Phase 1: Domain Metrics Summary — samndan.com¶
Site: samndan.com (Meirowitz & Wasserberg, LLP) Audit Date: March 5, 2026 Data Source: Ahrefs Scope: Mesothelioma & asbestos content only (see context.md for scope boundaries)
Table of Contents¶
- Executive Summary
- Domain Authority
- Backlink Profile
- Referring Domain Growth
- Anchor Text Distribution
- Organic Performance (US)
- Traffic History
- Keyword Position Distribution
- In-Scope Page Performance
- Page-Level Batch Analysis
- Top Referring Domains
- Critical Findings & Risk Register
- Recommendations for Phase 2
Executive Summary¶
samndan.com carries a DR 45 with 1,186 live referring domains and an estimated 46,479 organic visits/month in the US. However, the numbers obscure a harsh reality for our engagement scope: only ~2.5% of site traffic (~1,200/mo) comes from in-scope mesothelioma and asbestos pages. The homepage alone, targeting "construction accident lawyer" (out of scope), drives 57% of all organic traffic.
Three critical issues demand immediate attention:
- Top-3 keyword positions are in freefall -- down 42% from their Nov 2025 peak (1,715 to 986), signaling either algorithmic loss, competitor displacement, or content decay.
- A massive spam backlink attack has injected 28,000+ links from Turkish gambling domains, threatening the domain's trust signals.
- Six in-scope pages have zero organic visibility -- no keywords, no traffic, no indexing value whatsoever.
The site has a strong legitimate backlink foundation (FindLaw DR 90, Justia DR 90, Cornell DR 92), but the spam contamination and declining keyword positions create urgency for a disavow + content optimization strategy.
Domain Authority¶
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Domain Rating (DR) | 45.0 |
| Ahrefs Rank | 955,026 |
DR Trend (12 Months)¶
DR | Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
| 42 42 42 38 39 40 43 44 45 45 45 45
----+------------------------------------------------------------
45 | * * * * *
44 | *
43 | *
42 | * * *
41 |
40 | *
39 | *
38 | *
Analysis: DR dipped to 38 in July 2025 (likely related to spam backlink activity or a link cleanup), then steadily recovered to 45 by December 2025 and has held stable for 4 consecutive months. The recovery trajectory is positive, but the spam backlink problem (see below) could trigger another dip if not addressed proactively.
Backlink Profile¶
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Live backlinks | 38,332 |
| All-time backlinks | 71,049 |
| Live referring domains | 1,186 |
| All-time referring domains | 2,496 |
| Link retention rate | 53.9% (live vs. all-time backlinks) |
| Domain retention rate | 47.5% (live vs. all-time referring domains) |
NOTE: The 38,332 live backlink count is heavily inflated by spam. The "meritking giris" anchor alone accounts for 28,318 links from 130 domains. Subtracting known spam vectors, the estimated legitimate live backlink count is closer to ~9,500-10,000.
Referring Domain Growth¶
12-Month Trend¶
| Month | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RD Count | 503 | 518 | 529 | 523 | 530 | 581 | 676 | 697 | 724 | 716 | 1,119 | 1,196 |
| MoM Change | -- | +15 | +11 | -6 | +7 | +51 | +95 | +21 | +27 | -8 | +403 | +77 |
RD |
1200 | *
1100 | *
700 | * * *
600 | *
500 | * * * * * *
+---Apr--May--Jun--Jul--Aug--Sep--Oct--Nov--Dec--Jan--Feb--Mar
WARNING: Investigate Feb-Mar 2026 Spike
Referring domains surged from 716 to 1,196 in just two months -- a 67% increase. This coincides with known spam anchor infiltration ("meritking giris", "TG @BHS_LINKS"). A significant portion of these new referring domains are likely spam/PBN sources. Quality audit required before attributing this growth as positive.
