Table of contents
Citation flow is an indicator created by Majestic to evaluate “power” the total number of inbound links without considering their quality. The Citation Flow indicator is expressed on a scale of 1-100, where a high value corresponds to many backlinks leading to a website.
How does the Citation Flow indicator work?
We can determine the Citation Flow based on the number of inbound links. However, it does not consider the quality of each URL. The indicator evaluates the value of a link based on the number of links leading to the page.
If a domain has a high Citation Flow index, and the external links are not valuable and come from low-quality sources – then they can negatively affect the positioning of a website in search results.
Trust Flow vs. Citation Flow
There is a significant difference between Citation Flow and Trust Flow. The Trust Flow indicator, unlike Citation Flow, evaluates a link by its value, not quantity. Link value is one of Google’s most important ranking factors, and the Trust Flow indicator allows us to understand whether a domain has value.
How to evaluate whether websites are valuable?
When analyzing a website for link-building planning, it is useful to consider Citation Flow and Trust Flow values. With the help of these two indicators, we can assess whether the sites have a natural and quality backlink profile.
When Trust Flow has a much lower value (at a similar level) than the Citation Flow indicator, this indicates a very high number of low-quality backlinks and an unnatural link profile. When you have such a difference in indicators on your website, taking care of valuable links is essential. Such a backlink profile can negatively affect your website’s positioning by risking penalties from Google.
If the Trust Flow indicator is slightly higher than the Citation Flow value, we can talk about a very good quality of backlinks.
If the Citation Flow indicator has a much lower value than the Trust Flow, we can discuss a small number of high-value inbound links.
Citation Flow indicator vs. positioning
Google robots analyze a website to assess its value and determine its position in search results. The place a domain will occupy in the results depends on several factors. The position is judged by the number of incoming links, their quality, and the content created.
Was the article helpful?
Rate our article, it means a lot to us!
Let's talk!
She has been in marketing for 4 years. She feels most confident in the area of SEO and UX. At Up&More, as an SEO Specialist, she is in charge of increasing the visibility of our clients.