Citation Flow (SEO) is a link-based metric created by Majestic in 2012 to measure how influential a webpage or domain is, based only on the number of backlinks it receives. It works on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, where a higher score shows that a page is linked to more often, regardless of whether those links are trustworthy or not.

This metric is part of Majestic’s Flow Metrics, alongside Trust Flow, but unlike Trust Flow, it does not check the quality or relevance of those links. Instead, it focuses purely on the volume of backlinks and the possible link equity they carry, often called link juice. The more inbound links a site has, the higher its Citation Flow score, even if many of those links are from low-authority or unrelated pages.

This makes Citation Flow useful for spotting link building patterns, especially in competitive SEO analysis, where link volume plays a key role in ranking signals.

How Did Citation Flow Develop Over Time

Citation Flow was launched in 2012 by Majestic, as part of its broader Flow Metrics set, which also includes Trust Flow. This update replaced their earlier ACRank system and came at a time when Google had stopped publicly updating its PageRank score. The goal was to give SEO professionals a reliable alternative for measuring link influence, using data that could be updated independently of Google’s internal systems.

Unlike earlier tools, Citation Flow focused on predicting link influence purely from the number of backlinks. It aimed to compete with other metrics such as MozRank, Domain Authority, and Ahrefs’ Domain Rating, all of which try to estimate a site’s strength in search rankings.

Industry reception and evolution

At launch, Citation Flow and Trust Flow were seen as a notable improvement over older scoring models. Analysts found they had a stronger correlation with actual search engine rankings than ACRank. Since then, Majestic has continued to update its algorithms. These refinements mean that Citation Flow scores may change over time, even if no new backlinks are added, as the underlying formula evolves.

Levels of measurement

Majestic provides Citation Flow scores at three levels:

• URL level (specific page)
• Subdomain level
• Root domain level

This allows for granular backlink analysis, helping users understand whether a site’s link strength lies in a few key pages or is spread across the domain.

How Does the Citation Flow Algorithm Work

Citation Flow is a quantitative SEO metric that reflects the volume of backlinks pointing to a webpage or domain. Its purpose is to estimate the link influence of a page by analyzing how often it is referenced across the web. Unlike raw backlink counts, Citation Flow evaluates the potential link equity or link juice a page may carry, based on a network-based analysis of its backlinks.

Link network analysis

Rather than just counting direct links, the Citation Flow algorithm examines the broader web link graph. This includes:

• Sites that link to the target page
• Sites that link to those linking sites
• And further tiers beyond

This network-aware method allows Citation Flow to capture a more realistic picture of how link influence flows across the internet. It functions similarly to how Google’s PageRank once calculated authority—by considering the structure of the web, not just isolated link totals.

Logarithmic scaling

Citation Flow operates on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. As a result:

• Moving from CF 10 to 20 takes far fewer links than moving from CF 50 to 60
• Higher scores become progressively harder to earn

This scaling helps maintain balance across different site sizes and avoids inflating scores for large websites with excessive low-value links.

Link quality vs. quantity

Majestic states clearly that Citation Flow does not consider link quality. It focuses only on quantity and link connectivity. For example:

• A site linked by hundreds of spam pages might score high in Citation Flow
• A site with only a few high-authority backlinks may have a modest score

This makes Citation Flow useful for assessing link popularity, not trustworthiness.

Key characteristics

• Purely numeric: No judgment on link credibility
• Volume-driven: More links = higher score
• Context-aware: Links from well-linked pages carry more weight
• Scalable: Adjusted to reduce bias from large domains
• Snapshot utility: Gives a fast read on how widely a page is referenced

How Does Citation Flow Relate to Trust Flow

Citation Flow is closely tied to Trust Flow, a complementary metric also developed by Majestic. While Citation Flow tracks the quantity of backlinks, Trust Flow focuses on link quality by measuring how closely a site’s links connect to a set of highly trusted websites. These include verified domains like universities, news outlets, or top-tier industry sites.

