How Do I Troubleshoot When Best Links Hides Too Many Backlinks?

When working with Ahrefs Site Explorer, the Best links feature is a powerful way to quickly access a site's strongest backlinks and healthiest link profile. However, a common frustration is that sometimes the Best links view hides too many backlinks, especially in profiles with a high volume of spammy domains. This can distort your analysis, make it harder to detect genuine link opportunities, and slow down your backlink cleanup process.

For example, in a recent audit, a client’s backlink profile showed 3,192 spam domains total. Using the default Best links filter almost completely blocked out valuable links, making it look like the site had just a handful of legitimate backlinks.

In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to troubleshoot a scenario where the best links too strict filter https://smoothdecorator.com/why-do-i-see-casino-and-credit-cards-anchors-on-random-sites/ hides too many backlinks. We’ll cover how spam backlinks inflate Ahrefs metrics, how to customize and review your exclusion list, when to toggle the filter off, and why understanding the difference between filtering and disavowing matters for your link audits.

Why Does the Best Links Filter Hide So Many Backlinks?

Want to know something interesting? ahrefs’ best links feature automatically filters backlinks to show what it considers the highest quality, most trustworthy links pointing to a domain or url. Let me tell you about a situation I encountered wished they had known this beforehand.. This filtering is designed to save time by hiding lower-quality or spammy links that might skew your analysis.

However, the downside is that when you have a large number of spammy backlinks or links from what Ahrefs’ algorithm deems as “spam domains,” the filter often becomes too strict, hiding hundreds or even thousands of legitimate backlinks in the process.

Spam Backlinks Inflate Ahrefs Metrics

Spammy backlinks do more harm than good. They often come from link farms, networked PBNs, automated directories, or domains with no real editorial control. These links can artificially inflate Ahrefs metrics like Domain Rating (DR), referring domains count, or backlink volume.

For example, a profile containing 3,192 spam domains might show a high number of backlinks, but most of these are low quality. Ahrefs will then heavily filter the backlinks in the Best links tab to exclude such domains, sometimes filtering too aggressively.

Steps to Troubleshoot When Best Links Hides Too Many Backlinks

Check Your Spam Exclusion List Ahrefs allows you to customize what domains are excluded in the Best links view by modifying your spam domain list. If this list is too large or includes legitimate domains by mistake, your Best links filter will hide too much. Toggle the Best links Filter Off Sometimes the easiest way to troubleshoot is to temporarily turn off the Best links filter to get a full view of all backlinks and referring domains. This helps identify what’s being excluded and spot any edge cases. Save a Default View with Custom Filters Use Site Explorer’s “Save view” feature to create a custom default filter that balances filtering out spam while retaining genuine links. This prevents constant guesswork and switching filters. Understand Filtering vs Disavowing Filtering in Ahrefs only hides links from view; disavowing formally tells Google to ignore problematic backlinks. Don’t confuse the two — you still should conduct a thorough disavow process for spam links that harm your SEO.

1. Check Your Spam Exclusion List in Ahrefs

Ahrefs maintains an internal spam domain database which automatically excludes those domains from Best links. However, you can add custom exclusion domains via:

Account Settings > Exclusion Lists > Spam domains

Review this list carefully — some domains you trust might be mistakenly flagged. Remove any that are legitimate to avoid over-filtering.

Tip: Periodically review your exclusion list to keep it updated, especially if you regularly work with recently expired or fresh domains that initially had spammy footprints.

2. Toggle the “Best Links” Filter Off Temporarily

When you suspect that Best links is being too strict, switching to the standard “Backlinks” view or turning off all filters helps you:

See all backlinks including lower quality domains Identify suspicious or borderline domains that might need manual review Confirm that legitimate links are being filtered out erroneously

For example, after toggling off, you might find a cluster of links from a domain that Ahrefs erroneously flagged as spam but is actually relevant and valuable.

best links filter for outreach

3. Save a Default View in Site Explorer with Custom Filters

Once you’ve refined your options, save your preferred filter setup with:

Custom Domain Rating thresholds Exclusion filters based on your updated spam lists Specific link types (follow, guest posts, etc.)

This “default view” saves clicks and time, letting you quickly access consistently reliable backlink snapshots without toggling filters every time.

4. Filtering vs Disavowing: Why It Matters

Filtering in Ahrefs Disavowing in Google Hides links visually in the tool Tells Google to ignore links in ranking calculations Helps surface cleaner data for analysis Helps prevent Google penalties from toxic links Does NOT affect Google's view of links Impacts ranking signals Adjustable and reversible Requires formal submission via Search Console

It’s crucial not to confuse filtering (a data display setting in Ahrefs) with disavowing (a protective action for SEO health). Filtering too aggressively can hide valuable data, while failing to disavow toxic links can hurt rankings.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Calling the Filter a “Spam Score”: Ahrefs does not assign spam scores in Best links, it uses an internal list based on multiple signals. Avoid mislabeling filters as “scores” as it causes confusion. Over-Filtering That Hides Good Links: Don’t blindly trust the Best links filter. Always validate that quality, relevant backlinks aren’t excluded by mistake by toggling filters off. Relying Only on Automated Tools: Manual inspection is still key, especially for fresh or recently expired domains where spam footprints are common but legitimate new links arise.

Summary Checklist: Troubleshooting When Best Links Hides Too Many Backlinks

Review and update your spam exclusions list regularly. Temporarily toggle the Best links filter off to examine all backlinks. Save custom default views with balanced filters in Site Explorer. Understand that filtering is for analysis; disavowing is for SEO protection. Avoid confusing filters with spam scores or over-filtering.

Conclusion

The Best links feature in Ahrefs Site Explorer is extremely helpful — when used thoughtfully. That said, there are exceptions. But if it hides too many backlinks, especially in profiles with thousands of spam domains (like the 3,192 spam domains example we discussed), it can mask the true state of your backlink profile.

By reviewing your exclusion list, toggling filters, saving custom views, and understanding filtering versus disavowing, you can troubleshoot issues quickly and avoid missing important backlinks. This approach results in more reliable audits, smarter link-building decisions, and better SEO outcomes.

Keep your link audits sharp by combining automated tools with manual checks—never blindly trust that a filter is perfect. That’s how to save clicks, time, and headaches on every project.