Link Prospect Qualification Sheet Template
Your outreach list has 200 sites. Half were picked by an authority score, and nobody checked who reads them or how they handle paid posts.
This sheet qualifies each prospect page before anyone pitches or pays. You check topic relevance, audience, editorial policy and traffic evidence.
Every row ends with qualify, hold or reject, a reason and an owner. Paid routes must carry rel="sponsored" or nofollow.
Inside: a fill-in sheet, relevance and audience check, editorial and link risk check, traffic evidence check, decision rules, a CSV header and a fictional example.
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Se RankingLink Prospect Qualification Sheet Template
Link prospect qualification sheet
One row per prospect page, not per domain. Fill it before anyone writes a pitch or asks for a price. Only rows marked qualify go to outreach.
Your target page: [/page-you-want-linked/] - Sheet owner: [name] - Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
| Prospect | Topic relevance | Audience | Editorial policy | Traffic evidence | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [prospect page URL] | [close / adjacent / off-topic + why] | [who reads it + market] | [who decides links, how paid posts are marked] | [what proves real readers] | [qualify / hold / reject] |
| [URL] | [relevance] | [audience] | [editorial policy] | [traffic evidence] | [decision] |
| [URL] | [relevance] | [audience] | [editorial policy] | [traffic evidence] | [decision] |
Per-row detail (fill for every prospect)
- Reason to link: [why a reader of this page would click through to yours, in one sentence]
- Topic relevance score: [2 close / 1 adjacent / 0 off-topic]
- Audience match: [who reads it, country and language, buyer or practitioner]
- Editorial policy found: [guidelines page URL, named editor, or none found]
- Paid or sponsored content: [none / labelled, links marked sponsored or nofollow / unlabelled]
- Traffic evidence: [source, date checked, trend: growing / flat / falling / none]
- Red flags: [price list for links, off-topic sections, many unrelated outbound links, no authors]
- Contact: [name, role, how found]
- Route: [earned outreach / sponsorship marked sponsored / vendor check / drop]
Next action
- Researcher: [name] - action: fill relevance, audience and traffic evidence by [date]
- Editor or SEO lead: [name] - action: check editorial policy and red flags, set the decision by [date]
- Outreach owner: [name] - action: pitch qualified rows only, log replies by [date]
- Budget owner: [name] - action: approve any paid route in writing by [date]
Completion check
- Each row names a specific page, not just a domain.
- Relevance and audience are written in words, not only as a metric.
- Each traffic claim has a source and a date you can open again.
- The editorial policy field says what you found, or "none found".
- Any paid route says the link will carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
- Each row has one decision and one owner. Rejected rows stay in the sheet with a reason.
Why it works
Every link prospect is checked for topic relevance, real readers, editorial control and dated traffic evidence, then qualified, held or rejected with a written reason.
- Outreach goes only to pages a buyer reads, so pitches land with editors who might say yes.
- Paid routes must carry rel sponsored or nofollow, matching Google's current link spam policy.
- Rejected rows keep their reason, so the team never re-checks or pitches the same weak site twice.
7 ready-to-use variants
Copy allLink Prospect Qualification Sheet (fill-in)
When to use: One row per prospect page with topic relevance, audience, editorial policy, traffic evidence, decision, owners and a completion check.
Link prospect qualification sheet
One row per prospect page, not per domain. Fill it before anyone writes a pitch or asks for a price. Only rows marked qualify go to outreach.
