GoodRx Backlink Strategy Teardown: What the Numbers Actually Say
This teardown is part of our broader Link Building Agency hub, where we analyze high-impact backlink strategies, authority-building tactics, and scalable link acquisition methods that help improve search rankings, organic visibility, and long-term SEO performance.
GoodRx operates in one of the most trust-sensitive, intent-heavy search verticals online: healthcare. Their organic search engine is built on a backlink profile that combines institutional authority, medication-page linkability, research-led citations, and commercial partner ecosystems. This teardown pulls directly from SEMrush domain overview data and four backlink exports — referring domains, active backlinks, anchor text, and lost backlinks — to isolate what is actually driving GoodRx's authority and how it compounds into business outcomes.
The findings show a brand that understands a point most publishers miss: the best backlink strategy mirrors the business model. Here, that means drug pages earning links from editorial citations, research assets attracting institutional mentions, and commercial surfaces like /care and /go/pfizer pulling in partnership-driven authority. The profile is not without risk — there is a spam-anchor tail and some homepage link volatility — but the structural quality is strong.
Table of Contents
- Executive Snapshot: The Numbers at a Glance
- Profile Quality Overview
- Where Their Links Actually Come From
- Which Pages Attract Links
- Anchor Text Breakdown
- Most Likely Link Acquisition Channels
- Link Growth Momentum
- Strengths vs Weak Spots
- What GoodRx Does Better Than Most
- What to Copy, Adapt, and Avoid
- Key Takeaways for Growth Leaders
- Spoke Content Ideas from This Teardown
- FAQ
- Related Links and Resources
Section 1: Executive Snapshot — The Numbers at a Glance
Core Overview Metrics
| Metric | Value | Commercial Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Authority Score | 84 | Strong domain trust |
| Organic Traffic | 28.5M | Large unpaid acquisition engine |
| Organic Traffic Change | +14% | Authority is still compounding |
| Referring Domains | 45.7K | Broad trust footprint |
| Total Backlinks | 3.6M | Scaled link graph |
| Follow Links | 3.28M | Strong authority-passing base |
| Nofollow Links | 278K | Natural secondary layer |
| Text Links | 3.4M (97%) | Editorial/web-page driven profile |
| Image Links | 96.5K (3%) | Small visual/link asset layer |
| Organic Keywords | 9.2M | Very broad search surface |
| Paid Traffic | 69.3K | Organic clearly outweighs paid |
Export Coverage Used in This Teardown
| Export | Rows | Key Numbers | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referring Domains | 609 | 102,812 backlinks represented; median 3 links/domain | High-authority sample, not the full 45.7K universe |
| Active Backlinks | 501 | 330 unique target URLs; avg page AS 36.8 | Good sample for live link destinations |
| Anchors | 499 | 2.96M backlinks represented; top 20 anchors = 1.14M links | Anchor concentration is meaningful |
| Lost Backlinks | 664 | 390 unique target URLs; avg page AS 17.7 | Lost links skew lower quality than active |
Top Observations
- I see scale plus quality, not just scale.
- There is no heavy homepage dependence — 75.2% of active links hit inner pages.
- The strongest active page class is medication/condition URLs: 212 of 501 active links.
- The anchor set is led by real entities like drug names, not broad money-keyword stuffing.
- The active link base is materially stronger than the lost link base: average page AS 36.8 vs 17.7.
- A visible spam/noise tail exists, but it does not appear to be the core engine.
Section 2: Profile Quality Overview
| Metric / Pattern | Actual Numbers | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Referring Domain Diversity | 45.7K total in overview | Strong breadth overall |
| RD Authority Spread | 41 domains AS 90–100; 248 AS 70–89; 320 AS 60–69 | Export is skewed to stronger domains |
| Avg RD Authority Score (sample) | 71.9 | Healthy quality ceiling |
| Follow vs Nofollow | 3.28M follow / 278K nofollow | ~92.2% follow share |
| Country Spread (sample) | US 365 (59.9%), Unknown 150 (24.6%), GR 26 (4.3%) | Strongly US-led, matching GoodRx's market |
| TLD Spread (sample) | .com 376 (61.7%), .edu 69 (11.3%), .org 58 (9.5%), .gov 22 (3.6%) | Strong institutional mix |
| .edu + .org + .gov share | 149 of 609 domains (24.5%) | Good trust signal for healthcare |
| Homepage dependency | 124 of 501 links (24.8%) | Not homepage-heavy |
| Inner-page links | 377 of 501 links (75.2%) | Strong deep-link profile |
What This Means for Business
- Strong institutional and editorial trust supports higher conversion rates in healthcare decision-making.
