Link Explorer from Moz is a link building utility, replacing the former Open Site Explorer. Moz describes Link Explorer as a highly accurate link tool that lets users check the backlink profile and Domain Authority of any site.
Moz was acquired by iContact in June, 2021.
I think Moz Link Explorer is a great add-on to the overall Moz tool, but compared to Ahrefs, it’s not as robust because Ahrefs' main focus is on the backlink profile. I like SEMRush’s function of being able to reach out to websites directly from the platform and track all of …
When it still existed, Open Site Explorer was one of, if not the, best freemium SEO tools. Not only did its free-tier offer amazing insights and data for SEO strategy, but its paid program offered additional resources for SEO. I think it worked better than Screaming Frog …
Ahrefs is an awesome tool and, I'd say, more in-depth than Open Site Explorer. It tends to give more detailed lists of inbound links. But, we use Open Site Explorer because we use other tools in Moz Pro. We track our domain authority (a Moz concept) and we use the MozBar to …
Ahrefs is much more comprehensive than Open Site Explorer. If you are in need of a deep backlink analysis there are better options out there for your money. If you need a quick look at the state of a client's backlink profile than OSE is for you. It will give you the top …
Yahoo! Site Explorer is no longer available outside of a Bing Webmaster Tools account. While there are plenty of fee-based link evaluation tools, Moz's Open Site Explorer provides a robust set of features and metrics in its free version that no other site can match. Moz also …
Features
Moz Link Explorer
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
Moz Link Explorer
8.1
8 Ratings
6% above category average
Keyword analysis
8.35 Ratings
Backlink management
9.07 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking
8.36 Ratings
Page grader
7.55 Ratings
Competitive analysis
9.08 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics
8.56 Ratings
Site recommendations
8.05 Ratings
Task management
5.96 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
Moz Link Explorer
7.4
7 Ratings
2% below category average
Local SEO
8.36 Ratings
Social SEO
7.55 Ratings
Mobile SEO
7.55 Ratings
Global SEO
6.54 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
It is helpful if you are trying to understand where a site stands in terms of the links coming to it from different websites. It is less helpful in terms of providing specific actions or steps to take to get more links. However, it is a part of a larger Moz package so other areas provide information that can help there.
Moz Link Explorer has a straightforward and easy to use interface. It’s very simple to navigate and understand the data.
The anchor text tool gives you an idea of the most widely used anchor texts other websites use when linking to your site. It can raise a red flag when too many sites are linking to you using exact match keyword anchor texts.
You need to subscribe to Moz Pro to get all features, which is pricey if you aren’t using the tool regularly.
I’ve found that competitor tools give larger lists of inbound links.
You’ll need some understanding of how SEO works to maximize the tool. Would non-SEO specialists understand the difference between domain authority and page authority, or the difference between follow back, and non-follow backlinks? Moz offers lots of training resources, but it takes time to learn what you need.
I put a middling score here because of the difference in support between the free and premium uses. The Free tool was a great service, but there wasn't much support. It was tool that was intended to have a skilled SEO utilize it and save time. The Premium version has great support, but also offered more information so that skilled SEOs and novices alike could benefit from the tool.
Ahrefs is much more comprehensive than Open Site Explorer. If you are in need of a deep backlink analysis there are better options out there for your money. If you need a quick look at the state of a client's backlink profile than OSE is for you. It will give you the top metrics you are looking for and then some. I find OSE to be more user-friendly than competitors