Your target page: [/page-you-want-linked/] - Sheet owner: [name] - Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
| Prospect | Topic relevance | Audience | Editorial policy | Traffic evidence | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [prospect page URL] | [close / adjacent / off-topic + why] | [who reads it + market] | [who decides links, how paid posts are marked] | [what proves real readers] | [qualify / hold / reject] |
| [URL] | [relevance] | [audience] | [editorial policy] | [traffic evidence] | [decision] |
| [URL] | [relevance] | [audience] | [editorial policy] | [traffic evidence] | [decision] |
Per-row detail (fill for every prospect)
- Reason to link: [why a reader of this page would click through to yours, in one sentence]
- Topic relevance score: [2 close / 1 adjacent / 0 off-topic]
- Audience match: [who reads it, country and language, buyer or practitioner]
- Editorial policy found: [guidelines page URL, named editor, or none found]
- Paid or sponsored content: [none / labelled, links marked sponsored or nofollow / unlabelled]
- Traffic evidence: [source, date checked, trend: growing / flat / falling / none]
- Red flags: [price list for links, off-topic sections, many unrelated outbound links, no authors]
- Contact: [name, role, how found]
- Route: [earned outreach / sponsorship marked sponsored / vendor check / drop]
Next action
- Researcher: [name] - action: fill relevance, audience and traffic evidence by [date]
- Editor or SEO lead: [name] - action: check editorial policy and red flags, set the decision by [date]
- Outreach owner: [name] - action: pitch qualified rows only, log replies by [date]
- Budget owner: [name] - action: approve any paid route in writing by [date]
Completion check
- Each row names a specific page, not just a domain.
- Relevance and audience are written in words, not only as a metric.
- Each traffic claim has a source and a date you can open again.
- The editorial policy field says what you found, or "none found".
- Any paid route says the link will carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
- Each row has one decision and one owner. Rejected rows stay in the sheet with a reason.
Topic Relevance and Audience Check
When to use: Score each prospect page 0 to 2 on topic and readers, with questions to answer before a pitch.
Topic relevance and audience check
A link from a page your buyers read beats a link from a big site they never visit. Score relevance at page level, then check who actually reads it.
| Score | Topic relevance | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | The page covers the same problem your target page solves | Your buyers or the people who advise them |
| 1 | Same industry, different problem | Same industry, different role or market |
| 0 | Off-topic, or one of many unrelated sections on the site | No clear reader, or a market you do not sell to |
Questions to answer in the sheet
- Would a reader of this page click your link on purpose? Why?
- Does the site cover your topic often, or only in one post?
- Which country and language does it serve? Do you sell there?
- Do comments, author bios or the newsletter show who reads it?
- Does it already link to sources like yours: guides, data, tools?
Run a rival's domain in the Backlink Analyzer to see its 50 strongest links and open each referring page. Find sites that link to rivals but not to you in Competitor Analysis.
Only qualify a prospect if the page you want linked deserves the link. Check it loads, is indexable and has no broken links with a Website Audit.
Editorial Policy and Link Risk Check
When to use: Record who controls the site's content and how paid posts are marked, against Google's current link spam and site reputation policies.
Editorial policy and link risk check
This check tells you who controls what gets published and how paid content is marked. It is where most bad prospects drop out.
What Google says (checked 10 November 2026)
- Google's spam policies define link spam as links made mainly to manipulate rankings. Buying or selling links for ranking purposes is an example.
- Exchanging goods or services for links, excessive link swaps and optimized-anchor links in guest posts are also listed.
- Paid links are not a violation when they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Google prefers sponsored for paid placements.
- The site reputation policy covers third-party content placed on a host site mainly to use that host's ranking signals.
- In human review Google looks at editorial oversight from the host: design, quality, authorship and whether the same content runs on other sites.
- Since 30 August 2026, the impact of site reputation manual actions does not apply to results shown to users in the EEA. Elsewhere it still does.
Editorial policy fields
- Guidelines page: [URL or none found]
- Who approves pieces: [named editor / staff / unclear]
- Sponsored content labelled: [yes, with label text / no / no sponsored content]
- Link attributes on paid posts: [sponsored / nofollow / followed / unknown]
- Authors named with bios: [yes / some / no]
Red flags (any one means hold or reject)
- A public price list for "dofollow" links or link insertions.
- Sections on casinos, loans or other topics unrelated to the main site.
