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798.5 billion backlinks indexed

Backlink data API for testing ranking-system theories

RankBrain, BERT and the helpful content system get blamed for most traffic drops. Our link index cannot read their weights, but it can give you numbers to check the story against.

Get $100 freeRead the myth check
  • Free DR lookup, no key needed
  • One JSON call per question you want answered
  • Monthly index refresh, stated up front
GET /api.php?action=domainJSON

$ curl "https://rankbrainmarketing.link/api.php?action=overview&q=nytimes.com&key=sk_live_..."

What it is for

A backlink data API for the questions ML-ranking talk raises

Machine-learning systems are opaque. Links are not, so we use them as the one measurable thing sitting next to the mystery.

  • Test a drop against the link record

    Pull referring domains for a site before and after a traffic fall. If the link picture is flat, the model story just got weaker.

  • Size up the pages that beat you

    Run compare on up to 20 domains for one credit. You see which rivals have far more referring domains and which merely look busier.

  • Sort the spam from the noise

    A spike of junk anchors is easy to see in anchors output. Our spam-link runbook says when to act.

  • Find link-bearing URLs after a move

    Ask toppages which old URLs still attract links, then check your redirects. The 301 recipe shows the calls.

Checklist

Before you blame a machine-learning update

  • Write down the date the drop began, to the day, from Search Console.
  • Compare it with the dated Google announcements, not with a vague month.
  • Pull referring-domain counts for your site and two rivals, then repeat next month.
  • Check whether the weak pages are even indexed; the not-indexed table covers the usual causes.
  • Read the anchors of recent links for anything you did not ask for.
  • Only then decide whether the content, the links or the crawl is the problem.
domains in our link graph
181,132,097
domain-to-domain links
2.77 billion
for bulk_dr on up to 2,000 domains
1 credit
free credit at sign-up, no card
$100

Compare

What link data can add to each named system

Dates are Google announcements; the last column is our reading, not Google's.
SystemAnnouncedWhat it doesWhat link data adds
RankBrainOctober 2015Helps interpret unfamiliar queriesAlmost nothing; it is a query-side system
BERTOctober 2019Reads the context of words in queriesAlmost nothing; anchors show how others word a topic
Helpful content systemAugust 2022Scores content quality site-wideA side check on whether the site earns citations
SpamBrainDecember 2022 for link spamSpots spam and spammy linksAnchor and domain patterns worth a look

Two calls that answer most of the questions above

Free actions need no key. Replace the key with your own once you sign in with Google.

bash
# Free: referring-domain overview
curl "https://rankbrainmarketing.link/api.php?action=overview&q=example.com"

# 2 credits: the ten strongest linking domains
curl "https://rankbrainmarketing.link/api.php?action=refdomains&q=example.com&per=10&key=sk_live_..."

Who it is for

Where the numbers come from and where they stop

Our own crawler builds our own link index. It holds 798.5 billion backlinks and gets refreshed about once a month, so a link from last week may not be there yet.

That delay matters for update research. A drop on the 12th cannot be explained by a link you cannot see on the 20th. Keep the snapshot dates in your notes, always.

The Domain Rating we return follows a public formula, round(100 · log(ref_domains+1) / log(2·10^7)). It resembles Ahrefs DR or Moz DA in spirit but is not the same number, so never mix the three in one chart.

Our position

Use link data to rule things out, not to prove a model theory

Nobody outside Google can show you RankBrain's weights. What you can do is remove the boring explanations first, and a link record is one of the cheapest ways to do it.

  • Good fit: marketers who want a repeatable check on drops and rivals.
  • Weak fit: anyone who needs keyword data or daily rank tracking; Ahrefs and Semrush are fuller there.
  • Pricing is prepaid credit at $0.0001 each, with no subscription.

FAQ

Questions marketers ask us

What is a backlink data API?
It is a web service that returns link facts as JSON: who links to a domain, from which pages, with which anchor text. You call it from a script or a spreadsheet instead of clicking through a dashboard. Ours also returns a 0 to 100 Domain Rating.
Does RankBrain use backlinks?
Google has described RankBrain as a way to understand queries, not to weigh links. Treat claims of a link formula inside it with suspicion. See the myth check for what we think holds up.
Can an API tell me why my traffic dropped after a core update?
Not by itself. It can show whether your link profile changed around that date, which rules causes in or out. Content and crawl problems need other tools, such as Search Console. The worked example shows the method.
How much does it cost to check a competitor's backlinks?
A refdomains or backlinks call costs 2 credits, which is $0.0002, whatever the row count up to 1,000. The domain and overview actions are free. Every account starts with $100 of credit, so thousands of lookups cost nothing to try.
Is your data as fresh as Ahrefs or Semrush?
No. We refresh about once a month. Ahrefs and Semrush crawl faster and add keyword and rank data we do not have. Our edge is a low per-call price for link facts.
Do I need a card to start?
No. Sign in with a Google account and $100 of credit, which is 1,000,000 credits, appears on the account. Top-ups later use USDT on the TRC-20 network.
Is there a free tool I can try first?
Yes. The DR checker on this page calls the free domain action without a key. The overview, stats and suggest actions are also free if you prefer cURL.