agentlinkopsHow to verify a backlink still exists
Verify a backlink on its source page, check the exact destination and preserve dated evidence. Separate a missing link from an incomplete or blocked page check.
To verify a backlink still exists, open the exact source URL, find the hyperlink to your expected destination and record the check time. A successful page load alone does not establish that the link remains. Save the link evidence and the access result as separate observations.
This procedure belongs to an existing placement. Start with backlink discovery when you still need candidate source pages. For an earned link, the monitoring workflow gives you a smaller and more testable question: what does this source page show now?
Write down the expected link
Keep the source URL, expected destination URL and any known anchor text before opening a browser. Include the last observation that actually found the link. A supplier export date alone cannot establish when the publisher placed it.
Decide whether your check accepts a link to any page on your domain or only one exact destination. Those are different expectations. A source that links to your homepage may satisfy the first and fail the second. Save that choice so the next reviewer does not silently change the test.
If the source moved, retain both the original URL and the final page address. Replacing the old address without a note loses the explanation for the change. Use the redirect chain guide when the browser lands somewhere else.
Inspect the actual hyperlink
Search the page for your brand, the expected anchor and your domain. Then inspect the matching element. Record its destination, visible text and link attributes. A plain brand mention and a clickable hyperlink are separate findings.
Google's crawlable-link guidance describes an anchor element with a usable destination attribute. That gives you a concrete element to inspect. Do not infer a link from a logo or a screenshot.
Resolve relative destinations against the page address. A link written as /tools/checklist/ belongs to the source site's origin unless another document base changes that resolution. It does not automatically refer to your domain just because the surrounding paragraph names your company.
Check whether the observation is complete
A page can show a consent screen, a login prompt or a script shell instead of the article. Record that access state before making any claim about absence. If your check stopped at a size limit, a timeout or an unrendered page, leave the link result unresolved.
Compare a normal browser view with the saved response when they disagree. Note which view contains the link. The JavaScript checking guide covers that comparison without treating every page as a rendering problem.
Do not erase a previous positive observation when a later fetch fails. Keep both events: the link was observed on one date, and access failed on another. That history lets a reviewer distinguish a changed placement from a changed checker.
Worked example: one placement, three observations
The following is a synthetic example, not customer data. A gardening association page once linked to a seed-storage chart.
| Check | Observation | Recorded conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Complete article contains the expected hyperlink | Present in the inspected page |
| Tuesday | Response contains only a challenge screen | Access blocked; link state unresolved |
| Wednesday | Complete article loads with the chart hyperlink | Present again; no removal established |
Calling Tuesday a lost link would create a false change event. The available evidence describes a temporary inspection failure. A second case, where Wednesday's complete article omits the hyperlink, would support a different conclusion.
Save a reviewable result
Keep a compact record with the check time, final source URL, fetch outcome, completeness note, observed destination and evidence location. Add the reviewer and the next action. Your evidence location may be a permitted snapshot or an excerpt in your own records; avoid copying a full article into a public report.
A useful final note reads: “The expected destination was present in the complete source page at the recorded check time.” It does not promise future presence or a ranking effect. If the link is absent from a complete page, continue with the missing-link triage before drafting a publisher request.
Sources
- Link best practices for Google · Google Search Central · 2025-12-10