- A 75.2% inner-page link rate ensures authority flows toward revenue-bearing content, not just domain-level vanity.
- The 92.2% follow-link mix gives the domain real authority transfer at scale.
- The .edu/.org/.gov footprint supports brand defensibility in a trust-sensitive market where competitors struggle to earn institutional citations.
Section 3: Where Their Links Actually Come From
Medication & Entity Pages
High ConfidenceThe biggest authority magnet. GoodRx maps cleanly to user intent with specific drug pages, earning highly relevant anchor text across thousands of referring domains.
Evidence: 212 of 501 active links target medication/condition URLs.Research & Linkable Assets
High ConfidenceProprietary data attracts high-tier editorial citations. Pages on healthcare deserts and insulin costs draw media mentions that brand content cannot replicate.
Evidence: Healthcare deserts page = 5 active links; insulin-cost research appears across multiple export rows.Editorial & Media Citations
High ConfidenceTrusted publishers amplify credibility. Healthline, Forbes, NYTimes, Washington Post, KFF, and AARP all appear in the active export.
Evidence: 149 sample domains are .edu, .org, or .gov. Healthline 114 links; Forbes 125 links.Partnerships & Commercial Pages
Medium-HighRevenue-adjacent authority surfaces. Commercial and utility pages earn links by being genuinely useful to partner ecosystems including pharma manufacturers and pharmacy chains.
Evidence: /go/pfizer and /pharma get direct links; PfizerForAll and CVS Health visible in active export.Link Source Types: Full Breakdown
| Source Type | Examples | Numbers Seen | Business Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major web platforms | yahoo.com, bing.com, apple.com, linktr.ee | Yahoo: 79,485 links; Bing: 8,512 | Scale, discoverability, brand ubiquity |
| Health & editorial publishers | healthline.com, forbes.com, nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com | Healthline: 114; Forbes: 125; NYTimes: 56 | Trust + top/mid-funnel reach |
| Institutional / nonprofit | nih.gov, mayoclinic.org, medlineplus.gov, aarp.org, aafa.org | NIH: 128; Mayo: 33; AAFA: 252; AARP: 175 | High-trust citations in a sensitive vertical |
| Partner / commercial | pfizerforall.com, cvshealth.com, goodrxhelps.org | /go/pfizer and /pharma visible in exports | Revenue-adjacent authority |
| Open web / community | substack.com, neocities.org, long-tail domains | Substack: 908; Neocities: 847 | Reach, but mixed quality |
What Looks Intentional vs Passively Earned
| Intentional | Passively Earned |
|---|---|
| Research pages on healthcare access and drug cost | Media mentions from health and news publishers |
| Partner/commercial pages like /go/pfizer | Platform-driven brand references (Yahoo, Bing) |
| Utility surfaces like /care and /how-goodrx-works | Resource-page inclusions from institutions and nonprofits |
| Entity-level medication pages with strong anchor relevance | Community and long-tail web mentions |
Section 4: Which Pages Attract Links
Active vs Lost: Quality at a Glance
Active Links
Lost Links
Active vs Lost Distribution by Page Type
| Page Type | Active Links | Active % | Lost Links | Lost % | What It Says |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage | 124 | 24.8% | 186 | 28.0% | Brand links matter but aren't the core engine |
| Medication / condition | 212 | 42.3% | 260 | 39.2% | Biggest authority magnet by volume |
| Guide / editorial | 88 | 17.6% | 110 | 16.6% | Content-led link earning works at scale |
| Data / research | 21 | 4.2% | 26 | 3.9% | Smaller volume, high strategic value |
| Blog | 19 | 3.8% | 30 | 4.5% | Works, but not the primary engine |
| Commercial / product | 16 | 3.2% | 26 | 3.9% | Revenue-adjacent links exist and are defensible |
| Corporate / press / partner | 16 | 3.2% | 8 | 1.2% | Reputation and commercial support layer |
Top Linked Pages in the Active Export
| Target Page | Active Links in Export |
|---|---|
| goodrx.com/ (homepage) | 124 |
| goodrx.com/care | 7 |
| /healthcare-access/research/healthcare-deserts | 5 |
| goodrx.com/ivermectin | 4 |
| goodrx.com/video | 4 |
| /promethazine/promethazine-with-codeine-discontinued-over-abuse | 4 |
| /wegovy/wegovy-for-weight-loss-cost-coverage | 4 |
| goodrx.com/wegovy | 3 |
| goodrx.com/ozempic | 3 |
| /corporate/business/goodrx-response-to-ftc | 3 |
Section 5: Anchor Text Breakdown
