A large share of referring domains share ownership, hosting, IP ranges, registration details, templates or analytics IDs with each other or with the site itself. Hilltop ranks pages by links from non-affiliated experts, so affiliated links count for nothing in that model. Google has not confirmed using Hilltop, but its spam policies treat link schemes and cross-linking between partner sites as link spam. This check measures affiliation, a proxy.
Why does backlinks come mainly from affiliated sites (hilltop) matter for AI search?
Hilltop ranks pages by links from non-affiliated experts, so affiliated links count for nothing in that model. Google has not confirmed using Hilltop, but its spam policies treat link schemes and cross-linking between partner sites as link spam. This check measures affiliation, a proxy.
How do you fix it?
Stop building or buying links from networks you or your agency control, remove or qualify cross-links between owned properties that exist only to pass ranking credit, and earn links from independent topical resources.
How do you find it on your site?
- Export referring domains from a backlink tool with their IP addresses.
- Group domains by IP range, hosting provider, WHOIS or registrant details where available, shared analytics or ad IDs, and identical themes.
- Check which referring domains are owned by the client, its group companies or its agencies.
- Flag the issue when affiliated clusters account for a large share of linking domains or of links to commercial pages.
Which ranking and citation factors does it touch?
Written for the Hilltop algorithm page (evidence: General theory). Google has not documented this system in a way a site can test directly, so this check measures a proxy for it, not the system itself.
What is the impact?
Indirect. Reduces link spam risk and reliance on links likely to be discounted. Estimate only.
What is the evidence?
Bharat and Mihaila, When Experts Agree (WWW10, 2001); Google spam policies on link schemes.
Sources
Frequently asked questions about backlinks come mainly from affiliated sites (hilltop)
What does "Backlinks come mainly from affiliated sites (Hilltop)" mean?
A large share of referring domains share ownership, hosting, IP ranges, registration details, templates or analytics IDs with each other or with the site itself.
How do you fix backlinks come mainly from affiliated sites (Hilltop)?
Stop building or buying links from networks you or your agency control, remove or qualify cross-links between owned properties that exist only to pass ranking credit, and earn links from independent topical resources.