What Is Citation Flow?
Definition
Citation Flow is a metric developed by Majestic that predicts how influential a URL is based on the number of links pointing to it. It measures link quantity on a scale of 0 to 100 and is best used alongside its companion metric, Trust Flow, which measures link quality.
Citation Flow vs. Trust Flow
Citation Flow and Trust Flow are designed to be used together. Citation Flow tells you how many links point to a site, while Trust Flow tells you how trustworthy those links are.
| Metric | What it measures | High score means |
|---|---|---|
| Citation Flow | Link quantity / volume | Many sites link to this URL |
| Trust Flow | Link quality / trustworthiness | Trusted, authoritative sites link to this URL |
A site with high Citation Flow but low Trust Flow may have many links, but they could be from spammy or low-quality sources. The ratio between the two is a useful indicator: a Trust Flow close to or higher than Citation Flow suggests a clean, quality link profile.
How to interpret Citation Flow
| Scenario | Citation Flow | Trust Flow | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy site | 35 | 30 | Solid link profile with quality sources |
| Spammy site | 45 | 8 | Many links but mostly from untrusted sources |
| Authoritative site | 70 | 65 | Large number of high-quality links |
| New site | 5 | 4 | Few links so far, but they're quality |
Which Majestic metric measures link quality rather than quantity?
Correct! Trust Flow measures how trustworthy a site's backlinks are. Citation Flow measures volume. Together, they give a full picture.
Trust Flow measures link quality (how trustworthy the linking sites are), while Citation Flow measures link quantity (how many sites link). They're designed as a pair.
Citation Flow vs. other authority metrics
Domain Authority (Moz), Domain Rating (Ahrefs), and Authority Score (Semrush) each combine multiple signals into one score. Majestic takes a different approach by splitting analysis into two metrics. This makes it easier to spot the gap between link quantity and quality at a glance.
How to improve your Citation Flow and Trust Flow
- Earn links from trusted sites. Focus on getting backlinks from established, relevant publications through digital PR and outreach.
- Clean up toxic links. Use a disavow file to distance yourself from spammy referring domains dragging down your Trust Flow.
- Prioritize relevance. Links from sites in your niche carry more trust than random, unrelated domains.
- Monitor the CF:TF ratio. Aim to keep Trust Flow close to Citation Flow. A widening gap signals quality problems.
A website has Citation Flow 50 and Trust Flow 10. What does this likely indicate?
Correct! A big gap between Citation Flow and Trust Flow is a red flag. The site has many links (high CF) but they're not from trustworthy sources (low TF).
When Citation Flow is much higher than Trust Flow, it means the site has lots of links but from low-quality sources. A healthy profile keeps these two metrics relatively close.
Build links that improve both metrics
MentionAgent earns mentions on relevant, quality blogs, building links that improve both your Citation Flow and Trust Flow.
Start Getting Mentioned For $99/moFrequently asked questions
Is Citation Flow a Google ranking factor?
No. Citation Flow is a third-party metric from Majestic. Google does not use it in its ranking algorithm. It's useful for evaluating link profiles, but it's not something Google looks at directly.
What's a good Citation Flow to Trust Flow ratio?
Ideally, Trust Flow should be close to Citation Flow. A ratio near 1:1 suggests your links are mostly high-quality. If Citation Flow is much higher than Trust Flow (e.g., CF 40, TF 10), it means many of your links are from low-quality sources.
Can Citation Flow be too high?
A high Citation Flow isn't bad on its own — it just means many sites link to you. The problem is when Citation Flow is high but Trust Flow is low, which signals that most of those links are from untrusted or spammy sources.
Where can I check my Citation Flow?
You can check Citation Flow and Trust Flow for free using Majestic's Site Explorer tool. Just enter your domain and it shows both metrics along with a detailed backlink analysis.