Top Anchors in the Anchor Export
| Anchor | Referring Domains | Backlinks | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| goodrx | 9,089 | 70,880 | Brand |
| gabapentin | 33 | 66,696 | Entity / drug name |
| atorvastatin calcium | 1 | 72,206 | Entity / drug name |
| amlodipine besylate | 1 | 67,964 | Entity / drug name |
| lisinopril | 14 | 64,071 | Entity / drug name |
| levothyroxine sodium | 1 | 59,761 | Entity / drug name |
| losartan potassium | 1 | 58,832 | Entity / drug name |
| omeprazole | 9 | 56,613 | Entity / drug name |
| https://www.goodrx.com | 792 | 35,048 | Naked URL |
| research studies come in many shapes | 1 | 30,527 | Editorial / citation |
| telegram @seo_anomaly… (spam) | 472 | 124,015 | ⚠ Spam / noise |
| tg @bhs_links… (spam) | 299 | 66,400 | ⚠ Spam / noise |
Anchor Pattern Summary
| Anchor Type | Pattern Seen | Risk / Strength | What It Suggests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand anchors | "goodrx" = 70,880 links across 9,089 domains | ✅ Strength | Strong brand equity in the link graph |
| Naked URL | https://www.goodrx.com = 35,048 links | ✅ Strength | Natural linking behaviour at scale |
| Entity / drug name anchors | Drug names dominate top 8 positions | ✅ Strength | Links earned on category relevance, not keyword manipulation |
| Editorial / claim anchors | "research studies come in many shapes" = 30,527 links | ✅ Strength | Research and citation layer is real |
| Spam / noise anchors | 4 spam-style anchors = 205,732 backlinks total | ⚠ Risk | Quality dilution — monitoring or disavow review warranted |
Anchor Takeaways
- The top 20 anchors account for 1,141,516 backlinks (38.5%) of the anchor export.
- The profile relies on brand and entity anchors, not commercial keyword pushing — a healthier signal in Google's current landscape.
- The spam-style anchor tail equals 6.9% of the anchor export by backlink count — notable but not the dominant pattern.
- Drug/entity anchor dominance correlates directly with search demand, which means GoodRx earns links in places where users are actually searching.
Section 6: Most Likely Link Acquisition Channels
| Channel | Confidence | Evidence from Data | Why It Works | Commercial Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medication / entity pages | High | 212 of 501 active links; drug-name anchors dominate | GoodRx maps cleanly to user intent | High-intent organic capture |
| Research / linkable assets | High | Healthcare deserts page = 5 active links; insulin-cost research visible in exports | Proprietary data attracts citations | Authority + media pickup |
| Digital PR / editorial | High | WaPo, NYTimes, Healthline, Forbes, KFF visible in active export | Trusted publishers amplify credibility | Brand authority + reach |
| Partnerships / ecosystem | Medium-High | PfizerForAll, CVS Health, GoodRxHelps, /pharma | Links connect authority to distribution | Click-outs / commercial value |
| Product / utility surfaces | Medium | /care = 7 links; /video = 4; /how-goodrx-works = 2 | Utility earns links when product is useful | Supports conversion surfaces |
| Community / open web | Low-Medium | Substack 908; Neocities 847; spam anchors visible | Passive mentions at scale | Reach, but less durable |
Section 7: Link Growth Momentum
| Trend Area | Active Export | Lost Export | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rows | 501 | 664 | Lost sample is larger |
| Unique target URLs | 330 | 390 | Broad page-level link churn |
| Avg page AS | 36.8 | 17.7 | Active links are materially stronger |
| Median page AS | 34 | 14 | Same story across the distribution |
| Links from AS 50+ pages | 108 (21.6%) | 25 (3.8%) | GoodRx is keeping stronger links than it loses |
| Homepage share | 24.8% | 28.0% | Lost links are slightly more homepage-heavy |
| Sitewide links | 10 | 1 | Not a sitewide-driven profile |
Momentum Call
- The strategy reads as active and compounding, not passive.
- The active base is higher quality than the lost base by every measure — AS average, median, and share of high-authority links.
- The missing new/lost RD exports are the main blind spot for judging acceleration.
- The churn visible in the data is happening more in the weaker tail than in the stronger core — the healthier pattern.
Section 8: Strengths vs Weak Spots
-
Deep-Link Profile
75.2% of active links hit inner pages, sending authority straight to monetisable content and conversion surfaces.