Growth Phases: - Apr-Aug 2025 (Stable): Slow, organic growth averaging +7 RD/month - Sep-Dec 2025 (Accelerating): Healthy acceleration to +48 RD/month average, likely driven by directory listings and legal citations - Jan-Mar 2026 (Spike): Explosive +240 RD/month average -- predominantly spam-driven
Anchor Text Distribution¶
Top Anchors by Referring Domains¶
| Anchor Text | Referring Domains | Total Links | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| samndan.com | 280 | -- | Brand |
| samndan | 169 | -- | Brand |
| meritking giris | 130 | 28,318 | SPAM |
| [empty anchor] | 112 | -- | Neutral |
| [URL anchors] | 102 | -- | Branded/Naked URL |
| TG @BHS_LINKS | 70 | -- | SPAM |
| Child Safety Guide | 40 | -- | Informational |
| Website | 39 | -- | Generic |
| Meirowitz & Wasserberg, LLP | 32 | -- | Brand |
| @SEO_CARTEL IN TELEGRAM | 19 | -- | SPAM |
| OP7neoTjOcFwR2k | 12 | -- | SPAM |
| rankexperience.com | 5 | -- | SPAM |
CRITICAL: Spam Backlink Attack
The anchor profile reveals a coordinated spam campaign affecting at minimum 236 referring domains and 28,000+ backlinks:
Spam Vector Referring Domains Links Type meritking giris 130 28,318 Turkish gambling TG @BHS_LINKS 70 -- Telegram SEO spam ring @SEO_CARTEL IN TELEGRAM 19 -- Telegram SEO spam ring OP7neoTjOcFwR2k 12 -- Gibberish/bot-generated rankexperience.com 5 -- SEO tool spam Total identified 236 RD 28,000+ -- This represents approximately 20% of all live referring domains. Google's SpamBrain likely already flags some of these, but a manual disavow file is strongly recommended as a defensive measure.
Anchor Profile Health Assessment¶
| Category | Est. Share | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Brand anchors (samndan, M&W, URL) | ~50% of RD | Healthy |
| Spam anchors | ~20% of RD | Critical |
| Generic (website, click here, empty) | ~15% of RD | Normal |
| Topical/keyword anchors | ~15% of RD | Low -- opportunity for improvement |
Organic Performance (US)¶
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Organic keywords (ranked) | 4,653 |
| Top 1-3 positions | 939 |
| Estimated monthly organic traffic | 46,479 |
| Estimated traffic value | $179,527/mo |
| Paid search activity | None |
Traffic Composition (Scope Analysis)¶
| Segment | Est. Monthly Traffic | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage ("construction accident lawyer") | ~26,453 | 57% |
| Other out-of-scope pages | ~18,826 | 40.5% |
| In-scope meso/asbestos pages | ~1,200 | 2.5% |
WARNING: Scope Dependency
The mesothelioma and asbestos content we manage represents only 2.5% of site-wide organic traffic. This means: - Domain-level metrics (DR, total traffic, total keywords) are poor proxies for our content performance - All performance tracking must focus on page-level and keyword-level metrics for in-scope URLs - Sitewide traffic swings will be dominated by out-of-scope pages and should not trigger action on our content
Traffic History¶
12-Month Organic Traffic (US)¶
| Month | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic | 24,662 | 23,901 | 19,235 | 21,066 | 26,238 | 27,214 | 26,282 | 33,040 | 34,142 | 24,358 | 22,638 | 44,370 |
45K | *
35K | * *
30K |
27K | * *
25K | * * *
22K | * *
20K | * *
+---Apr--May--Jun--Jul--Aug--Sep--Oct--Nov--Dec--Jan--Feb--Mar
Analysis: - Jun 2025 trough: 19,235 (lowest point, coincides with DR dip to 38) - Dec 2025 peak: 34,142 (recovery phase) - Jan-Feb 2026 dip: Dropped to 22,638 (seasonal or algorithmic) - Mar 2026 surge: 44,370 (all-time high in this window)
The March surge to 44,370 is likely driven by out-of-scope pages (construction accident content), given that in-scope meso pages only contribute ~1,200/mo. This should not be interpreted as a win for our engagement.
