How to find pages that link to your URL

To find which pages link to your URL, you need a backlink checker — a tool that searches the web for incoming links to your site. The most direct route is Google Search Console, which is free and shows you every link Google has found pointing to your domain. If you want a broader picture that includes links Google hasn't indexed yet, paid tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz will show you more results, but Google Search Console covers what matters most for your site's performance.

The reason you'd want this information: incoming links affect how search engines rank your pages, they tell you who's talking about your work, and they help you spot broken links that might be sending traffic nowhere. You might also discover that someone linked to an old URL you've since moved, which means you can redirect that traffic to the new location.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Search Console shows you every backlink Google has discovered pointing to your site, and it costs nothing.
  • Paid tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush find more backlinks than Google does, including some Google hasn't indexed yet.
  • You can check a single URL or your entire domain, depending on whether you're tracking one page or your whole site's incoming links.
  • Backlinks matter because they influence search rankings and tell you where your traffic is coming from.
  • If you find links pointing to an old URL you've moved, you can set up a redirect to send that traffic to the new page.

Using Google Search Console to see your backlinks

Google Search Console is the fastest way to start because you likely already have access. Log in to your Google account, go to search.google.com/search-console, and select your property (your domain). On the left sidebar, click Links, then choose External links. Google will show you a list of the top pages linking to your site, the pages on your site they're linking to, and how many total backlinks you have.

To check a specific URL instead of your whole domain, you'll need to use the URL inspection tool at the top of Search Console. Type in the exact URL you want to check, and Google will show you data for that page alone, including which sites link to it. This is useful if you've moved a page and want to see whether old links are still pointing to the outdated URL.

Search Console updates this data roughly every few weeks, so if you added a link yesterday, it won't show up when ready. The tool also only shows links Google has found and indexed — it won't catch every backlink on the internet, but it shows the ones that matter for search rankings.

Checking backlinks with free online tools

If you don't have Google Search Console set up yet, or if you want a second opinion, free backlink checkers like Ubersuggest, Small SEO Tools, or MozBar will give you results without signing up. Go to the tool's website, paste your URL into the search box, and it will return a list of backlinks it has found. These tools pull from their own databases rather than Google's, so you might see different results than Search Console shows.

Free tools usually have limits: they might show you only the top 10 or 20 backlinks instead of all of them, or they might update less frequently than paid services. But for a quick check of whether your URL has any incoming links at all, they're fast and require no setup. The trade-off is that you're seeing a partial picture — there are almost certainly more backlinks than the free tool displays.

Using paid tools for a complete backlink picture

Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz are the industry standard for backlink research because they crawl the web continuously and find links that smaller tools miss. All three require a paid subscription, but they offer free trials that last a few days. If you're checking backlinks for a business site or you need to do this regularly, the subscription cost is usually worth it because you get a much more complete list.

With Ahrefs, log in, go to Site Explorer, paste your URL, and click the Backlinks tab. You'll see every backlink Ahrefs has found, sorted by how much authority that linking site has. SEMrush works similarly: go to Backlink Analytics, enter your domain, and browse the full list. Moz's Link Explorer shows backlinks and also rates them by quality. All three tools let you filter by domain, anchor text, or link type, so you can focus on the links that matter most to you.

The main advantage of paid tools is volume and speed. They find backlinks faster than Google does, and they show you links from sites Google hasn't indexed yet. They also give you competitive intelligence — you can paste a competitor's URL and see where they're getting links from, which can suggest places to reach out to.

Understanding what the results mean

When you see a list of backlinks, each entry shows the linking page's URL, the anchor text (the clickable words), and usually a quality score. Anchor text is important because it tells search engines what your page is about. If ten sites link to your page using the words "how to fix a leaky faucet," Google learns that your page is about fixing leaky faucets. If the anchor text is just "click here," Google learns less.

The quality score (called Domain Authority in Moz, Domain Rating in Ahrefs, or Authority Score in SEMrush) tells you how much weight that backlink probably carries. A link from a major news site or established industry publication will have a higher score than a link from a brand-new blog. One high-quality backlink often matters more than ten low-quality ones.

You'll also see whether the link is dofollow or nofollow. A dofollow link passes authority to your site and helps your search rankings. A nofollow link tells search engines not to count it toward your ranking, though it can still send you traffic. Most backlinks are dofollow, but some sites use nofollow on all external links as a policy.

What to do if you find broken or outdated backlinks

If you discover that multiple sites are linking to an old URL you've moved, set up a redirect from the old URL to the new one. This sends both visitors and search engine credit from the old page to the new page. In most website platforms, you can create a redirect through settings or a plugin — the exact steps depend on whether you use WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or another platform.

If you find a backlink that's broken (the link is dead or points to a 404 error), you can reach out to the site that's linking to you and ask them to update it. This is called broken link outreach. Keep the message short: tell them you noticed they linked to a page that no longer exists, and offer the new URL as a replacement. Many site owners will update it because it benefits them too — they don't want their readers hitting dead links.

You might also find backlinks from sites you don't want to be associated with. If a link is from spam, adult content, or a site that violates Google's policies, you can disavow it in Google Search Console. Go to Links, then Disavow Links, and upload a file listing the URLs you want to disavow. Google will ignore those links when calculating your ranking.

Tracking backlinks over time

Backlink checkers let you monitor how your backlink count changes week to week or month to month. Google Search Console shows a graph of your total backlinks over time on the Links page. Paid tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush let you set up alerts so you're notified when you gain a new backlink or when a competitor gains one.

Tracking matters because a sudden drop in backlinks can signal a problem — maybe a major site removed a link, or Google stopped indexing some of your backlinks. A steady increase usually means your content is getting more visibility. If you're running a content marketing campaign, checking backlinks monthly helps you see whether your outreach efforts are working.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see backlinks to a URL that's not my own site?

Yes. Google Search Console only works for sites you own, but free and paid backlink checkers will show backlinks to any public URL. Paste a competitor's URL into Ahrefs, SEMrush, or a free tool, and you'll see where they're getting links from. This is how you research competitor link strategies.

Why does Google Search Console show fewer backlinks than other tools?

Google only reports backlinks it has found and indexed. Paid tools crawl the web more frequently and find links from sites Google hasn't discovered yet. Google's numbers are usually more conservative, but they're the ones that matter most for your search rankings because they're what Google actually uses to rank you.

Do I need to remove or disavow every bad backlink?

No. Google is good at ignoring spam links on its own. You only need to disavow links if you notice a pattern of spam pointing to your site, or if you're concerned about a manual penalty. Most backlinks, even low-quality ones, won't hurt you.

How often should I check my backlinks?

Monthly is a good rhythm for most sites. If you're actively doing outreach or running a marketing campaign, checking every two weeks helps you see results faster. For a small personal site, checking once a quarter is fine.

What's the difference between a backlink and a citation?

A backlink is a clickable link from another site to yours. A citation is a mention of your business name, address, or phone number without a link — common in local business directories. Both matter for local search rankings, but backlinks carry more weight for general search results.