# Link Quality Scorecard: Rate Link Opportunities Consistently

Use a weighted scorecard to organise link prospect reviews. Assess relevance, source quality and risk while keeping the final decision grounded in page-level evidence.

Canonical: https://backlinkgrid.com/resources/link-quality-scorecard


This scorecard provides a systematic way to evaluate and compare link building prospects. Use it to prioritise opportunities objectively.

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## How to Use This Scorecard

### Basic Process

1. Gather information on the prospect
2. Score each criterion (1-5)
3. Apply weights
4. Calculate total score
5. Compare and prioritise

### Scoring Scale

| Score | Meaning |
|-------|---------|
| **5** | Excellent—exceptional quality |
| **4** | Good—above average |
| **3** | Average—acceptable |
| **2** | Below average—some concerns |
| **1** | Poor—significant issues |
| **0** | Disqualifying—do not pursue |

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## Scorecard Template

### Prospect Information

| Field | Information |
|-------|-------------|
| Domain | |
| Page URL | |
| Opportunity Type | |
| Date Evaluated | |
| Evaluated By | |

---

## Criterion 1: Domain Authority

**Weight: 20%**

How authoritative is the linking domain?

| Score | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| 5 | DA 60+ (or equivalent DR/TF) |
| 4 | DA 40-59 |
| 3 | DA 25-39 |
| 2 | DA 15-24 |
| 1 | DA 10-14 |
| 0 | DA under 10 or clearly manipulated |

**Score**: ___ × 0.20 = ___

**Notes**: ___________________

---

## Criterion 2: Relevance

**Weight: 30%**

How relevant is the site/page to your content?

| Score | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| 5 | Perfectly aligned—exact industry/topic |
| 4 | Highly relevant—same niche |
| 3 | Moderately relevant—related topic |
| 2 | Somewhat relevant—tangential connection |
| 1 | Weak relevance—barely related |
| 0 | No relevance—different industry entirely |

**Score**: ___ × 0.30 = ___

**Notes**: ___________________

---

## Criterion 3: Traffic Quality

**Weight: 15%**

Does the site have real, valuable traffic?

| Score | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| 5 | 100K+ monthly visits, highly engaged |
| 4 | 50-100K visits, good engagement |
| 3 | 10-50K visits, reasonable engagement |
| 2 | 1-10K visits |
| 1 | Under 1K visits but legitimate |
| 0 | No traffic or fake traffic |

**Score**: ___ × 0.15 = ___

**Notes**: ___________________

---

## Criterion 4: Content Quality

**Weight: 15%**

How good is the content on the site?

| Score | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| 5 | Exceptional—publication-quality content |
| 4 | High quality—well-written, valuable |
| 3 | Acceptable—standard quality |
| 2 | Below average—thin or mediocre |
| 1 | Poor—low quality but not spam |
| 0 | Spam or completely worthless |

**Score**: ___ × 0.15 = ___

**Notes**: ___________________

---

## Criterion 5: Trust Signals

**Weight: 10%**

How trustworthy does the site appear?

| Score | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| 5 | Highly trusted—established brand, credentials |
| 4 | Well-trusted—legitimate business, good signals |
| 3 | Reasonably trusted—standard signals present |
| 2 | Some trust concerns—limited signals |
| 1 | Low trust—few positive signals |
| 0 | Untrustworthy—spam signals, suspicious |

**Score**: ___ × 0.10 = ___

**Notes**: ___________________

---

## Criterion 6: Link Placement

**Weight: 10%**

Where would the link be placed?

| Score | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| 5 | Prime contextual—high in relevant content |
| 4 | Good contextual—within related content |
| 3 | Acceptable—resource section or similar |
| 2 | Sidebar/footer—less prominent |
| 1 | Author bio only—minimal placement |
| 0 | No good placement possible |

**Score**: ___ × 0.10 = ___

**Notes**: ___________________

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## Final Calculation

### Score Summary

| Criterion | Raw Score | Weight | Weighted Score |
|-----------|-----------|--------|----------------|
| Domain Authority | ___ | 0.20 | ___ |
| Relevance | ___ | 0.30 | ___ |
| Traffic Quality | ___ | 0.15 | ___ |
| Content Quality | ___ | 0.15 | ___ |
| Trust Signals | ___ | 0.10 | ___ |
| Link Placement | ___ | 0.10 | ___ |
| **TOTAL** | | | **___/5** |

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## Interpretation Guide

### Score Ranges

| Score | Priority | Action |
|-------|----------|--------|
| **4.5-5.0** | Highest | Pursue immediately, prioritise |
| **4.0-4.4** | High | Strong prospect, active pursuit |
| **3.5-3.9** | Medium-High | Good opportunity, include in campaign |
| **3.0-3.4** | Medium | Acceptable, pursue if capacity |
| **2.5-2.9** | Low-Medium | Lower priority, batch outreach |
| **2.0-2.4** | Low | Only if very easy win |
| **Under 2.0** | Skip | Don't pursue |

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## Batch Comparison Template

### Compare Multiple Prospects

| Prospect | Domain | Auth. | Relev. | Traffic | Content | Trust | Place. | **Total** |
|----------|--------|-------|--------|---------|---------|-------|--------|-----------|
| 1 | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | | | | |

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## Weight Customisation

### Adjust Weights for Your Needs

**If authority is most important**:
- Increase Authority weight to 30%
- Decrease others proportionally

**If relevance is critical**:
- Increase Relevance weight to 40%
- Decrease others proportionally

**If traffic matters most**:
- Increase Traffic weight to 25%
- Decrease others proportionally

### Industry-Specific Adjustments

| Industry | Suggested Adjustment |
|----------|---------------------|
| YMYL (health, finance) | Increase Trust to 20% |
| Local business | Add Geography criterion |
| E-commerce | Increase Traffic to 20% |
| B2B | Increase Relevance to 35% |

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## Quick Scoring Guide

### For Speed Evaluation

If time is limited, use simplified scoring:

| Quick Check | Pass/Fail |
|-------------|-----------|
| DA 20+ | ☐ |
| Relevant to niche | ☐ |
| Real traffic | ☐ |
| Quality content | ☐ |
| Not spam | ☐ |

**4-5 passes**: Pursue
**3 passes**: Consider
**Under 3 passes**: Skip

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## Related Resources

- [Link Quality Checklist](/resources/link-quality-checklist)
- [Prospecting Spreadsheet](/resources/prospecting-spreadsheet)
- [Evaluating Link Opportunities](/backlink-quality/evaluating-link-opportunities)