No single metric can establish that a website is a good placement. Ahrefs DR, Semrush Authority Score, estimated traffic, referring domains, and keyword counts can support a decision, but each can be misleading without context.
Genesis Edge evaluates whether the website appears useful to a real audience, whether its editorial scope is coherent, whether search engines consistently surface its content, and whether the proposed page creates a natural reason to reference the client’s page.
What we avoid
We do not use private blog networks, hacked links, automated publisher networks, link farms, expired-domain networks, or websites overloaded with unrelated commercial content. We also avoid pages where the link would be forced into a paragraph that does not help the reader.
Anchor and destination-page standards
Anchor text should describe the destination naturally without creating a repetitive or manipulative pattern. The destination page must be useful enough to support the reference. If the page is thin, unclear, or misaligned with the publisher’s audience, improving the page may be more valuable than forcing outreach.
Replacement support
Eligible placements can include replacement support under agreed campaign terms. Replacement does not apply to every change outside the agency’s control, so scope, monitoring period, and eligibility should be documented before the campaign begins.
Operating framework
How the standard works in practice.
01
Domain-level review
Review topical history, authority metrics, organic traffic, ranking distribution, publishing patterns, and site ownership signals.
02
Section and page review
Confirm the relevant section is indexed, useful, internally linked, and not isolated from the site's main audience.
03
Outbound-link review
Look for unrelated commercial anchors, repeated placement patterns, link density, and evidence that editorial control has weakened.
04
Context review
Confirm the surrounding copy, anchor, destination page, and reader journey make the reference defensible.
05
Approval and monitoring
Share eligible websites according to campaign terms, verify the live placement, and document replacement eligibility.
FAQ
Questions about this standard.
No. DR is one directional metric. A DR 40 website can still have weak traffic, irrelevant topics, poor editorial controls, or risky outbound links.
We review organic visibility and traffic quality, but the suitable threshold depends on niche size, market, publisher type, and campaign purpose.
We reject PBNs, link farms, hacked pages, irrelevant placements, AI content networks, websites built mainly to sell links, and sites with unacceptable risk signals.
Backlink gap analysis
Find the pages that need better backlinks, stronger assets, and cleaner outreach angles.
We review your priority SaaS pages, competitor link patterns, and relevant publisher opportunities so you can see where authority is missing.