DataForSEO

Overview

The "Get Backlinks" operation of the Backlink resource in this node fetches backlink data for a specified target, which can be a domain, subdomain, or specific URL. This operation is useful for SEO professionals and digital marketers who want to analyze the backlink profile of websites or pages to understand their link-building status, identify lost or live backlinks, and evaluate link quality metrics.

Common scenarios include:

Auditing backlinks to assess SEO health.
Monitoring new or lost backlinks over time.
Filtering backlinks by status or quality indicators.
Sorting backlinks by rank or spam score to prioritize link analysis.

Practical example:
A user wants to retrieve up to 500 live backlinks pointing to a particular subdomain, sorted by backlink rank descending, including indirect links and subdomains, to evaluate the strongest referring pages for potential outreach.

Properties

Name	Meaning
Target (Domain, Subdomain, URL)	The domain, subdomain, or exact webpage URL to retrieve backlink data for. Domains/subdomains should be specified without `https://` or `www.`; pages require full absolute URLs including protocol (`http://` or `https://`).
Mode	How backlinks are returned: - As Is: Return all backlinks as they are. - One Per Domain: Return one backlink per referring domain. - One Per Anchor: Return one backlink per anchor text.
Limit (up to 1000)	Maximum number of backlink results to return, between 1 and 1000.
Offset	Number of backlink results to skip before starting to collect the output (for pagination).
Sort	Up to three sorting rules to order the backlinks by various metrics: - Backlink Rank (asc/desc) - Referring Page Rank (asc/desc) - Referring Domain Rank (asc/desc) - Backlink Spam Score (asc/desc)
Backlink Status	Filter backlinks by status: - All - Live (currently active) - Lost (no longer active)
Include Subdomains	Whether to include backlinks from subdomains of the target.
Include Indirect Links	Whether to include indirect backlinks (e.g., redirects or indirect references).
Filters	JSON string representing an array of filtering parameters to further refine results. Users can refer to the external documentation for supported filter options.

Output

The node outputs an array of backlink objects in the json field. Each object typically contains detailed backlink information such as:

Backlink URL
Referring page and domain metrics (rank, authority)
Anchor text used
Backlink status (live/lost)
Spam score
Other SEO-related attributes depending on the API response

This structured data allows users to programmatically analyze backlink profiles, integrate with other workflows, or export for reporting.

No binary data output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

Requires an active API key credential for the DataForSEO service.
The node makes HTTP POST requests to the DataForSEO v3 API endpoint at https://api.dataforseo.com/v3.
Proper configuration of the API key credential within n8n is necessary for authentication.

Troubleshooting

Common issues:
- Invalid or missing target format (e.g., including www. or missing protocol for URLs) may cause API errors.
- Exceeding the maximum limit of 1000 results will result in validation errors.
- Incorrect JSON format in the Filters property can cause request failures.
- Network or authentication errors if the API key is invalid or quota exceeded.
Error messages:
- "Something went wrong": Generic error indicating the requested resource-operation combination was not found or misconfigured.
- API errors related to invalid parameters will usually specify which input is incorrect; verify the target format and filters.
- Authentication errors indicate issues with the API key credential setup.
Resolutions:
- Ensure the target is correctly formatted according to the hints.
- Validate JSON syntax in filters before running.
- Check API key validity and permissions.
- Use offset and limit properly for pagination.

Links and References

DataForSEO Backlinks API Documentation — Detailed explanation of filters and parameters.