- Many recent posts with commercial anchors to unrelated sites.
- The same article appears on other sites word for word.
- No named authors, no about page, no way to reach an editor.
Read the policies yourself before a paid deal: Google spam policies and qualifying outbound links.
Traffic Evidence Check
When to use: Decide what counts as proof of real readers, and log the source, date and trend for each prospect.
Traffic evidence check
You want proof that real people read the page. A third-party authority score helps you sort a list. It does not prove readers.
| Evidence | Counts as | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party organic traffic estimate with a trend | Good, if the trend is steady or growing | Sudden drops after a Google update |
| The page ranks for its own topic | Good, it can send visitors | Rankings only for unrelated keywords |
| Comments, shares, newsletter, community | Supporting proof of readers | Bot-like comments, bought followers |
| Screenshot from the site owner | Weak on its own | No date, no URL, cropped data |
| Authority score only | Not evidence of readers | High score, flat or no traffic |
Record it like this
- Source: [tool or owner report] - Checked on: [date]
- Trend over 12 months: [growing / flat / falling / none]
- Prospect page itself: [indexed yes / no, ranks for its topic yes / no]
- Cited in AI answers for your topic: [yes / no / not checked]
Run your domain or a rival's in the AI Visibility Checker and open the answers it lists. If a prospect page is among their cited sources, note it as a plus.
Quick index check: search site: plus the prospect page URL. No result means the page may not be indexed. Hold the row.
Decision Rules
When to use: Turn the checks into qualify, qualify (paid), hold or reject, with a route and rules that override the score.
Decision rules
Every row ends with one of three decisions and one route. Write the reason in the sheet, so the next person does not re-check the same site.
| Decision | When | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Qualify | Relevance 2, audience 2 or 1, editorial policy found, traffic evidence dated, no red flags | Earned outreach with a page-specific reason to link |
| Qualify (paid) | Same as above, and the site offers labelled sponsored content | Paid placement with rel="sponsored" agreed in writing |
| Hold | Missing evidence, or one fixable doubt | Ask the editor, re-check on a set date |
| Reject | Relevance 0, any red flag, or a followed paid link required | Keep the row with the reason. Do not pitch |
Rules that override the score
- A seller who refuses rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" on a paid link is a reject.
- A prospect offered through an agency or marketplace also goes through the vendor check.
- A great site with no reason to link to your page is a hold, not a qualify. Build the page first.
Buying through a vendor? Score the vendor and approve each placement with the Link Building Vendor Scorecard.
Pitch qualified rows with the Link Building Outreach Email Template, then log live links in the Backlink Tracker Template.
Want a second pair of eyes on a prospect list? Book a free consultation with Anatolii Ulitovskyi.
Spreadsheet Header (CSV)
When to use: A paste-ready header row and allowed values to run the sheet in Google Sheets or Excel.
Paste-ready spreadsheet header
Paste this row into cell A1 of Google Sheets or Excel, then split text to columns by comma. One row per prospect page.
prospect_id,prospect_url,domain,target_page,reason_to_link,relevance_score,relevance_note,audience_score,audience_note,market,editorial_policy_url,editor_named,sponsored_labelled,paid_link_rel,red_flags,traffic_source,traffic_checked_date,traffic_trend,page_indexed,ai_cited,decision,decision_reason,route,contact_name,contact_role,researcher,reviewer,recheck_date,statusAllowed values
- relevance_score, audience_score: 0, 1, 2
- sponsored_labelled: yes, no, no_sponsored_content
- paid_link_rel: sponsored, nofollow, followed, unknown, not_paid
- traffic_trend: growing, flat, falling, none
- decision: qualify, qualify_paid, hold, reject
- route: earned_outreach, sponsored_placement, vendor_check, none
- status: found, researched, reviewed, pitched, replied, live, closed
Sheet tips
- Filter decision = qualify before you export to your outreach tool.
