How to use the score
Score each factor from 0 to 2. A total can support comparison, but it should never override a serious red flag. Deception, dangerous irrelevance, prohibited content or a hidden commercial relationship should trigger manual rejection regardless of the total.
| Factor | Strong signal | Red flag | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publication purpose | Clear audience and editorial subject | Unclear identity or unrelated topic mix | 0–2 |
| Topical relevance | Publication or section regularly covers the client topic | Domain has no meaningful connection | 0–2 |
| Article relevance | Main article topic naturally supports the destination | Link appears in an inserted or unrelated sentence | 0–2 |
| Editorial identity | Visible author, date, policies and contact information | No accountable author or editorial information | 0–2 |
| Content consistency | Recent pages are useful and coherent | Thin, duplicated or mass-produced commercial posts | 0–2 |
| Visibility pattern | Multiple relevant pages attract discoverable readership | Visibility depends on isolated or irrelevant keywords | 0–2 |
| Outbound links | Varied, reader-focused citations | Repeated exact-match commercial anchors or risky links | 0–2 |
| Destination quality | Target page provides useful, supportable information | Thin sales page or unsupported claims | 0–2 |
| Anchor fit | Brand or descriptive anchor reads naturally | Forced exact-match anchor | 0–2 |
| Disclosure and attributes | Commercial relationships and attributes handled transparently | Paid relationship presented deceptively | 0–2 |
| Accessibility | Live, indexable page and working target URL | Blocked, redirected incorrectly or inaccessible | 0–2 |
| Acquisition method | Source, PR, guest, partner or paid method documented | Method hidden or misrepresented | 0–2 |
Suggested decision bands
- 20–24: Strong candidate, subject to client-specific requirements.
- 15–19: Manual review required; document weaknesses.
- 0–14: Usually decline unless missing evidence can be verified.
Adjust thresholds by niche. Regulated finance, medical and legal campaigns may need stricter credential, claim and publication review.
Keep the evidenceRecord the publisher, live URL, target URL, date, acquisition method, score and reviewer notes. Transparent records make quality disputes easier to resolve.