A useful link has a reason to exist for the reader
Evaluate whether a source has a credible reason to reference your expertise. A numeric authority metric alone does not establish that a link helps a buyer understand your work.
Relevance involves the source audience, the surrounding subject and the destination’s usefulness. A link from a loosely related page is not automatically valuable because a third-party metric is high. Evaluate the actual reference and how it was obtained.
A worked example
A hypothetical manufacturer publishes an application guide that a trade group references in its technical resources. That relationship is easier to explain than a paid link placed inside unrelated lifestyle content. Neither example supports a promise about a specific ranking increase.
How to apply it
- Read the linking page and identify the reader who would use the reference.
- Check that the destination supplies the information the link promises.
- Document relationship terms and avoid arrangements intended primarily to manipulate rankings.
What the result can establish
Assess legitimate referrals and relevant visibility over time. A link-quality review should explain its reasoning rather than reduce every source to one authority number. Search spam policies are relevant when evaluating paid or manufactured linking schemes.
Reference: Google: search spam policies.
Supporting documentation
Google: search spam policiesGoogle: hiring an SEOGoogle: SEO starter guide