- Highlight rows where traffic_checked_date is older than 90 days.
- Highlight paid_link_rel = followed. Those rows should never reach outreach.
- Keep rejected rows. They stop the team from pitching the same site twice.
Worked Example (fictional greenhouse kit shop)
When to use: Three filled rows for an invented greenhouse kit shop: one earned qualify, one sponsored placement and one reject.
Worked example: Quarrowfield greenhouse kits
Example only. Quarrowfield is an invented greenhouse kit shop. The prospect sites, URLs, editors and numbers are made up to show a filled-in sheet.
Target page: quarrowfield.example/guides/greenhouse-ventilation/ - Sheet owner: SEO lead - Date: 2 Nov 2026
| Prospect | Topic relevance | Audience | Editorial policy | Traffic evidence | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brindlemoor-allotments.example/blog/summer-greenhouse-heat/ | 2: the post is about overheating greenhouses | 2: UK hobby growers, our main buyers | Guidelines page, named editor, no sponsored posts | Third-party estimate, steady for 12 months, checked 1 Nov 2026 | Qualify: earned outreach |
| tamberlow-home.example/garden/greenhouses/ | 1: general home and garden site | 1: UK homeowners, broad | Labelled "Sponsored Advertising Content", links marked sponsored | Ranks for greenhouse buying terms, checked 1 Nov 2026 | Qualify (paid): sponsored placement |
| bestgardenlinks.example/write-for-us/ | 0: garden, crypto and loans sections | 0: no clear reader | Price list for "dofollow" posts | Authority score only, traffic falling | Reject: red flags |
How the rows were checked
- Row 1 reason to link: the post tells readers to "add vents" but does not say how many. Our guide has a vent sizing table.
- Row 2 paid route: the budget owner approved it on 4 Nov 2026, with rel="sponsored" written into the order.
- Row 3: kept in the sheet with the reason, so nobody pitches it next quarter.
- Hold example: a fourth site had no visible editor. Outreach owner asked who approves posts. Re-check on 16 Nov 2026.
Why this works
- Each decision has a written reason the next person can check.
- The paid placement is marked sponsored before money changes hands.
- The best prospect was qualified on relevance and readers, not on an authority score.
How to use this template
- Pick one target page and list prospect pages, not domains, that could link to it.
- Score topic relevance and audience 0 to 2, and write why in one sentence.
- Check the editorial policy, how sponsored content is labelled and any red flags.
- Log traffic evidence with its source, date and trend. Do not accept an authority score alone.
- Set qualify, hold or reject with a reason, a route and an owner.
- Pitch qualified rows only. Send vendor-sourced prospects through the vendor scorecard, and re-check holds on their date.
Pro tips
- Qualify the page, not the domain. A strong site can still have a dead page.
- Write the reason to link before you write the pitch. No reason, no pitch.
- Ask the editor how sponsored posts are marked. The answer tells you a lot.
- Date every traffic check. Old evidence is a hold, not a qualify.
- Keep rejected rows. They save the next person a full re-check.
Frequently asked questions
What is a link prospect qualification sheet?
A sheet that checks each site page before outreach or buying. Each row records topic relevance, audience, editorial policy, traffic evidence and a qualify, hold or reject decision.
Is it against Google's rules to pay for a link?
Google's spam policies say paid links are fine if they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Paid links that pass ranking credit are listed as link spam.
Is Domain Rating or Domain Authority enough to qualify a site?
No. These are third-party scores, useful for sorting a list. Qualify on relevance, readers, editorial control and dated traffic evidence.
What is Google's site reputation policy and why does it matter here?
Google's policy on third-party content placed on a host site mainly to use its ranking signals. Outside the EEA, those sections can get a manual action. Check how a prospect hosts third-party content before you pay.
How is this different from the Link Building Vendor Scorecard?
The scorecard rates vendors and approves placements they sell. This sheet qualifies individual sites before you pitch or pay, whoever found them.