerning (ratio = 0.25)

---

## Interpreting Trust Flow Scores

### Score Ranges

| TF Range | Typical Sites |
|----------|---------------|
| 0-10 | New sites, low authority |
| 10-25 | Established small sites |
| 25-40 | Good authority sites |
| 40-60 | Strong authority |
| 60+ | Major trusted sites |

### Context Matters

Trust Flow is relative:
- Industry benchmarks vary
- Compare to competitors
- Consider alongside other metrics
- Not a Google ranking factor

---

## Trust Flow in Link Building

### Prospecting

Use Trust Flow to filter prospects:

**Minimum TF**: Set based on your goals
- TF 10+: Basic quality
- TF 20+: Moderate quality
- TF 30+: Good quality
- TF 40+: High quality

**TF:CF check**: Verify ratio indicates quality

### Evaluating Opportunities

**Good prospect indicators**:
- TF at least 50% of CF
- TF appropriate for the site type
- Topical relevance present
- Real traffic alongside metrics

**Warning signs**:
- Very low TF with high CF
- TF/CF mismatch with site appearance
- Metrics inconsistent with content quality

---

## Improving Trust Flow

### What Helps

**Quality backlinks**: Links from high-TF sites

**Cleaning profile**: Removing/disavowing spam

**Patience**: Trust builds over time

**Relevance**: Industry-relevant quality links

### What Doesn't Help

**Quantity**: More links without quality

**Spam**: Low-quality links hurt TF

**Link schemes**: May inflate CF but not TF

**Purchased links**: Usually low trust

---

## Trust Flow Limitations

### What It Isn't

**Not a Google metric**: Google doesn't use Trust Flow

**Not a ranking factor**: Correlation isn't causation

**Not absolute**: A score, not a guarantee

### Use Cases

**Best for**:
- Comparing sites relatively
- Quick quality assessment
- Prospecting filters
- Profile health checks

**Not best for**:
- Predicting exact rankings
- Single-metric decisions
- Ignoring other factors

---

## Topical Trust Flow

### What It Is

Majestic also provides Topical Trust Flow:
- Trust Flow broken down by topic
- Shows which categories a site is trusted in
- Helps assess relevance

### Using Topical TF

A site might have:
- Overall TF: 35
- Health/Medical TF: 42
- Business TF: 28
- Arts TF: 12

This indicates stronger trust in health topics—valuable if you're in healthcare, less relevant otherwise.

---

## Trust Flow vs Other Metrics

### Comparison

| Metric | Provider | Focus |
|--------|----------|-------|
| Trust Flow | Majestic | Link quality/trust |
| Domain Authority | Moz | Ranking potential |
| Domain Rating | Ahrefs | Link profile strength |
| Citation Flow | Majestic | Link quantity |

### Which to Use

**Use Trust Flow when**:
- Quality assessment is priority
- Evaluating link cleanliness
- Majestic is your primary tool (see [top Majestic alternatives](/comparisons/majestic-alternatives) if you're comparing options)

**Use alongside**:
- Citation Flow (same tool)
- Other authority metrics
- Traffic data
- Manual quality assessment

---

## Summary

Trust Flow is Majestic's quality metric:

**What it measures**:
- Trustworthiness based on link quality
- Proximity to manually-curated seed sites
- Quality of sites in link chain

**How to use it**:
- Compare TF to CF ratio
- Use for prospecting filters
- Assess link profile health
- Consider alongside other metrics

**Key points**:
- Higher TF = higher quality links
- TF:CF ratio reveals profile health
- Not a Google ranking factor
- One tool among many

Use Trust Flow as part of comprehensive link evaluation, not as the sole decision factor.

---

## Related Terms

- [Domain Authority](/glossary/domain-authority)
- [Authority Metrics](/backlink-quality/authority-metrics)
- [Link Profile](/glossary/link-profile)
- [Evaluating Link Opportunities](/backlink-quality/evaluating-link-opportunities)