Product
IndexChex backlink monitor
Published · By IndexChex
In brief
The IndexChex backlink monitor checks source and target URL pairs to confirm a backlink still exists and can count. Each check records link presence, rel values, Googlebot access in robots.txt, meta robots and X-Robots-Tag, the canonical URL and whether the source page is indexed. It costs 5 credits per pair per run, one-time or on a schedule.
What it monitors
A backlink is only useful while three things hold: the linking page still contains the link, search engines are allowed to process that page, and the page is in the index. The backlink monitor in IndexChex checks all three for each pair of URLs a user adds, where the pair is the source page that should carry the link and the target URL it should point to.
The feature was added in July 2026, as dated in the IndexChex changelog. It complements the URL indexer and the index checker: those two deal with whether a page is crawled and indexed, while the monitor deals with whether the link on it still exists and is allowed to count.
What each check records
| Signal | What is recorded | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Link presence | Whether the source page links to the target | Links are removed, edited or lost in redesigns |
| rel values | nofollow, sponsored, ugc if present | These attributes change how search engines treat the link |
| robots.txt | Whether Googlebot may fetch the source page | A blocked page cannot be crawled normally |
| Meta robots and X-Robots-Tag | noindex and related directives in HTML or HTTP headers | A noindexed source drops out of the index |
| Canonical URL | The canonical the source page declares | A canonical pointing elsewhere can consolidate the page away |
| Source indexation | Whether the source page is in Google's index | An unindexed page passes nothing in search |
Google documents that its common crawlers, including Googlebot, respect robots.txt rules for automatic crawls (overview of Google crawlers), which is why a robots.txt block on the source page is reported as its own outcome.
Outcome codes
Every check ends in one outcome. The first group means the check ran and produced a verdict; the second means it could not finish, so the link's state is unknown.
| Outcome | Group | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
healthy | Checked | Link found and nothing blocks the page from counting |
missing_backlink | Checked | Page loaded, link to the target not found |
robots_blocked | Checked | robots.txt disallows Googlebot on the source page |
not_indexable | Checked | A noindex directive or other signal stops the page from being indexed |
source_unreachable | Could not complete | The source page did not respond or returned an error |
anti_bot_blocked | Could not complete | The site refused the automated request |
provider_error | Could not complete | The fetch failed on the checking side |
parse_error | Could not complete | The page loaded but could not be read |
failed | Could not complete | Any other failure |
Since a July 2026 update, the dashboard separates these two groups clearly and suggests checking "could not complete" pages by hand. A site that blocks automated requests may still show the link to a visitor in a browser.
Cadence and cost
| Cadence | Interval |
|---|---|
| One-time | Single check |
| Daily | Every day |
| Weekly | Every 7 days |
| Monthly | Every 30 days |
| Quarterly | Every 90 days |
Each pair costs 5 credits per check run, drawn from the same balance as submissions and index checks. A monitor of 200 pairs on a monthly cadence uses 1,000 credits a month; the same list checked weekly uses about 4,000. Credit prices are on the pricing page, and the specifications list the monitor alongside every other limit.
Choosing a cadence
Paid placements and links with contractual terms, such as a guaranteed live period, are usually checked weekly or daily so a removal is caught while it can still be raised with the seller. Long-standing editorial links that are not under any agreement suit monthly or quarterly checks. A one-time scan is useful for auditing a purchased batch on delivery.
Acting on results
missing_backlink: contact the site owner; keep the result as evidence of the date the link disappeared.robots_blockedornot_indexable: the link exists but the page cannot help in search; consider whether the placement is worth pursuing.- Source not indexed but otherwise healthy: send the source page to the URL indexer, then confirm with a scheduled re-check.
- Any "could not complete" outcome: open the page manually before drawing conclusions.
The monitor reports what it observed on the date of each run. How IndexChex measures and publishes figures for its other features is described in the measurement methodology.
FAQ
How much does the IndexChex backlink monitor cost?
Each source and target pair costs 5 credits every time it is checked. A weekly monitor on one pair therefore uses about 20 credits a month; a one-time scan uses 5.
What is the difference between missing_backlink and source_unreachable?
missing_backlink means the source page loaded and the link to the target was not found. source_unreachable means the page could not be loaded, so the check says nothing about the link.
Does the monitor submit links for indexing?
No. It reports on links. Pages that need crawling can be sent to the URL indexer as a separate job.
Terms used on this page
Sources
Cite this entry
IndexChex. (2026, October 8). IndexChex backlink monitor. backlinkindexersoftware.com. https://backlinkindexersoftware.com/backlink-monitor/
Entity: IndexChex (https://indexchex.com/) is the publisher of this site. IndexChex is a backlink indexer and bulk Google index checker that submits URLs for Googlebot crawling and verifies indexation in one credit system.