How to Monitor Your Backlinks Once Approved on HARO

Getting a backlink through HARO always feels great. You spend time crafting the perfect pitch, a journalist picks it up, and your quote finally appears in a big publication. But that’s only half the job done. Once your link goes live, you need to keep an eye on it — because links can change, get removed, or lose SEO value over time.

Monitoring your HARO backlinks helps you understand which mentions are helping your site grow and which ones aren’t doing much. It also tells you which journalists or outlets are worth pitching again.

Here's a step-by-step way to track and monitor your HARO backlinks the right way.

1. Confirm Your Placement

Once your HARO pitch gets approved, don’t just assume it’s published right away. Journalists often take days or even weeks to finalize their articles. The first thing you should do is check if your name or brand actually made it into the story. You can do this in a few easy ways.

Search your brand name or quote on Google in quotation marks. For example, if you know what you wrote in your HARO pitch, search that exact sentence. This often brings up your published mention. You can also set up Google Alerts for your brand name or main keywords — it’ll notify you the moment Google indexes any new page mentioning you.

Sometimes, journalists will email you directly when the article is live, especially if they promised a backlink. Other times, HARO itself will send a “source published” email. Either way, confirm it by visiting the actual page.

Once you’ve found the article, save the URL and note down the publication name, journalist, and date. Create a simple Google Sheet to keep all your HARO placements organized. It’ll save you hours later when you want to check backlink status or report on your link-building progress.

2. Verify the Backlink Exists

Just because your name appears doesn’t always mean your backlink is there. Some publications only mention the source by name and skip the actual link. So your next step is to verify the backlink manually.

Open the article and scroll to where your quote or mention appears. Check if your website is linked — and make sure it’s clickable. Click the link to see where it goes. Sometimes, journalists accidentally link to the homepage instead of your specific page, or they might even link to a broken URL. These small details matter for SEO and user experience.

If your link is missing or incorrect, it’s okay to politely reach out to the journalist. A short, respectful message works best — something like:

“Hi [Name], thank you for featuring my quote in your recent article on [Topic]. I noticed the link currently points to [wrong URL or missing]. Would you mind updating it to [correct link]? I’d really appreciate it.”

3. Check Link Type (DoFollow or NoFollow)

Once your backlink is confirmed, check what kind of link it is. This part is often overlooked, yet it’s crucial. Not all backlinks pass SEO value — some are tagged as NoFollow, meaning search engines don’t count them as a ranking signal.

Use a free browser extension like SEO Minion, MozBar, or Ahrefs Toolbar. Open the article and inspect your link. If it’s “DoFollow,” that means it can help your SEO rankings. If it’s “NoFollow,” it won’t directly improve your rankings, but it can still send referral traffic and build credibility.

Don’t get discouraged by NoFollow links though. Big media sites like Forbes, Business Insider, or Huffington Post often mark all external links as NoFollow by default. These still carry huge brand value and trust signals.

4. Track Link Indexing and Performance

Even if your backlink exists, it only helps when it’s indexed by Google. If Google hasn’t crawled that page yet, it won’t count toward your SEO at all. So the next step is to check whether your backlink page is indexed.

Simply search site:[URL of the article] on Google. If it shows up in results, it’s indexed. If it doesn’t, you can submit it manually through Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool. Just paste the article link and request indexing.

Once indexed, start monitoring the performance of that backlink. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest can show you metrics like Domain Rating, URL Rating, and organic traffic trends. You can also check referral traffic inside your Google Analytics account to see if the link is actually bringing visitors.

Keep a small note in your tracking sheet — for example, “Indexed: Yes,” “Traffic: 10 visits,” or “Referrals: 3.” Over time, this builds a clear picture of which HARO backlinks bring real SEO or traffic value and which ones are just sitting there doing nothing.

5. Monitor for Link Changes and Maintain Relationships

Backlinks aren’t permanent. Journalists might update or edit their articles months later, and your link can disappear without warning. That’s why it’s smart to set up automated monitoring tools like Ahrefs Alerts, Monitor Backlinks, or Linkody. These tools notify you the moment a link changes, becomes NoFollow, or is removed entirely.

If your link disappears, check if the page was deleted, redirected, or edited. Then decide if it’s worth contacting the journalist. In many cases, it’s just a small edit or CMS update — something they can easily fix if you reach out politely.

While tracking is important, maintaining relationships is even more valuable. Send a short thank-you email once your quote goes live. Journalists remember people who show appreciation and communicate professionally. Over time, they may reach out to you directly for new stories, giving you more chances to earn quality backlinks without even pitching.

Conclusion

Monitoring HARO backlinks isn’t just about checking if a link exists. It’s about seeing which ones actually help your site grow. When you track them properly, you spot patterns — which journalists give real value, which publications remove links, and which ones bring traffic.

This habit saves time and helps you pitch smarter. You focus on outlets that deliver results instead of chasing every mention.

Good relationships with journalists matter too. A short thank-you or quick follow-up can lead to more features and stronger links.

FAQs 

1. How can I check the performance of my backlinks?

You can check backlink performance by using a free backlink checker. Just enter your website’s domain or a specific URL, and the tool will show details like how many backlinks you have, how many domains are linking to you, and whether those links are follow or nofollow. This helps you see the strength and quality of your backlink profile.

2. Is buying backlinks allowed?

Buying backlinks isn’t illegal, but it does go against Google’s rules. If Google detects paid links meant to manipulate rankings, your site could face penalties, including a drop in search rankings. That’s why it’s always safer to focus on earning organic, high-quality backlinks that bring long-term results.

3. Is having 1,000 backlinks good?

The number of backlinks matters, but the quality of those links matters even more. Having 1,000 backlinks can help your site rank higher, but only if they come from trustworthy and relevant websites. A smaller number of strong backlinks is often more valuable than a large number of low-quality ones.

4. Do backlinks really help SEO?

Yes, backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors for SEO. When reliable websites link to your content, search engines see your site as more trustworthy and authoritative. This can improve your visibility in search results and drive more traffic to your site.

5. Which tool is best for monitoring backlinks?

One of the most popular tools for backlink tracking is Semrush. It not only shows you new and lost backlinks but also helps you analyze competitor links, detect harmful backlinks, and review detailed reports. This makes it easier to keep your backlink profile strong and healthy.