EnterraHost
A backlink profile is the part of SEO most likely to be read wrongly, because the numbers look like a score and behave like a description. This is what each one measures and which of them is worth acting on.
The four figures at the top
Total backlinks counts links. One page linking to you six times is six links and one domain, which is why the second figure matters more.
Referring domains counts distinct sites. Ten links from one site are worth roughly one link, and ten links from ten sites are worth ten.
Dofollow is the share that carries value. A profile that is almost entirely nofollow is a profile that says nothing to a search engine, even when the total looks healthy.
Spam profile is a proportion of your links that carry signals associated with low quality networks. It is a description of what is pointing at you, not a verdict on your site.
Why the spam figure is often high and usually harmless
Almost every site of any age accumulates links from scraper directories, expired domain redirects and pages that quote a paragraph and link the source. None of that was requested and none of it is under your control.
A high proportion therefore tells you the profile has noise in it. It does not tell you that a search engine has taken action against the site, and it does not tell you the site cannot rank. Treat it as a queue for review rather than a warning light.
New and lost links
These compare this run with the previous one, so they measure movement rather than size. A month with more lost than gained is worth understanding, because links rarely disappear on their own. Pages get deleted, directories get cleaned out, and a site that quoted you may have rewritten the piece.
The useful habit is to look at what was lost, because that is information. Gains tend to arrive slowly and without a pattern.
Which links are worth chasing
Ones from pages that a human reads. A link from a real article on a real site, in a paragraph where your name belongs.
Ones with a relevant anchor. The words in the link should describe the page they point at. A profile full of "click here" links is a profile that tells a search engine nothing.
Ones you did not buy. Paid links carry a real risk and a small benefit. The maths rarely works in your favour.
Whether to disavow
Almost always no. Disavow is a tool for a manual action or a genuine negative campaign, not for a high spam proportion. Done carelessly it removes links you would keep, and it is a signal to a search engine that you are managing your own profile rather than letting it evaluate one.
Our position is to leave it alone unless there is a manual action in Search Console, and to spend the effort on pages worth linking to instead.