Keyword Position Distribution¶
12-Month Trend by Position Bucket¶
| Month | Top 3 | Top 4-10 | 11+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | 700 | 2,093 | 11,991 | 14,784 |
| May | 743 | 2,002 | 11,804 | 14,549 |
| Jun | 623 | 1,769 | 9,982 | 12,374 |
| Jul | 693 | 1,781 | 9,951 | 12,425 |
| Aug | 1,063 | 1,963 | 12,129 | 15,155 |
| Sep | 1,241 | 2,168 | 12,380 | 15,789 |
| Oct | 1,216 | 2,187 | 5,359 | 8,762 |
| Nov | 1,715 | 2,531 | 3,075 | 7,321 |
| Dec | 1,622 | 2,359 | 2,359 | 6,340 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,313 | 1,992 | 2,206 | 5,511 |
| Feb | 1,161 | 1,800 | 2,363 | 5,324 |
| Mar | 986 | 1,666 | 2,218 | 4,870 |
CRITICAL: Top-3 Keyword Decline
Top-3 positions peaked at 1,715 in November 2025, then declined for four consecutive months to 986 in March 2026 -- a 42.5% drop.
Period Top 3 Change Nov 2025 (peak) 1,715 -- Dec 2025 1,622 -5.4% Jan 2026 1,313 -19.1% Feb 2026 1,161 -11.6% Mar 2026 986 -15.1% Total decline -729 -42.5% This is a sitewide signal (not limited to meso pages) but could indicate algorithmic headwinds, competitor gains, or content quality issues affecting the entire domain. Phase 2 must determine what share of this decline affects in-scope keywords.
Notable patterns: - The 11+ bucket collapsed from ~12,000 to ~2,200 between Sep-Dec 2025. This likely reflects Ahrefs index changes rather than real keyword loss (the site didn't lose 10K keywords). - Top 4-10 positions are also declining: 2,531 (Nov) to 1,666 (Mar), a 34% drop. - The decline is broad-based across all position buckets, suggesting a domain-level issue rather than isolated page problems.
In-Scope Page Performance¶
Top Performing In-Scope Pages (by Traffic)¶
| # | Page | Traffic/mo | Keywords | Top Keyword | Pos. | Value/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | /texas-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 363 | 84 | meso attorneys tx | 3 | $11,646 |
| 2 | /mesothelioma/ | 244 | 107 | nj mesothelioma lawyer | 3 | $9,478 |
| 3 | /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/ | 186 | 34 | ny asbestos attorney | 2 | $3,598 |
| 4 | /nyc-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 137 | 35 | top meso lawyers | 12 | $2,467 |
| 5 | /chicago-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 110 | 11 | chicago meso lawyer | 5 | $4,816 |
In-Scope Traffic Summary¶
| Tier | Pages | Combined Traffic | Combined Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| High performers (>100/mo) | 5 | 1,040 | $31,005 |
| Mid performers (10-99/mo) | 9 | ~389 | ~$14,200 |
| Low performers (1-9/mo) | 9 | ~44 | ~$770 |
| Zero traffic | 10 | 0 | $0 |
| Total in-scope | 33 | ~1,473 | ~$45,975 |
Page-Level Batch Analysis¶
Full In-Scope Page Inventory¶
| Page | UR | Backlinks | Ref. Domains | Keywords | Traffic | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /mesothelioma/ | 4.6 | 1 | 1 | 109 | 298 | $8,947 |
| /texas-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 201 | $7,672 |
| /florida-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 55 | 146 | $1,786 |
| /new-jersey-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.6 | 2 | 2 | 55 | 39 | $753 |
| /nyc-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 94 | $2,034 |
| /mesothelioma/california-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 61 | $279 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 190 | $3,608 |
| /mesothelioma/statute-of-limitations/ | 4.6 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 34 | $258 |
| /mesothelioma/lawsuit/ | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 2 | $71 |
| /north-carolina-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 45 | $1,404 |
| /mesothelioma/pennsylvania-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 45 | $1,886 |
| /mesothelioma/compensation/ | 4.6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 7 | $190 |
| /mesothelioma/lawsuit-after-death/ | 4.6 | 77 | 76 | 14 | 12 | $346 |
| /chicago-mesothelioma-lawyer/ | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 125 | $5,718 |
| /case-results/absestos-lung-cancer-settlements/ | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 52 | $1,143 |
| /case-results/mesothelioma-settlements/ | 4.6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 1 | $58 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/asbestosis/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/asbestos-trust-funds/ | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | $0 |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/ | 4.6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | $158 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/occupations/plumbers-pipefitters-asbestos/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | $325 |
