VX Agents

API directory · Marketing & Analytics

DataForSEO Backlinks & Referring Domains

v1.0.0 · 14 endpoints · 0 connections · shared by vx.ai

When planning outreach, see who links to a site and who links to its rivals but not to it. Pull a domain's backlink summary, list backlinks, anchors and referring domains, track new and lost links over time, and screen prospect lists with bulk rank and spam score checks from DataForSEO's link index.

Connect this API to an AI agent Browse all specs

What you can do with DataForSEO Backlinks & Referring Domains via MCP

Every endpoint below becomes a governed tool your AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, or a customer-facing VX agent) can call — with scoped permissions, sandbox testing, and audit logs.

MethodPathOperationDescription
GET /v3/appendix/user_data getUserData Check the account balance, limits and price list
GET /v3/backlinks/available_filters listBacklinkFilters List the fields each backlinks endpoint can filter on
POST /v3/backlinks/summary/live getBacklinksSummary Get backlink and referring-domain counts, rank and spam score for a domain or page
POST /v3/backlinks/backlinks/live listBacklinks List the backlinks pointing to a domain or page, with filters and sorting
POST /v3/backlinks/anchors/live listAnchors List the anchor texts used in links to a target
POST /v3/backlinks/referring_domains/live listReferringDomains List the domains that link to a target, with their link counts and rank
POST /v3/backlinks/domain_pages/live listDomainPages List a domain's pages with the backlinks each one has
POST /v3/backlinks/history/live getBacklinksHistory Get a domain's monthly backlink and referring-domain history
POST /v3/backlinks/timeseries_new_lost_summary/live getNewLostTimeseries Count new and lost backlinks per day, week or month
POST /v3/backlinks/competitors/live findLinkCompetitors Find domains that share referring domains with a target
POST /v3/backlinks/domain_intersection/live getDomainIntersection Find domains that link to several targets (e.g. your competitors) at once
POST /v3/backlinks/bulk_ranks/live getBulkRanks Get the rank of up to 1000 domains or pages in one call
POST /v3/backlinks/bulk_spam_score/live getBulkSpamScore Get the spam score of up to 1000 domains or pages in one call
POST /v3/backlinks/bulk_new_lost_backlinks/live getBulkNewLostBacklinks Count new and lost backlinks since a date for up to 1000 targets

Authentication

basicAuth

HTTP Basic

HTTP basic auth with your DataForSEO API login (username) and API password (password). The API password is not your dashboard password.

How to get a credential

  1. Sign up at app.dataforseo.com (new accounts get trial credits).
  2. Open API Access in the dashboard.
  3. Copy the API login and the API password shown there.
  4. Check Backlinks API access and pricing in the dashboard and keep a balance; every call is billed per task.

Permissions used

DataForSEO credentials have no scopes; one login can call every API on the account.

Credential Operations
API login + API password all operations: getUserData, listBacklinkFilters, getBacklinksSummary, listBacklinks, listAnchors, listReferringDomains, listDomainPages, getBacklinksHistory, getNewLostTimeseries, findLinkCompetitors, getDomainIntersection, getBulkRanks, getBulkSpamScore, getBulkNewLostBacklinks

Common errors

DataForSEO usually answers HTTP 200 and puts the real result in status_code (20000 = ok) of the response and of each task.

Code Meaning Fix
401 / 40100 Not authorized: wrong API login or password Copy both again from API Access (not the dashboard password).
40200 Payment required: balance too low or Backlinks API access not active Add funds or activate Backlinks API access in the dashboard, then retry.
40501 / 40503 Invalid field (e.g. a target with https://) or a body that is not an array of tasks Send [{...}] with a bare domain or a full page URL.
40202 / 40209 Over 10,000 requests per minute, or over 30 at the same time Slow down and retry.

Store the login and password as a basic-auth credential in VX Agents; never paste them into chat.

Usage guide

Setup

  • Credential: DataForSEO API login and API password (app.dataforseo.com > API Access), stored as a basic-auth credential. The API password differs from the dashboard password.
  • Worth pinning: the user's own domain as target (bare domain like example.com, no https:// or www.; a page needs the full URL).
  • Every call except getUserData and listBacklinkFilters is billed. Before a batch, tell the user roughly how many calls you will make; getUserData shows the balance and prices.

Audit a link profile and find outreach targets

Every POST body is an array holding one task object: [{"target": "example.com", "limit": 100}].

  1. getBacklinksSummary for total backlinks, referring domains, rank and spam score.
  2. listReferringDomains (who links) and listAnchors (with what text). listBacklinks lists single links; mode: "one_per_domain" gives one link per site.
  3. listDomainPages shows which of the target's pages attract links.
  4. Trend: getBacklinksHistory (monthly, date_from/date_to) or getNewLostTimeseries (group_range: day, week, month, year).
  5. Competitors: findLinkCompetitors for sites sharing referring domains, then getDomainIntersection with targets as an object ({"1": "rival-a.com", "2": "rival-b.com"}, up to 20) and exclude_targets: ["example.com"] to list sites linking to rivals but not to the user.
  6. Screen a prospect list: getBulkRanks, getBulkSpamScore or getBulkNewLostBacklinks (targets array, up to 1000).

Good to know

  • Check status_code in the response and in tasks[0]: 20000 means ok, even when HTTP is 200. Results are in tasks[0].result.
  • filters look like [["dofollow", "=", true], "and", ["rank", ">", 100]] (max 8); listBacklinkFilters lists valid fields per endpoint. order_by e.g. ["rank,desc"].
  • limit is up to 1000 (default 100); page with offset, or search_after_token on listBacklinks.
  • backlinks_status_type: live (default), lost or all.
  • Dates are yyyy-mm-dd. Limits: 10,000 requests per minute, 30 at the same time.
  • Read-only: nothing here changes data, but each task costs money. A free sandbox exists at sandbox.dataforseo.com.

Source: DataForSEO Backlinks API documentation (https://docs.dataforseo.com/v3/backlinks/overview/), checked 2026-10-22.

How to use this spec

  1. Create a free VX Agents account (sandbox tools included).
  2. Open the marketplace and connect “DataForSEO Backlinks & Referring Domains” to an agent.
  3. Expose it as an MCP server for Claude/ChatGPT, or chat with it directly.

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