Overview
Dedicated backlink tools like Ahrefs ($99+/mo) and Semrush ($129.95+/mo) provide deep crawl data, but many teams only need a monthly snapshot of referring domains and brand mentions. This workflow uses search queries to find pages linking to a domain and brand mentions, providing 80% of the insight at 2% of the cost.
Trigger
Cron schedule: 1st of every month at 2 AM UTC.
Schedule
Monthly (1st at 2 AM UTC)
Workflow Steps
Configure Target Domains and Brand Names
Set up the list of target domains and brand name variations to monitor for backlinks and mentions.
Search for Linking Pages
Run search queries for each target domain using queries like 'link:example.com' and 'example.com -site:example.com' to find external pages that reference the domain.
Search for Brand Mentions
Search for brand name mentions without the domain to find unlinked mentions that could be converted to backlinks.
Compare Against Previous Month
Diff this month's results against last month to identify new referring pages, lost mentions, and new unlinked mentions.
Generate Monthly Report
Compile the monthly backlink snapshot with new links, lost links, unlinked mention opportunities, and trend data.
Python Implementation
import requests, os, json
from datetime import date
API_KEY = os.environ["SCAVIO_API_KEY"]
def find_backlinks(domain: str) -> list:
queries = [f'"{domain}" -site:{domain}', f"link:{domain}"]
results = []
for q in queries:
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
json={"query": q, "country_code": "us"},
timeout=15,
)
data = resp.json()
for r in data.get("organic_results", []):
results.append({"title": r.get("title", ""), "url": r.get("link", ""), "snippet": r.get("snippet", "")})
return results
links = find_backlinks("example.com")
print(f"Found {len(links)} referring pages")
for l in links[:5]:
print(f" {l['url']}")JavaScript Implementation
const H = {'x-api-key': process.env.SCAVIO_API_KEY, 'Content-Type': 'application/json'};
async function findBacklinks(domain) {
const queries = ['"'+domain+'" -site:'+domain, 'link:'+domain];
const results = [];
for (const q of queries) {
const r = await fetch('https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search', {method:'POST', headers:H, body:JSON.stringify({query:q, country_code:'us'})});
const d = await r.json();
(d.organic_results||[]).forEach(r => results.push({title:r.title, url:r.link, snippet:r.snippet}));
}
return results;
}
const links = await findBacklinks('example.com');
console.log(links.length + ' referring pages found');Platforms Used
Web search with knowledge graph, PAA, and AI overviews