| /mesothelioma/asbestos-in-schools/ | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | $2 |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/navy/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | $91 |
| /mesothelioma/pleural-mesothelioma/ | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/coast-guard/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/occupations/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | $0 |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/air-force/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | $0 |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/marines/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/secondary-asbestos-exposure/ | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/occupations/automobile-mechanic-mesothelioma-lawyers/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/asbestos-colon-cancer/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/risks-of-asbestos-exposure/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/occupations/insulation-worker-mesothelioma-lawyers/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/army/ | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Zero-Visibility Pages (0 Keywords, 0 Traffic)¶
These pages are invisible to Google and generating no organic value:
| Page | Backlinks | Ref. Domains | Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/asbestos-colon-cancer/ | 0 | 0 | No links, no rankings |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/risks-of-asbestos-exposure/ | 0 | 0 | No links, no rankings |
| /nyc-asbestos-lawyer/occupations/insulation-worker-mesothelioma-lawyers/ | 0 | 0 | No links, no rankings |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/army/ | 0 | 0 | No links, no rankings |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/marines/ | 0 | 0 | 2 KW, 0 traffic |
| /mesothelioma/veterans/coast-guard/ | 0 | 0 | 3 KW, 0 traffic |
WARNING: Veterans Branch Page Failure
The entire veterans sub-section is essentially dead weight: - /veterans/army/ -- 0 keywords, 0 traffic - /veterans/marines/ -- 2 keywords, 0 traffic - /veterans/coast-guard/ -- 3 keywords, 0 traffic - /veterans/navy/ -- 4 keywords, 2 traffic ($91) - /veterans/air-force/ -- 2 keywords, 4 traffic ($0) - /veterans/ (hub) -- 5 keywords, 4 traffic ($158)
Combined veterans traffic: 10 visits/month across 6 pages. These pages need either a complete content overhaul or consolidation into a single strong veterans page.
URL Rating (UR) Assessment¶
| UR Range | Page Count | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | 9 | Extremely low |
| 4.5 | 23 | Extremely low |
| 0.0 | 1 | No detected link equity |
WARNING: Uniformly Low UR
Every in-scope page has a UR between 0.0 and 4.6 on a 100-point scale. This indicates virtually no page-level link equity flowing to any meso content. The site's DR 45 authority is concentrated in out-of-scope pages (likely the homepage and PI content). Internal linking from high-authority pages to meso content is either absent or ineffective.
Anomaly: /mesothelioma/lawsuit-after-death/¶
This page has 77 backlinks from 76 referring domains -- far more than any other in-scope page -- yet only generates 12 visits/month from 14 keywords. This suggests: - The backlinks may be low-quality or irrelevant - The page content may not match search intent - Worth investigating whether these links are part of the spam campaign
Anomaly: /texas-mesothelioma-lawyer/ at UR 0.0¶
Despite having zero backlinks and a UR of 0.0, this page is the top-performing in-scope page (201 traffic, 93 keywords, $7,672 value). This suggests the page is winning on content quality and keyword targeting alone -- imagine its potential with even modest link building.
Top Referring Domains¶
Highest Authority Referring Domains¶
| Domain | DR | Links | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| bbb.org | 93 | 3 | Business directory (legitimate) |
| cornell.edu | 92 | 22 | Educational institution (high value) |
| findlaw.com | 90 | 6,687 | Legal directory (legitimate, high volume) |
| justia.com | 90 | 1,022 | Legal directory (legitimate) |
| yellowpages.com | 89 | 212 | Directory (legitimate) |
| superlawyers.com | 88 | 112 | Legal credential directory (legitimate) |
| oyez.org | 80 | 2,600 | Legal resource (legitimate) |
| asbestos.com | 79 | 8 | Partner site (referral partner) |
| mesothelioma.com | 73 | 16 | Industry site (legitimate) |
| neustarlocaleze.biz | 72 | 1,727 | Local business listings (legitimate) |
Assessment: The legitimate backlink profile is strong. FindLaw, Justia, Cornell, BBB, and SuperLawyers represent genuine, high-authority legal citations. The asbestos.com and mesothelioma.com links confirm industry recognition. The problem is not the quality floor -- it is the spam ceiling polluting the profile.
