Actions28
- Backlink Actions
- SERP Actions
- Business Data Actions
- On Page Actions
- Keywords Data Actions
- Labs Actions
Overview
The "Get Referring Domains" operation of the Backlink resource in this node fetches data about domains that link back to a specified target domain, subdomain, or URL. This is useful for SEO professionals and digital marketers who want to analyze backlink profiles, understand their website's authority, monitor competitors, or identify potential link-building opportunities.
Typical use cases include:
- Auditing backlinks to assess the quality and quantity of referring domains.
- Tracking changes in backlink profiles over time.
- Filtering backlinks by status (live, lost, all) to focus on active links.
- Excluding internal links to focus on external referring domains.
- Sorting and paginating results for large backlink datasets.
For example, a user might input their website domain to retrieve a list of all external domains currently linking to it, limited to 100 results, excluding internal links, and sorted by domain authority descending.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Target (Domain, Subdomain, URL) | The domain, subdomain, or specific webpage URL to retrieve referring domain data for. Domains/subdomains should be specified without https:// or www.; pages require full absolute URLs including protocol (http:// or https://). |
| Limit (up to 1000) | Maximum number of referring domain results to return. Value must be between 1 and 1000. |
| Offset | Number of results to skip before starting to collect the output. Useful for pagination. Must be zero or positive integer. |
| Backlink Status | Filter referring domains based on backlink status: - All: Include all backlinks. - Live: Only currently active backlinks. - Lost: Only backlinks that have been lost. |
| Include Subdomains | Boolean flag to include backlinks from subdomains of the target domain. |
| Include Indirect Links | Boolean flag to include indirect backlinks (links that are not direct but still contribute to backlink profile). |
| Exclude Internal Links | Boolean flag to exclude backlinks originating from the same domain as the target (internal links). |
| Filters | A JSON string representing an array of filtering parameters to refine the results further. Users can refer to the DataForSEO documentation for supported filters. |
| Internal List Limit (up to 1000) | Limits the number of internal list items returned, up to 1000. |
| Sort | Up to three sorting rules can be applied. Each rule consists of: - Field Name: The field to sort by (refer to DataForSEO docs for supported fields). - Sort Field: Direction of sorting, either ascending or descending. |
| Backlinks Filters | A JSON string representing additional filtering parameters specifically for backlinks. Refer to DataForSEO documentation for supported filters. |
Output
The node outputs an array of JSON objects, each representing a referring domain with its associated backlink data according to the applied filters and parameters.
The exact structure depends on the API response but typically includes fields such as:
- Domain name of the referring site.
- Number of backlinks from that domain.
- Status of backlinks (live, lost).
- Metrics related to link quality or authority.
- Other backlink attributes as provided by the DataForSEO API.
If binary data were involved (not indicated here), it would represent downloadable content or files related to the backlinks, but this operation focuses on JSON data only.
Dependencies
- Requires an active connection to the DataForSEO API v3 endpoint.
- Needs an API key credential configured in n8n for authentication.
- Internet access to reach
https://api.dataforseo.com/v3. - Proper configuration of request headers (
Content-Type: application/json) is handled internally.
Troubleshooting
Common Issues:
- Invalid or missing target parameter format (e.g., including
https://when only domain expected). - Exceeding the maximum limit of 1000 results.
- Incorrect JSON format in filters or backlinks_filters properties.
- API authentication failures due to invalid or expired credentials.
- Network connectivity issues preventing API calls.
- Invalid or missing target parameter format (e.g., including
Error Messages:
"Something went wrong": Generic error indicating failure during execution. Check input parameters and API credentials.- Credential-related errors: Ensure the API key is valid and has necessary permissions.
- Validation errors: Confirm that numeric inputs like limit and offset are within allowed ranges.
- JSON parsing errors: Validate filter strings are correctly formatted JSON arrays.
To resolve these, verify all input parameters carefully, ensure credentials are correct, and consult the DataForSEO API documentation for filter syntax.