GET /v1/backlinks/{domain} returns moz_spam_score with the rest of the link-graph metrics. Each field names the vendor that supplied it and when in sources, so a number is never mistaken for another vendor's.
Link-graph risk
Moz's Spam Score — the share of sites with a similar link profile that were penalised or banned — for any domain, alongside Domain Authority, backlink and referring-domain counts, in one call.
The call
GET /v1/backlinks/{domain} returns moz_spam_score with the rest of the link-graph metrics. Each field names the vendor that supplied it and when in sources, so a number is never mistaken for another vendor's.
$ curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" https://seometricsapi.com/v1/backlinks/example.com{
"data": {
"domain": "example.com",
"moz_spam_score": 2,
"moz_domain_authority": 91,
"backlinks": 4812003,
"referring_domains": 51204,
"semrush_authority_score": null,
"sources": {
"moz_spam_score": { "provider": "moz", "fetched_at": "2026-09-09T10:14:02Z", "status": "ok" },
"semrush_authority_score": { "provider": null, "fetched_at": null, "status": "disabled" }
}
},
"meta": { "resource": "backlinks", "cache": "miss", "cost_units": 1, "degraded": false },
"error": null
}| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
moz_spam_score | Moz Spam Score, 0–100: the percentage of sites with a similar link profile that were penalised or banned. Bands: 1–30 low, 31–60 medium, 61–100 high. |
moz_domain_authority | Moz Domain Authority, 0–100. Not the same scale as Domain Rating. |
backlinks · referring_domains | Unique external linking pages and unique linking root domains (Moz). |
semrush_authority_score | Semrush Authority Score, 0–100, when that vendor is configured. |
Reading it
Use the score to vet link prospects before you build or buy a link, to audit your own referring domains for networks you did not choose, and to flag domains worth a manual look. A high score on a domain you were about to link from is a reason to look closer, not proof of anything; a low score does not make a link worth having.
Pair it with Domain Rating and traffic from /v1/domains/{domain}: a domain that is strong, trafficked and low-risk is a different proposition from one that is strong on paper and nothing else.
Access and cost
The endpoint needs the backlinks:read scope, enabled per key on request — the vendor contract behind it is metered on our side, so it is not switched on for every key by default. A fresh answer costs the credits set for Moz data on the pricing page (1 credit per vendor call by default); cache hits cost 0.
When a vendor credential is not configured on the deployment, the fields it supplies answer null with sources[field].status: "disabled" — never a made-up number.
FAQ
That 40% of sites with a link profile similar to this domain's were found penalised or banned by Google. Moz's bands: 1–30 low, 31–60 medium, 61–100 high. It is a risk flag drawn from the link graph, not a penalty and not a verdict on the site's content.
Domain Rating (Ahrefs) and Domain Authority (Moz) measure link strength; Spam Score measures how much a link profile resembles ones that got penalised. A domain can score high on both — strong and suspicious — which is exactly the case the score exists to catch.
One domain per call, at your plan's request rate. Answers are cached, so re-checking a domain inside the cache window costs nothing.
The link-graph endpoint needs the backlinks:read scope, which is enabled per key on request — write to contact@seometricsapi.com with your key prefix. Keys minted before the scope existed do not carry it.
Create a key, then ask for the backlinks:read scope with your key prefix.
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