-
Medication Page Linkability
212 active links target specific medication/condition URLs, proving strong intent capture across high-demand search categories.
-
Institutional Depth
149 sample domains are .edu, .org, or .gov — anchoring trust in a vertical where credibility directly drives conversion.
-
Strong Active Link Quality
Average page AS 36.8 in active export vs 17.7 in lost. The core authority base looks defensible and healthy.
-
Research Layer
Healthcare access and drug-cost research pages attract citations that support both PR and organic compounding.
-
Spam / Noise Anchor Tail
205,732 backlinks are tied to just 4 spam-style anchors. Poses a quality dilution risk that warrants disavow review.
-
Long-Tail Source Noise
Substack, Neocities, and weaker domains appear frequently in the export, requiring ongoing profile hygiene.
-
Homepage Link Volatility
186 lost homepage links in the export indicates brand mentions can be volatile and prone to churn without an active retention strategy.
-
Missing RD Momentum Data
New/lost referring domain exports were not available. This limits the ability to judge acceleration vs decay at the domain level.
Section 9: What GoodRx Does Better Than Most
| Strategic Advantage | Evidence from Data | Why Competitors Struggle to Copy It |
|---|---|---|
| Makes entity pages linkable | 42.3% of active links go to medication/condition pages | Requires deep, trusted, long-form coverage at drug-category scale |
| Balances authority and commerce | /care, /go/pfizer, and /how-goodrx-works all attract links | Most brands fail to make commercial pages worth linking to |
| Has a research citation layer | Healthcare deserts and insulin-cost assets pull media links | Requires proprietary data angles and editorial consistency |
| Wins across multiple source classes | Media, institutions, partners, and platforms all appear | Hard to replicate multi-channel link profile quickly |
| Keeps stronger live links than it loses | Active avg AS 36.8 vs lost avg AS 17.7 | Suggests a higher-quality core than tail — usually a sign of intentional strategy |
In my experience, GoodRx understands a key point most brands miss: the best backlink strategy mirrors the business model. Medication pages, research assets, and partner surfaces all earn links for different reasons. That is precisely why the profile is both commercially effective and structurally scalable.
Section 10: What to Copy, Adapt, and Avoid
-
Entity-Led Link Building
Build category pages that deserve links. GoodRx secures 42% of its active links directly to condition/drug URLs — because those pages genuinely answer the highest-intent queries.
-
Data-Led Assets
Publish research around real category pain points such as healthcare deserts or drug cost access to attract natural editorial citations from media and institutions.
-
Partner Ecosystem Pages
Use B2B or partner pages to capture revenue-adjacent links. The key difference: make sure these pages provide genuine utility to the partner, not just brand messaging.
-
Linkable Product Surfaces
Make your tools linkable, not just your blog. GoodRx earns direct links to /care and /video — utility pages that justify inbound links on their own merit.
-
Chasing Raw Link Counts
Do not ignore hygiene. Over 205K of GoodRx's backlinks come from just 4 spam anchors. Volume without quality control creates real tail risk in the anchor profile.
-
Homepage Dependency
Don't send all PR efforts to the homepage. GoodRx's business resilience is built on deep-page authority — 75.2% of active links go to inner pages, not the root domain.
Action Summary
| Action Type | Recommendation | Evidence Base |
|---|---|---|
| Copy | Build entity pages that deserve links in your vertical | 212 active links to medication/condition pages |
| Copy | Publish data-led assets around real category pain points | Research pages visible in active targets |
| Adapt carefully | Use partner pages to support revenue-adjacent links | /go/pfizer and /pharma show this can work |
| Adapt carefully | Make product surfaces linkable, not just blog content | /care and /video both attract direct links |
| Avoid copying blindly | Do not chase raw backlink count without quality control | Spam-style anchors account for 205,732 backlinks |
| Investigate further | Audit why homepage lost links are elevated (186 lost) | Could indicate brand mention volatility |
| Investigate further | Review weak long-tail sources and anchor cleanup | Tail quality is the main operational risk |
Section 11: Key Takeaways for Growth Leaders
| Insight | Why Leadership Should Care |
|---|---|
| GoodRx is not dependent on homepage links | Lower risk concentration; authority is distributed to revenue-bearing pages |
| The strongest link magnet is medication/entity pages | Better alignment with high-intent search demand where conversion rates are highest |
| Research assets support authority efficiently | One well-executed research page can reduce CAC pressure for months |
| The active link base is stronger than the lost base | The core organic moat looks structurally durable, not just large |
| Institutional and editorial trust are visible in the data | Higher trust supports conversion in a category where credibility is a prerequisite |
| Noise exists, but it sits in the tail | Fixable operational issue — this is a hygiene problem, not a strategic failure |
If presenting this to leadership, the headline points are:
- GoodRx has built a scaled authority system, not just a backlink count.
