Trust Flow (TF) is an SEO metric created by Majestic that scores how trustworthy a URL or domain looks based on the quality of the backlinks pointing to it.
It’s a number from 0 to 100: higher scores usually mean more links from strong, authoritative websites.
In short: Trust Flow = backlink quality score.
How Does Trust Flow Work?
Majestic doesn’t just count links. It starts from a set of trusted “seed” sites (well-known, authoritative domains) and measures how “close” your site is to them through backlinks.
Key ideas:
- Links from trusted, high-TF sites pass more Trust Flow to you.
- Links from weak or spammy sites pass little or no Trust Flow.
- The scale is logarithmic, so going from 10 → 20 is easier than 40 → 50.
Also, TF can be measured:
- Per URL (specific pages)
- Per domain / subdomain (overall authority)
Trust Flow vs Citation Flow (TF vs CF)
Majestic uses two main backlink metrics: Trust Flow and Citation Flow.
-
Trust Flow (TF)
- Focus: quality / trust of backlinks
- Question it answers: “How trustworthy are the sites linking to you?”
-
Citation Flow (CF)
- Focus: quantity / link power
- Question it answers: “How many links (and how much link juice) do you have?”
Common patterns when you compare TF and CF:
- High CF, low TF → Many links, but a lot may be low-quality / spammy.
- Lower CF, higher TF → Fewer links, but from strong, trusted sites.
That’s why SEOs often look at both metrics together, rather than TF alone.
Is Trust Flow a Google Ranking Factor?
No. Trust Flow is not a Google metric. It’s a third-party score from Majestic, used as a proxy to estimate link trust, similar to how people use DA, DR, or Authority Score from other tools.
Still, TF is useful because backlink quality really does matter for rankings — TF just gives you a way to measure it indirectly.
Why Trust Flow Matters for SEO
You can use Trust Flow to:
- Judge backlink quality at a glance
- Compare sites for outreach, guest posts, or sponsorships
- Audit your link profile and spot risky domains
- Benchmark competitors’ authority in your niche
Taken together with CF and other metrics, TF helps you:
- Avoid link farms and obvious spam
- Prioritize links that are more likely to help rankings long-term
- Monitor whether your link building is improving quality, not just volume
What Is a “Good” Trust Flow Score?
There is no universal “good TF” number. It’s always relative to:
- Your niche
- Your competitors
- The type of site (local business, blog, SaaS, news, etc.)
Very rough, generic ranges (not rules):
- 0–10 – Weak / new sites
- 10–30 – Average small sites
- 30–50+ – Strong link profiles
- 60+ – Very strong / authority sites in most niches
Instead of chasing a specific number, focus on:
- Improving your TF over time
- Being similar to or better than your direct competitors
How To Check Your Trust Flow Score
You can see TF for any domain or URL in tools that use Majestic data:
- Majestic Site Explorer / Backlink Checker (direct)
- SEO platforms that integrate TF / CF (dashboards, reporting tools, etc.)
Basic steps:
- Enter the domain or URL you want to check.
- Look at Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF).
- Scan the backlink list and anchor texts for obvious spam patterns.
How To Use Trust Flow in Your SEO Strategy
1. Evaluate Potential Link Opportunities
When choosing where to get links from:
- Prefer sites with decent TF and CF, not just high CF.
- Be careful with domains that show very high CF but very low TF (often link networks or spam.
2. Audit Existing Backlinks
For your current backlinks:
- Sort referring domains by TF to see your strongest “trust sources”.
- Filter links with TF = 0 or very low TF to review them manually.
- If you find obvious garbage (PBNs, auto-generated sites, irrelevant foreign spam), consider removal or disavow.
3. Compare Against Competitors
For 3–5 main competitors:
- Compare domain-level TF / CF
- Check which high-TF domains link to them but not you
- Target similar sites in your outreach campaigns
How To Improve Your Trust Flow
You boost TF by getting more links from trusted, relevant sites and cleaning out low-quality ones.
1. Publish Link-Worthy Content
Examples:
- In-depth guides and tutorials
- Original data, surveys, or research
- Strong resources: tools, templates, checklists
High-quality content makes it easier to earn natural links from authoritative sites.
2. Focus on High-Authority, Relevant Links
Tactics that work well for TF:
- Guest posts on real, respected websites in your niche
- Digital PR and news coverage for product launches, research, or stories
- Partnerships with industry organizations, events, and nonprofits
- Earning links from .edu, .gov, and major media when realistic
3. Clean Up Toxic Links
Regularly:
- Export backlinks, filter very low TF / suspicious domains
- Check if they are spammy, irrelevant, or part of link schemes
- Remove or disavow the worst ones via Google Search Console
This doesn’t always raise TF immediately, but it reduces risk and keeps your profile healthier.
Common Mistakes With Trust Flow
Obsessing Over the Number
TF is only an estimate, based on Majestic’s own index and algorithm. It will never match Google’s internal signals perfectly. Use it as a directional metric, not a target to “game”.
Ignoring Relevance
A link from a high-TF site in a totally unrelated niche can be weaker than a link from a smaller but highly relevant site. Topical relevance and Topical Trust Flow still matter.
Buying High-TF Links Blindly
Some sellers push “high TF domains” that are actually expired, repurposed, or part of private networks. These can look strong in tools, but risky in reality.
Final Thoughts on Trust Flow
Trust Flow is a practical way to measure backlink quality.
It’s not a ranking factor by itself, but when you:
- Aim for higher TF over time,
- Keep TF and CF balanced, and
- Build links that are trusted, relevant, and earned
…you naturally move toward a healthier link profile and better long-term SEO performance.
