/blog
Tracked links vs raw backlinks
A raw href looks good in a spreadsheet. A tracked /go link tells you who clicked. How to choose — and when both matter.
- tracking
- backlinks
- go-links
- analytics
Raw backlinks are URLs someone put on a page pointing at yours. Tracked links wrap that destination so you can count, rate-limit, and attribute clicks. Most SEO decks still worship the raw count. Operators who need revenue care about the path.
What a raw backlink actually buys you
A dofollow href can pass PageRank-ish equity and help discovery. It can also sit on a page nobody visits. You will not know which until you look at Search Console referring pages, analytics referral reports, or server logs.
Directory slots, profile links, and “guest posts” that never get shared often land in the raw-count bucket: crawlable, optionally followed, and silent.
What tracking adds
A tracked redirect (like SEOheist’s /go/{slug}) sits between the click and your site. Qualifying clicks can pay coins, feed Heist Score, and give you a board of real hustle instead of a CSV of domains.
You also get abuse controls: per-IP rate limits, clawbacks, and a public story you can verify. Raw links cannot gate dofollow on earned balance — they are static attributes.
When raw still wins
Editorial citations in high-intent articles, documentation mentions, and genuine press often should be clean URLs — no redirect hop, no UTM soup that looks spammy in the address bar.
Use tracking when you control the placement (bio, newsletter, community, your own board). Prefer raw when a third-party editor is citing you and a redirect would look weird.
A practical split for indie teams
Default share link: tracked /go so you learn what moves. Homepage and product docs: canonical raw URLs. Campaigns and partner swaps: tracked with a clear destination. Never mix five shortener layers — crawlers and humans both hate mazes.
On SEOheist you get both: a public /mine page (raw destination on the listing) and a /go redirect for distribution. List free, share /go where you already have attention, unlock dofollow when coins clear 50.
Metrics that matter more than link count
Referral sessions, assisted conversions, and repeat click quality beat “we got 40 new backlinks.” If your only dashboard is Ahrefs referring domains, you are optimizing for a vendor report.
Steal traffic, not theater. Deep dive on the product loop: /how.