This factor reports how many backlinks the configured provider classifies as do-follow for the exact result URL. It is a provider-supplied count, and a zero can mean genuinely no followable links or simply that no off-page record was available.
| Factor ID | RG-BLK-019 |
|---|---|
| Family | Backlinks & authority |
| Measurement | Provider-supplied count |
| Measured zone | Off-page URL data |
What it measures
This factor reports the backlinks that the configured provider classifies as do-follow — links judged to pass authority rather than being marked nofollow. It is a raw count of followable inbound links pointing at the exact result URL, drawn from the provider’s off-page index rather than from anything on the page itself.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear reads the dofollows field for the exact result URL from the configured backlink provider. When no off-page record is available for that URL, it returns 0. The value is taken as-is from the provider; RankGear does not re-crawl the linking pages or independently verify each link’s rel attribute.
| Value | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Higher count | The provider sees more followable inbound links to this URL — often, though not always, a URL with more established off-page authority. |
| Low count | Few followable links are indexed for this URL. Judge it alongside link context and quality, not the number alone. |
| 0 | Either no do-follow links exist, or no off-page record was available. Confirm coverage before treating zero as an absence of links. |
How to optimize it
Earn ordinary editorial links from relevant, trustworthy pages that choose to reference your content on their own merits. Avoid schemes built to manufacture followable links — provider classification and quality checks tend to discount them, and the risk outweighs the count. Treat this number as an observation about off-page standing, not a target to inflate.
Important considerations
- “Do follow” here means not classified as nofollow by the provider — it is a classification, not a literal HTML attribute on the link.
- Provider classification can vary, so the same URL may report different counts across sources.
- Zero can mean missing data rather than a true absence of followable links.
- Link context and quality remain essential; a raw count says nothing about the relevance or trust of the linking pages.
- This count correlates with position within a measured result set — it is a prioritization signal, not a guarantee that more do-follow links make a page rank.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.