Some links are flagged although you put them there on purpose: a client’s logo in a footer, a partner’s page in a sidebar, a sponsor’s banner. Link Signals judges each link against the page that carries it, and a genuine link can still look unrelated to that page. Trusted links lets you say that one link belongs where it is. This guide explains how, what changes, and what can never be trusted.
Why you decide, not Link Signals
Link Signals cannot tell a client logo from injected spam. Both are links to a site unrelated to the page, and what separates them is whether you added it. So the report flags the link and leaves the decision to you. Trusting a link records your decision for that site. It does not change the site, remove anything, or make the link any safer. The link is still read and judged on every later scan.
How to trust a link
- Open the findingIn a finished report, select the row on the Findings tab to open the side panel.
- Read why it was flaggedVisit the destination yourself. Trust it only if you added the link and mean it to stay.
- Choose Trust this linkIt is under Is this link meant to be here? in the side panel. It is saved to your account for that site, up to 200 links per site.
- Run the next scan or let monitoring runFrom then on the link is counted as safe. The report where you clicked is a record of that scan, so it is unchanged and shows “You trust this link”.
Out of context: the page is about garden design, the link goes to an unrelated site
/services/garden-design · Anchor text “Partner Studio”To take trust off, use Stop trusting this link in the same place, or Stop trusting in the Trusted links panel at the bottom of each report, which lists what you have trusted for that site.
What happens after you trust it
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| The report you clicked in | Nothing changes. It records the scan as it was. The panel says you trust the link. |
| The next scan | The link is still read and judged. If it would be reported as no more serious than when you trusted it, it is counted as safe (“No known issues”) with the note “Trusted by you. It would have been reported as:” and the original reason. It is not listed as a finding. |
| The numbers | A trusted link is left out of the headline, the priorities, the LinkSignal, the ranking-credit count and the emails. The scan’s summary records how many trusted links it counted as safe. |
| Monitoring | It is left out of alerts and is not counted as resolved. |
| A rescan or re-check comparison | A finding from the original scan that you now trust has its own list, “Trusted by you, so no longer counted”. It is never called fixed or no longer flagged. Its page is not read again, so no link checks are spent on it. The comparison table has a row, “Links you trust, counted as safe”. |
| If it gets worse | The trust stops holding and the link is flagged again, with a note saying why. |
| If you drop to the free plan | Your trusted links are kept but paused, so the links are flagged again. They apply again if you return to a paid plan. |
The LinkSignal is Link Signals’ own metric, based only on this tool’s findings, and it is not connected to any search engine or third-party score. Trusting a link affects it only because the link is no longer counted as a finding. See how the score is worked out.
When a trust stops holding
A trust is not a permanent pass. Each scan judges the link again, and it is flagged again if:
- the destination has become more serious than when you trusted it, for example from Needs review to Not safe, or
- the link has become one that cannot be trusted at all, such as a parked page, a domain that is not registered or has expired, or a link hidden from visitors.
What cannot be trusted
- A link that is not flagged for what it points to or where it sits. A broken link needs fixing, not trusting.
- A parked page. It is not what you meant to link to. Replace or remove the link.
- A domain nobody holds, or one that has expired. Anyone can register it and take over your visitors. Replace or remove the link. See taken-over links.
- A concealed link. A link hidden from visitors, shown only to search engines, or written by an obfuscated script is the sign of a hack, whoever the link goes to. Find out who added it.
Trusting is meant for links flagged as Out of context or Needs review that you put there on purpose, such as client logos, partners and sponsors. Where a link cannot be trusted, the side panel says why.
Trust, mark reviewed or ignore
| Trust this link | Mark reviewed | Ignore a finding | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use it when | You put the link there and want it to stay | You have changed something and want it confirmed | You accept a finding on a monitored site |
| Counted as a finding | No, from the next scan | Yes, until a scan finds it gone or no longer flagged | No |
| Where | Reports, scans and monitoring, on paid plans | Finished reports | Monitored sites only |
| Read again | Yes, every scan and check | Yes, on the next scan | Yes, and it lapses if it gets more serious |
Questions
Does trusting a link remove or fix it?
No. The link stays on your site exactly as it was. Trusting only changes how later scans count it.
Does it show in the report I am looking at?
No. That report records the scan as it was and shows “You trust this link”. The change applies from your next scan or monitoring check.
Is a trusted link still checked?
Yes. Every scan and monitoring check reads it and judges it again. That is how Link Signals notices if it gets worse.
How many links can I trust?
Up to 200 for one site, per account.
What happens if I move to the free plan?
Your trusted links are kept but paused, so the links are flagged again. They apply again if you return to a paid plan. You can still stop trusting a link on any plan.
Scan your site, then open a finding to see whether it can be trusted.
