Backlinks & source library
Understand backlink statuses
Distinguish a live placement from a changed, lost, or uncheckable one.
01Live and changed
Live means the expected link evidence is present. Changed means the page still has a related link but the expected target, anchor, or rel attributes differ from the tracker’s expectation. Review the evidence before contacting the publisher.
02Lost
Lost means the target link was not found or the source page no longer provides the tracked placement. It is an observation from the latest check, not a statement about why the publisher changed the page.
03Blocked and error
Blocked means the page could not be safely checked because of an access restriction, redirect, rate limit, or similar condition. Error indicates a failed fetch or processing problem. Neither status alone proves that the backlink is gone.
04Pending and closed
Pending means the tracker has not completed its expected evidence cycle. Closed removes a tracker from active reporting after human review; it does not claim that the public page was deleted.