{
  "locale": "en",
  "group": "soundcloud-backlinks",
  "manualOnly": true,
  "providerRequests": 0,
  "title": "SoundCloud backlinks: inspect profile links and visitor paths",
  "notice": "The diagram is a fictional creator scenario. The dated Tycho inspection is separate public evidence from 2026-10-27, not an endorsement or a rule for every account.",
  "diagram": {
    "title": "SoundCloud backlinks: inspect profile links and visitor paths",
    "caption": "The diagram is a fictional creator scenario. The dated Tycho inspection is separate public evidence from 2026-10-27, not an endorsement or a rule for every account.",
    "relationLabel": "Source and destination relationships",
    "nodes": [
      {
        "id": "profile",
        "title": "Creator profile",
        "body": "The fictional profile can direct listeners to the creator’s release page."
      },
      {
        "id": "website",
        "title": "Creator website",
        "body": "studio.example/releases is the intended destination for that profile link."
      },
      {
        "id": "track",
        "title": "SoundCloud track",
        "body": "A player on the website can offer this separate listening experience."
      }
    ],
    "relations": [
      {
        "id": "website",
        "from": "profile",
        "to": "website",
        "label": "sends the listener to"
      },
      {
        "id": "embed",
        "from": "website",
        "to": "track",
        "label": "embeds a player for"
      }
    ]
  },
  "exampleCode": "observedAt = \"2026-10-27\"\nbio.rel = \"nofollow ugc\"\nwebsite.rel = \"me nofollow ugc\"\nbanner.rel = null",
  "observation": {
    "source": "https://soundcloud.com/tycho",
    "date": "2026-10-27",
    "bioRel": [
      "nofollow",
      "ugc"
    ],
    "websiteRel": [
      "me",
      "nofollow",
      "ugc"
    ],
    "bannerRel": null,
    "redirectHost": "gate.sc",
    "finalWebsite": "https://tychomusic.com/",
    "status": 200,
    "scope": "one public desktop profile inspection; not platform-wide policy"
  },
  "columns": [
    "Inspection step",
    "Intended result",
    "Evidence to record",
    "Action if it differs"
  ],
  "rows": [
    {
      "id": "profile",
      "title": "Website field",
      "values": [
        "A relevant route to the creator’s site",
        "Inspect the public label, href and final destination",
        "Fix stale or misleading URLs"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bio",
      "title": "Bio address",
      "values": [
        "A listener can reach the stated website",
        "Distinguish raw text from the rendered link",
        "Record the actual element and attributes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "banner",
      "title": "Banner link",
      "values": [
        "A separate visual navigation surface",
        "Check its href and rel independently",
        "Do not copy assumptions from the bio"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "embed",
      "title": "Embedded player",
      "values": [
        "A website offers a track or playlist experience",
        "Identify the player separately from text links",
        "Do not call an embed a verified editorial backlink"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "review",
      "title": "Dated review",
      "values": [
        "Evidence stays tied to a surface and time",
        "Record redirects, response, device and date",
        "Recheck after relevant changes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "example": "On 2026-10-27 we inspected the public Tycho profile at soundcloud.com/tycho. The raw response included the artist website as description text. In the rendered browser, the bio link carried rel=\"nofollow ugc\" and the Website link carried rel=\"me nofollow ugc\". Both used gate.sc redirect URLs; following those two paths reached https://tychomusic.com/ with HTTP 200. The artist website also linked back to this SoundCloud profile. This records a public visitor path, not visits or search impact.",
  "decision": "The inspected banner link had no rel attribute, unlike the bio and Website links. That difference is exactly why one observation cannot prove that every SoundCloud link is dofollow or nofollow. Record the specific element and date; missing rel does not establish a measured authority transfer. An embedded player is another distinct element and is not automatically equivalent to an editorial text link to your website.",
  "checklist": [
    "Use a profile you control for a genuine creator",
    "Choose a destination that matches the label",
    "Inspect bio, web-link and banner surfaces separately",
    "Record the redirect path and final response",
    "Keep attributes, date and measured outcomes separate"
  ],
  "reviewRecord": "For the fictional creator in the diagram, use a profile website link to studio.example/releases and a separate player for a SoundCloud track on the studio site. Save the profile, open its public view, check the label and actual href, follow redirects and verify that the release page still matches the promise. Keep source URL, surface, device, observed attributes, final URL, response and inspection date together. Repeat after profile or destination edits."
}