Link Extractor Tool

Internal links point to pages on the same domain (example.com/page-a linking to example.com/page-b), while external links point to different domains (example.com linking to otherdomain.com). This distinction is crucial for SEO because each serves different purposes and affects rankings differently. Internal links distribute PageRank and authority throughout your site, helping search engines discover content and understand site structure. You have complete control over internal links and should use them strategically to boost important pages.

External links serve as references and resources, potentially providing value to users but sending PageRank to other sites. Search engines view natural external links as signs of quality—sites that cite authoritative sources appear more credible. However, excessive external links, especially to low-quality sites, can harm your rankings and waste link equity. Best practices: use internal links liberally to connect related content and boost strategic pages (aim for 3-5 relevant internal links per article), use external links selectively to authoritative sources that enhance your content's value, add nofollow/sponsored/ugc attributes to external links you don't want to vouch for, and maintain a healthy ratio—pages shouldn't be predominantly external links. A Link Extractor helps audit this balance, ensuring your link profile supports rather than undermines SEO objectives.

Google's old guideline recommended keeping links under 100 per page, though they've since stated there's no strict limit. Modern best practice focuses on user value rather than arbitrary numbers: include as many links as genuinely help users navigate and discover relevant content, but avoid excessive linking that dilutes link equity or creates poor user experience. For typical pages: blog posts work well with 10-30 internal links (contextual links to related content), product pages might have 5-15 links (category navigation, related products, support resources), and category/hub pages can have more (50-100) as their purpose is organizing and linking to many related pages.

The concern with excessive links is threefold: link equity dilution (PageRank is divided among all outbound links—100 links means each receives ~1% of passed equity), spam signals (pages with 200+ links may trigger low-quality content filters), and user experience (link-heavy pages overwhelm users). Focus on quality over quantity: prioritize linking to your most important, relevant pages rather than linking everywhere indiscriminately. Use a Link Extractor to audit high-link-count pages—if you find pages with 150+ links, evaluate whether all are necessary or if you're cluttering the user experience. Navigation links, footer links, and sidebar links count toward totals, so content-heavy sites with extensive navigation may have higher acceptable totals than minimal sites.

These rel attributes tell search engines how to treat links. rel="nofollow" instructs search engines not to pass PageRank through the link and potentially not to follow it for crawling. rel="sponsored" (introduced 2019) specifically marks paid links, affiliate links, and advertisements. rel="ugc" (User Generated Content) marks links in comments, forums, and other user-submitted content. These attributes help you comply with Google's guidelines while maintaining editorial integrity.

Usage guidelines: Use rel="sponsored" on all affiliate links, paid placements, advertorial content, and any link where money changed hands. Use rel="ugc" on comment links, forum signatures, user-submitted reviews, guest book entries, and any user-generated content. Use rel="nofollow" for links to untrusted content, pages you don't want to vouch for (like login pages, print versions), or as a conservative catch-all when unsure. You can combine attributes: rel="nofollow sponsored" for a paid link you also don't want crawled. Important: Google treats these as hints, not directives—they may choose to follow or pass value through these links anyway. The primary purpose is compliance—properly disclosing paid/user relationships prevents manual action penalties. Use a Link Extractor to audit your site and verify all appropriate links have correct attributes. Failure to mark sponsored content, for example, violates FTC guidelines and Google's webmaster policies, risking penalties that can devastate rankings.

Orphaned pages have no internal links pointing to them, making them difficult for users and search engines to discover. To identify them, cross-reference your XML sitemap or all indexed pages with a complete site crawl that follows internal links. Pages in your sitemap but not found via crawl are orphaned. Alternatively, use SEO tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb which flag orphaned pages automatically, or check Google Search Console for pages with impressions but zero internal link equity.

To fix orphaned pages: Determine if the page should exist—if it's low-quality or outdated, consider deleting it or consolidating it with better content. For valuable orphaned pages, add internal links from relevant, high-authority pages using descriptive anchor text. Include orphaned pages in navigation menus, footer links, or related content sections where appropriate. Create content hubs or category pages that organize and link to related orphaned content. Link from blog posts or articles that discuss related topics. Ensure every page is reachable within 3 clicks from your homepage for optimal crawl accessibility. Prevention: When creating new content, immediately add it to relevant navigation and link from related existing pages rather than publishing isolated pages. Perform quarterly link audits to identify new orphans before they accumulate. Remember that orphaned pages may still be indexed if submitted via sitemap or discovered via external backlinks, but they receive less internal PageRank and may be crawled less frequently, limiting their ranking potential.

Yes, definitely fix broken external links. While they don't directly harm your rankings the way broken internal links do (they don't waste internal PageRank), they significantly damage user experience and credibility. When users click a link expecting helpful information and encounter a 404 error, it reflects poorly on your content quality and diligence. Research by Nielsen Norman Group shows users perceive sites with broken links as outdated and less trustworthy, impacting brand perception.

How to handle broken external links: Use a Link Extractor or crawler to identify all broken outbound links. For each broken link, search for the content at its new location—websites reorganize, and content often moves rather than disappearing entirely. Use the Wayback Machine (archive.org) to find archived versions if original content is gone. Find alternative sources covering the same topic and update links to current, authoritative resources. If no replacement exists and the link isn't critical, remove it and adjust surrounding text accordingly. For citations or references where the specific source matters, note that the link is no longer available but keep the citation for transparency. Schedule quarterly external link audits—external content changes more frequently than your own, so links break over time. Some sites see 15-20% of external links break annually. The effort to maintain external links signals content quality and editorial standards, indirectly supporting SEO through trust signals and user satisfaction metrics.

Absolutely—competitor link analysis is one of the most effective link building strategies. Sites linking to your competitors are demonstrably interested in your industry, topic, or niche, making them far more likely to link to you than cold prospects. By extracting links from competitor pages (especially those ranking well for your target keywords), you create a vetted list of link prospects with proven interest and authority.

Effective competitor link analysis process: Identify 5-10 direct competitors ranking for your target keywords. Use Link Extractor or backlink analysis tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz) to extract all their backlinks. Look for patterns—domains linking to multiple competitors are especially valuable prospects. Identify broken links on competitor sites where you can offer your content as replacement. Find resource pages and roundup posts linking to competitors—contact webmasters suggesting your content as addition or alternative. Analyze what types of content earn their links (guides, tools, research) and create superior versions. For outreach, reference the existing link to the competitor: "I noticed you linked to [Competitor's Article]. I've created a more comprehensive resource that includes [additional value]." This targeted approach converts at 10-30% vs. 1-5% for cold outreach. One important note: don't copy competitors' manipulative tactics if you discover link schemes or low-quality links—analyze quality backlinks only and pursue those ethically. Competitor analysis provides the roadmap; you must still earn links through superior content and legitimate outreach.