Critical Findings & Risk Register¶
CRITICAL (Immediate Action Required)¶
| # | Finding | Impact | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Top-3 keyword positions declining 42.5% | Organic visibility eroding across the domain; 729 fewer top-3 keywords in 4 months | 1,715 (Nov) to 986 (Mar) |
| C2 | Massive spam backlink attack | 28,000+ spam links from 236+ domains risk algorithmic penalty and trust degradation | Turkish gambling, Telegram spam rings identified in anchor text |
| C3 | In-scope content drives only 2.5% of site traffic | The mesothelioma practice, which we manage, is nearly invisible relative to the broader site | ~1,200 of 46,479 monthly visits |
WARNING (Requires Attention)¶
| # | Finding | Impact | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | 6 in-scope pages have zero organic visibility | Wasted crawl budget, missing ranking opportunities | 0 keywords + 0 traffic on 6 URLs |
| W2 | Veterans section is effectively dead | 6 pages generating combined 10 visits/month | Entire branch underperforming |
| W3 | Uniformly low UR (4.5-4.6) across all in-scope pages | No page-level authority; internal link equity not flowing to meso content | 33 pages all below UR 5 |
| W4 | Referring domain spike needs quality investigation | 67% RD growth in 2 months may be spam-inflated | 716 to 1,196 RD (Jan-Mar 2026) |
| W5 | lawsuit-after-death anomaly | 77 backlinks yielding only 12 visits/month suggests link quality or intent mismatch | 76 RD, 14 KW, 12 traffic |
POSITIVE (Strengths to Leverage)¶
| # | Finding | Opportunity | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | DR stabilized at 45 | Recovery from mid-2025 dip complete; foundation is sound | Stable for 4 months |
| P2 | Texas meso page outperforming at UR 0.0 | Content-quality-driven success; link building could amplify significantly | 201 traffic, 93 KW, $7,672 value with zero links |
| P3 | Strong legitimate link profile | High-DR legal directories and .edu links provide trustworthy foundation | FindLaw DR 90, Cornell DR 92, BBB DR 93 |
| P4 | No paid search activity | All traffic is organic; no dependency on paid spend to protect | Clean baseline for organic strategy |
| P5 | $45,975/mo estimated in-scope traffic value | Even at 2.5% traffic share, the per-visit value of meso keywords is extremely high (~$31 per visit) | High-CPC legal vertical |
Recommendations for Phase 2¶
Based on these domain metrics, the following areas should be prioritized in Phase 2 (keyword and content analysis):
Priority 1: Spam Backlink Remediation¶
- Export all referring domains with spam anchors (meritking, TG @BHS_LINKS, SEO_CARTEL, gibberish)
- Build a disavow file targeting the 236+ identified spam domains
- Audit the Feb-Mar 2026 referring domain spike for additional spam sources
- Investigate the /mesothelioma/lawsuit-after-death/ backlink profile specifically
Priority 2: Keyword Position Decline Investigation¶
- Determine which specific keywords dropped out of top-3 positions (Nov 2025 to Mar 2026)
- Isolate in-scope vs. out-of-scope keyword losses
- Cross-reference with Google algorithm updates in this window
- Identify competitor pages that gained the lost positions
Priority 3: Zero-Visibility Page Triage¶
- Audit all 6 zero-visibility pages for indexation status, content quality, and internal linking
- Decision framework: refresh, consolidate, or redirect each page
- Veterans section: evaluate consolidation into a single comprehensive page vs. individual rewrites
Priority 4: Internal Link Equity Audit¶
- Map internal link flow from high-authority pages to in-scope meso content
- Identify opportunities to pass link equity from the DR 45 domain into underperforming meso pages
- The UR 4.5-4.6 uniformity suggests the meso section is siloed from the site's authority
Priority 5: Content Gap Analysis¶
- Compare in-scope keyword coverage against top meso law competitors
- Identify high-value keywords where samndan.com has no ranking page
- Evaluate whether the Texas page's content-first success model can be replicated across other geos
Phase 1 domain metrics collection complete. Proceed to Phase 2: Keyword & Content Analysis.