Quantity versus quality

The core difference can be explained simply:

• Citation Flow = How many pages link to a site
• Trust Flow = How credible those linking pages are

Citation Flow counts raw link volume, while Trust Flow checks how closely linked those referring pages are to a known seed set of trusted domains. This makes Trust Flow a credibility signal, whereas Citation Flow reflects link popularity.

Evaluating together

The two metrics are most effective when used together:

• A high CF and high TF means a site has many backlinks, most from reputable sources
• A high CF and low TF can signal spammy or irrelevant links

This imbalance—strong Citation Flow but weak Trust Flow—often suggests link farming or poor backlink quality. SEO analysts use this ratio to spot toxic link profiles.

TF to CF ratio

The Trust Flow to Citation Flow ratio (TF:CF) is a quick way to evaluate link health:

• A TF:CF ratio near 1.0 is excellent (e.g. MIT.edu had TF 93 and CF 71 in 2023)
• An average site might show a ratio around 0.5
• A very low TF:CF ratio (e.g. TF 10 and CF 40) indicates potential spam or poor-quality linking sources

Visualizing link quality

Majestic also offers link profile graphs, which plot:

• Citation Flow on the horizontal axis
• Trust Flow on the vertical axis

Darker clusters in the bottom-right indicate many low-trust backlinks. Balanced sites tend to show data points that rise diagonally upward, reflecting both volume and trust.

In summary, Trust Flow provides context to Citation Flow. Citation Flow tells how often a site is linked. Trust Flow helps determine whether those links are trustworthy. Most SEO platforms, including Majestic, display both scores side by side to give a fuller picture of a domain’s link profile health.

How Is Citation Flow Used in SEO

Citation Flow is a popular metric among SEO professionals, primarily used to evaluate backlink volume, assess competitor strength, and monitor link-building efforts. While it is not part of Google’s ranking algorithm, it acts as a proxy for link popularity—helping estimate how much link equity a webpage might carry.

Backlink profile evaluation

Citation Flow provides a quick way to measure link popularity. A higher CF usually indicates a page has attracted many backlinks. However, because it does not assess link quality, SEO analysts pair it with Trust Flow. For example:

• High CF + low TF may suggest spammy or irrelevant backlinks
• Low CF + high TF may indicate fewer but highly credible links

This pattern is often examined during SEO audits, especially after traffic drops or ranking fluctuations.

Competitor comparison

In competitive analysis, Citation Flow is used to benchmark link strength across similar websites. Rather than focusing on an absolute CF score, SEO teams look at:

• Relative CF ranges among top competitors
• Gaps in CF vs. TF, revealing if a rival’s backlink profile is authoritative or inflated

This helps shape link acquisition strategies and determine how many backlinks are needed to stay competitive within a niche.

Link building and outreach

When selecting outreach targets, SEO practitioners often screen potential websites using Citation Flow. A site with a CF of 40 or higher typically offers more link equity than one with CF under 10, assuming Trust Flow and topical relevance are comparable. Citation Flow helps:

• Prioritize high-value targets
• Filter out weak or low-impact domains
• Evaluate link placement opportunities based on potential link juice

Some tools and agencies even include CF in their internal scoring systems for link prospecting.

Domain acquisition and due diligence

In the expired domain market, CF is used to judge the historical strength of a domain’s link profile. Buyers examine:

• CF alongside TF to avoid domains with unnatural backlink patterns
• Domains with balanced CF and TF for use in new projects or private blog networks

For example, a domain with CF 45 and TF 40 would be considered far more trustworthy than one with CF 45 and TF 10, which may have been used for black-hat link schemes.

SEO monitoring and reporting

As SEO campaigns roll out, teams often track Citation Flow to:

• Measure backlink growth over time
• Visualize changes using Majestic’s Flow Metric History tool
• Report link-building success, such as a CF increase from 18 to 27 after a guest posting campaign

These trends are paired with other metrics like Domain Authority and organic traffic for a more complete performance overview.

