Why you need to track new and lost backlinks to your site

Executive overview

Backlinks are a core SEO signal, but most site owners only check them reactively. Monitoring new and lost backlinks in near-real time surfaces marketing opportunities, flags bad actors, and reveals whether link-building efforts are paying off.

Ahrefs Site Explorer provides four dedicated reports — new/lost backlinks and new/lost referring domains — plus automated email digests so you don't need to log in daily.

Track backlinks weekly and you will find outreach opportunities, catch negative SEO early, and hold link-builders accountable.

Four reasons to monitor backlinks

1. Verify content ROI — confirm that infographics, blog posts, and linkable assets are actually earning links; if not, stop producing them.
2. Build relationships — a new linking site is a warm lead; check the domain, reach out, and explore collaboration.
3. Audit your SEO provider — whether agency, freelancer, or in-house, the new referring domains report makes their output visible and verifiable.
4. Catch negative SEO — links from bad neighbourhoods can trigger manual penalties; spot and disavow them before Google acts.

Using Ahrefs Site Explorer

• Enter a domain in Site Explorer and open Inbound Links → New Referring Domains.
• Set a date range to see domains that linked for the first time in that window.
• Results sort by domain rating by default — highest-authority sites surface first.
• Click "Expand backlinks" on any domain to see the exact page and link context.
• Use the finding to prioritise outreach: a fleeting brand mention on a high-DR site is worth a follow-up asking for a deeper reference.
• Three additional reports (new backlinks, lost backlinks, lost referring domains) follow the same pattern — explore them independently.

Setting up email notifications

• Add the domain to the Ahrefs dashboard.
• Go to the Email notifications tab and enable the new/lost backlinks report.
• Choose weekly frequency to receive a consolidated digest without daily logins.
• The email shows new referring domain count and total new backlink count at a glance.