Trust Flow and Citation Flow: what is it and how to analyze it?

When we talk about SEO positioning, there are many terms that generate confusion or overwhelm anyone, especially when you are starting a new online project.

Understanding them is essential to walk the path that leads to the goal. On this occasion, two metrics to know and understand are the CF and TF, values offered by the Majestic tool.

What is Citation Flow and Trust Flow?

CF and TF are metrics developed by Majestic, with the intention of evaluating the authority of a domain or web page. Although they complement each other, they do not refer to exactly the same thing in terms of definition:

• Citation Flow (CF). This measures the volume of external links pointing to a page or domain. The more links a page has, the higher its Citation Flow, regardless of their quality. In other words, it is like an indication of the popularity of a platform, specifically in these terms.
• Trust Flow (TF). In contrast, Trust Flow (or translated as Trust Flow) considers the quality of links, rather than the quantity. Those from trusted and well-established sites generate a high number on the domain that receives them. In essence, it measures how trustworthy a website is, based on the quality of the pages linking to it.

How does Majestic assign its score?

Majestic uses a set of criteria to determine CF and TF scores, which we at Linkatomic take into account when analyzing the blogs, newspapers and magazines that appear on our platform.

The key factors on which they are based to assign a score, which can range from 0 to 100, are the following:

1. Number of links. They start from the number of backlinks pointing to the domain or URL. This is related to the volume in number, regardless of the quality of the source.
2. Quality of links. They evaluate a vital aspect such as reliability, identifying if they come from domains with good reputation and high authority. One from a trusted site will significantly increase the value of the medium.
3. Relevance of the links. Majestic also considers the subject matter and relevance of the source sites in relation to the destination. Those coming from pages of a similar or related theme are valued more positively.
4. Link profile structure. A balanced profile, which includes backlinks from various sources, such as blogs, news sites and directories, even forums, and does not rely on a single type, generally improves the scores.

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Importance of CF and TF in SEO

Neither Google nor Bing, which are the search engines in which they are most interested in positioning, have had anything to do with the creation of these metrics, so they do not accurately reflect what both search engines consider for positioning.

However, it is undeniable that both CF and TF are relevant factors in SEO, since they help determine the strength and reliability of a domain compared to others.

These metrics allow the following:

• Evaluate the authority of the page in relation to its competition, to know what the landscape is like in a broader way.
• Determine the potential of a domain to rank well in search engines, especially Google and Bing, but also others.
• Identify risks of low quality links, which can negatively affect search engine performance.
• Design an effective link strategy by understanding which areas require more focus, based on how the site is perceived by Majestic.

How to increase the CF and TF of a domain?

Knowing the role that these metrics play in SEO, it is natural to want to increase them. There are several ways to achieve this goal, the main ones being:

1. Content that is of value. Good content is always the basis for the success of a website, and if you aim at it from the beginning, it is possible to have a better CF and TF. The reason is that, if it has value for the audience, they will want to comment on it, share it, and more, giving good signals to the tools.
2. Build quality links. Links that are from spammy or low authority pages can reduce CF and TF, and damage your site’s reputation. You must build quality backlinks, on sites related to the niche of the website.
3. Eliminate toxic links. Keeping an eye on the external links pointing to your website, to identify the toxic ones, and remove them, is really useful. Using Majestic’s own tool, you will find opportunities for improvement.
4. Don’t forget about interlinking! Not only links coming from outside matter, but also how you connect your own internal content. Interlinking is an aspect that some people forget, but it is essential.

More SEO metrics and tools

There are also other metrics you should know, such as Ahrefs Domain Rating, Semrush’s Autority Score, SeRanking’s Domain Trust, Moz’s Domain Autority or Sistrix’s Visibility Index.