Trust Flow & Citation Flow checker — vet link quality with Majestic metrics
The Trust Flow Citation Flow checker surfaces two of the most trusted signals in link analysis — Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF) — for any domain or URL. Both are Majestic metrics, produced from Majestic’s own web index, and this TF CF checker reads them from a connected Majestic integration and displays the pair together with the TF/CF ratio. Used well, they give you a fast, evidence-based read on link quality and backlink trust before you build links, buy placements, or audit a profile you already own.
One thing up front, because it matters: we never make these numbers up. Trust Flow and Citation Flow are proprietary to Majestic, so if no provider is connected we show “insufficient evidence” rather than an invented or estimated score. Every value you see is real Majestic data or nothing at all.
What is Trust Flow (TF)?
Trust Flow is a Majestic metric, scored 0–100, that estimates the quality and trustworthiness of the links pointing at a page or domain. It is calculated from how closely a site sits to a curated set of trusted, manually reviewed seed sites: the nearer your backlinks are to those trusted sources, the higher your Trust Flow. A high TF suggests your links come from reputable, authoritative neighbourhoods of the web — exactly the kind of backlink trust that tends to accompany a healthy profile.
What is Citation Flow (CF)?
Citation Flow is the companion Majestic metric, also scored 0–100, that measures the quantity and influence of links pointing at a site — essentially how much link volume flows through a page — without weighing how trustworthy those links are. A high Citation Flow simply means a lot of links (or links from heavily linked pages) point your way. On its own, CF says nothing about quality, which is precisely why it must always be read next to Trust Flow.
The TF/CF ratio and why it signals quality over spam
Because Trust Flow rewards quality and Citation Flow rewards quantity, comparing the two reveals the character of a backlink profile. This is the TF/CF ratio. When Trust Flow is not far below Citation Flow, it suggests the links a site has accumulated are largely trusted — quality has kept pace with volume. When Citation Flow towers over Trust Flow, it often points to a profile padded with low-quality, spammy, or manipulative links: lots of citations, little trust.
How to read the ratio
As a practical guide, a domain with a TF of 28 and a CF of 33 looks healthier than one with a TF of 8 and a CF of 60, even though the second has far more links. There is no single “official” ratio, so treat it as a directional signal rather than a pass/fail test. A very low ratio is a prompt to look closer at where the links actually come from — not automatic proof of a penalty.
How TF and CF help you vet link prospects and audit your own profile
Vetting link prospects
Before you pursue a guest post, a partnership, or a paid placement, checking a prospect’s Trust Flow, Citation Flow and TF/CF ratio gives you a quick, comparable read on whether a link is likely to add genuine link quality — or just volume from a questionable neighbourhood. It is a fast filter for building an outreach shortlist worth your time.
Auditing your own backlinks
Run the same check on your own domain to benchmark your backlink trust against competitors and to spot warning signs early. A Citation Flow that has drifted far above your Trust Flow can flag an influx of low-quality links worth investigating. Pair this with our Backlink Checker to see the individual links behind the scores, and our Spam Score Checker to gauge how risky a profile looks overall.
These are third-party estimates, not Google metrics
It is important to be clear about what Trust Flow and Citation Flow are — and are not. They are third-party estimates produced by Majestic from its own crawl of the web. They are not Google metrics, Google does not publish or use them, and no external metric can guarantee how a page will rank. TF and CF are excellent proxies for link quality and quantity, but they are proxies — useful for comparison and triage, never a substitute for Google’s own systems.
Why we read TF and CF from Majestic and never fabricate them
Trust Flow and Citation Flow can only be produced by Majestic, using its proprietary index and seed set. That is why our TF CF checker surfaces them exclusively from a connected Majestic integration. We do not model, approximate, or reverse-engineer these Majestic metrics — doing so would mean showing you a number that looks authoritative but is really a guess. If a provider is connected and returns data, you see the real TF, CF and ratio. If it is not, you see an honest “insufficient evidence” state, so you can always trust that a displayed score is genuine measured data.
Trust Flow & Citation Flow best-practices checklist
- Always read Trust Flow and Citation Flow together — never one in isolation.
- Use the TF/CF ratio as a directional quality signal, not a hard pass/fail threshold.
- Prioritise link prospects with a healthy ratio (TF not far below CF) and reasonable absolute TF.
- Be cautious of profiles where Citation Flow greatly exceeds Trust Flow.
- Confirm the numbers come from a connected Majestic provider — if it says “insufficient evidence,” the data is simply unavailable, not zero.
- Remember TF and CF are third-party estimates, not Google ranking factors.
- Combine TF/CF with a full link review before making outreach or disavow decisions.
Ready to go deeper? Once you have a read on trust flow citation flow for a domain, use our free Backlink Checker to inspect the individual links driving those scores, and our Spam Score Checker to assess how risky a backlink profile looks before you act on it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Trust Flow / Citation Flow checker?
A Trust Flow / Citation Flow checker is a tool that surfaces two well-known backlink metrics — Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF) — for a given domain or URL. Both metrics are created and maintained by Majestic, a third-party link-intelligence provider. Our tool reads TF and CF from a connected Majestic integration and displays them alongside the TF/CF ratio. When no Majestic provider is connected, we show "insufficient evidence" rather than guessing or estimating a number, because these are proprietary metrics we cannot compute ourselves.
What is the difference between Trust Flow and Citation Flow?
Trust Flow measures the quality and trustworthiness of the links pointing at a page or domain, scored 0–100, based on proximity to a hand-picked set of trusted seed sites. Citation Flow measures the quantity and influence of links, also 0–100, without judging their quality. In short, Citation Flow tells you how many links you have while Trust Flow tells you how good they are. Both are Majestic metrics and should be read together, never in isolation.
What is a good TF/CF ratio?
The TF/CF ratio compares link quality against link volume. As a rough guide, a ratio where Trust Flow is close to Citation Flow — for example a TF of 30 against a CF of 35 — suggests a natural, quality-led backlink profile. When Citation Flow is much higher than Trust Flow (a low ratio), it can indicate a large volume of low-quality or spammy links. There is no single official threshold, and the ratio is one signal among many, so treat it as guidance rather than a verdict.
Are Trust Flow and Citation Flow Google ranking factors?
No. Trust Flow and Citation Flow are third-party estimates produced by Majestic from its own web index. They are not Google metrics and Google does not use them to rank pages. They are useful proxies for link quality and link quantity when vetting prospects or auditing a profile, but they should never be presented as official Google signals or as guaranteed predictors of ranking.
Do you calculate or estimate TF and CF yourselves?
No. We never invent, model, or estimate Trust Flow and Citation Flow. Both are proprietary Majestic metrics, so we surface them only when a Majestic integration is connected and returns real values. If there is no connected provider, we clearly show "insufficient evidence" instead of a fabricated score, so you always know whether a number is real Majestic data or simply unavailable.