- The profile is strongest where it matters most: inner pages tied to real user intent.
- Research + entity pages + partnerships are the three real engines — and each is independently defensible.
- The core live link base looks stronger than the churned base at every quality threshold.
- The main risk is profile hygiene, not strategy quality.
Section 12: Spoke Content Ideas from This Teardown
Each of the data points in this teardown maps to a content opportunity. Here are the strongest angles for spoke articles, each backed by specific numbers from the export:
Why Medication Pages Earn Links at Scale
Use the 42.3% active-link share to show how entity-level coverage creates a passive link magnet in health/pharma verticals.
How Research Assets Support Commercial SEO
Use the healthcare deserts and insulin-cost examples to show how proprietary data creates compounding citation authority.
Brand Anchors vs Entity Anchors: What Drives Real Growth
Analyse the GoodRx + drug anchor mix to show why entity relevance outperforms keyword-stuffed anchor strategies.
What GoodRx Gets Right About Deep-Link Authority
Use the 75.2% inner-page link rate to build a case for prioritising product/content page link building over homepage PR.
Why Commercial Pages Should Be Linkable
Use the /care and /go/pfizer examples to show how conversion surfaces can double as link acquisition assets.
The Hidden Risk in Big Backlink Profiles
Use the spam-anchor tail (205K links, 4 anchors) to show how link volume can mask quality dilution problems.
How to Tell If Your Live Links Are Healthier Than Your Lost Links
Use the AS 36.8 vs 17.7 comparison as a diagnostic framework any SEO can apply to their own backlink exports.
What Healthcare Brands Can Learn from GoodRx's Link Mix
Synthesise the entity + research + partner channel model into a strategy framework for trust-sensitive verticals.
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Explore Link Building ServicesFAQ: GoodRx Backlink Strategy
What is GoodRx's domain authority score?
According to SEMrush data used in this analysis, GoodRx has an Authority Score of 84, which places it in the top tier for US health and pharmaceutical domains. This score reflects both the volume (45.7K referring domains, 3.6M backlinks) and quality of their inbound link profile.
How many referring domains does GoodRx have?
GoodRx has approximately 45,700 referring domains according to the SEMrush overview data used in this teardown. The referring domains export sample (609 domains) skews toward higher-authority sources, with an average Authority Score of 71.9 across the sampled domains.
What types of pages earn the most backlinks for GoodRx?
Medication and condition pages are the biggest link magnet, accounting for 42.3% (212 of 501) of active links in the export. The homepage accounts for 24.8%, while guide/editorial pages contribute 17.6%. Research and data assets, commercial pages, and partner URLs make up the remainder. This makes GoodRx's profile inner-page-led by a significant margin.
Does GoodRx have a spam backlink problem?
There is a visible spam/noise tail. Four spam-style anchors account for approximately 205,732 backlinks in the anchor export — around 6.9% by backlink count. However, this appears to sit in the tail of the profile rather than the core engine. A disavow file review would be advisable, but this does not appear to be undermining GoodRx's authority fundamentals.
What is the difference between GoodRx's active and lost link quality?
The quality gap is significant. Active links have an average referring page Authority Score of 36.8, compared to 17.7 for lost links. The share of links from AS 50+ pages is 21.6% in the active export vs just 3.8% in the lost export. This means GoodRx is losing lower-quality links while retaining higher-quality ones — a healthy pattern.
How does GoodRx acquire backlinks from .edu and .gov domains?
The most likely mechanism is research-led content and editorial citation. GoodRx produces proprietary healthcare access and drug cost data — topics that naturally attract citations from healthcare institutions, universities, and government health resources. Their healthcare deserts research page alone pulls 5 active links in the export sample.
What anchor text strategy does GoodRx use?
GoodRx's anchor profile is dominated by brand anchors ("goodrx" = 70,880 backlinks across 9,089 domains) and drug/entity anchors (gabapentin, lisinopril, omeprazole, and others each reaching 50,000+ backlinks). Naked URLs add another large layer. The profile avoids heavy commercial keyword anchoring, which aligns with a more natural and sustainable link-building model.
Disclaimer
GoodRx is not a client of Supramind. This is an independent SEO teardown based on publicly available data and third-party tools like Ahrefs and Semrush.
All insights are for educational purposes only and do not represent official statements or strategies from GoodRx.
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