Limitations and best practices

While useful, Citation Flow should not be used in isolation. It is relatively easy to inflate with low-quality links, which can be risky under Google’s link spam policies. Instead, SEO professionals follow E-E-A-T principles, aiming to:

• Earn relevant, high-quality backlinks
• Focus on people-first content
• Let CF improve naturally as link equity grows

Used correctly, Citation Flow serves as a diagnostic signal—a quick snapshot of link volume that becomes more meaningful when viewed in context with Trust Flow, content quality, and overall SEO health.

Key Differences Between Citation Flow and Other Link Metrics

Citation Flow is one of several third-party SEO metrics used to measure backlink influence. While it focuses on the quantity of backlinks, other metrics may include quality and trust signals. The following table compares Citation Flow with other common SEO metrics, outlining the core focus, calculation method, data source, and usage level.

Metric	Developer	Focus	Includes Link Quality	Calculation Level	Notes
Citation Flow	Majestic	Backlink Quantity	No	Page, Subdomain, Domain	Volume-based score; used with Trust Flow for balance
Trust Flow	Majestic	Link Trustworthiness	Yes	Page, Subdomain, Domain	Evaluates how closely a site is linked to trusted domains
Domain Authority	Moz	Ranking Potential	Yes	Domain	Machine learning-based; includes multiple factors
Page Authority	Moz	Page-Level Authority	Yes	Page	Similar to DA but specific to individual pages
Domain Rating	Ahrefs	Backlink Profile Strength	Yes	Domain	Considers both link quantity and quality
URL Rating	Ahrefs	Page-Level Strength	Yes	Page	Reflects link strength of a single URL
PageRank (Legacy)	Google	Link Influence	Yes	Page	Not publicly updated; inspired modern metrics

What Are the Common Concerns About Citation Flow

Citation Flow is widely used in SEO, but it has several known drawbacks. While it measures link quantity, it does not evaluate link quality, which can lead to confusion if interpreted alone.

No link quality filtering

Citation Flow does not distinguish between a trusted link and a poor one. A link from a major news site and a spam directory both count the same in its score. Because of this, some websites may show a high Citation Flow after building hundreds of low-value backlinks.

These types of links may be ignored or discounted by search engines, but the CF score would still increase. Without pairing it with Trust Flow or other quality-based metrics, CF can give a misleading picture of link value.

Not part of Google’s ranking algorithm

Citation Flow is a third-party metric, created by Majestic using its own link index. Google does not use this score, and CF has no direct impact on search rankings.

If Majestic misses links that Google sees, or includes ones that Google ignores, the score may not reflect true link influence. SEO professionals treat CF as a trend tool, not a standalone truth. It is useful for comparisons, but it does not replace deeper SEO analysis.

Context-sensitive scoring

A CF score of 20 may be considered strong in a local business niche, but weak in sectors like news publishing or ecommerce. The meaning of CF is relative and depends on industry norms.

Majestic often updates its algorithm, which may also cause scores to change. Because of these shifts, Citation Flow should be used for comparison, not for fixed benchmarks. There is no universal score that counts as “good” for all websites.

Ignores non-link SEO factors

Citation Flow focuses only on backlinks, without accounting for content quality, page relevance, technical SEO, or user experience. A site with weak content and low topical relevance can still have a high CF.

In contrast, a site with low CF but excellent on-page SEO and user value may rank higher in Google. Backlink metrics are just one part of modern SEO. Using CF alone gives an incomplete view of a site’s strength.

Risk of misuse

New users may assume that a high Citation Flow means strong authority, but that is not always the case. A site with high CF but very low Trust Flow may have manipulative or irrelevant backlinks.

Focusing only on increasing CF can push site owners toward low-quality link-building, which may violate Google’s Helpful Content and link spam policies. SEO experts recommend using CF as a diagnostic signal, not a performance target.