What backlinks are and why they matter
A backlink is a link from another website pointing to yours. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of confidence — the more websites that link to you, the more authoritative your site appears. This affects where your pages show up in search results.
Not all backlinks carry the same weight. A link from a well-known industry publication matters more than a link from a brand-new blog. A link from a site in your field matters more than a random link from an unrelated topic. Search engines look at the quality and relevance of the linking site, not just the quantity of links pointing at you.
Checking your backlinks tells you who is talking about your business, which pages on your site are getting attention from other websites, and whether you have any low-quality or spammy links that could hurt your search ranking.
Key Takeaways
- Free tools like Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools show you backlinks that search engines have found, though they do not show every link.
- Paid tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz find more backlinks than free tools because they crawl the web continuously and maintain larger databases.
- Check both the total number of backlinks and the quality of the sites linking to you — one link from a trusted site beats dozens from low-quality sources.
- Look for backlinks you did not expect or request, as these may be spam or from competitors trying to harm your ranking.
Using Google Search Console to find backlinks
Google Search Console is free and shows you backlinks that Google itself has discovered on your site. Go to search.google.com/search-console, sign in with your Google account, and select your website property from the list.
Click Links in the left menu. You will see a section called "Top linking sites" showing which domains link to you most often, and "Top linked pages" showing which pages on your site receive the most backlinks. You can read a full list of backlinks by clicking the read icon.
Google Search Console does not show every backlink on the internet — it only shows the ones Google has found and indexed. Many backlinks exist that Google has not yet discovered, especially on smaller or newer websites. For a more complete picture, you need a third-party tool.
Using Bing Webmaster Tools for a second opinion
Bing Webmaster Tools offers similar information and sometimes finds backlinks that Google has not yet indexed. Go to www.bing.com/webmasters, sign in, and select your site.
Click Backlinks in the left menu to see which sites link to you. Bing's data often overlaps with Google's, but occasionally you will find backlinks in Bing that do not appear in Google Search Console yet. Checking both gives you a more complete view of who is linking to you.
Like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools is free and requires you to verify ownership of your website before you can see the data.
Finding more backlinks with free third-party tools
Ubersuggest (ubersuggest.com) and Backlink Checker by Small SEO Tools (smallseotools.com/backlink-checker) let you enter your domain and see a sample of backlinks without paying. These tools find backlinks that Google and Bing have not yet indexed, giving you a broader view.
The free versions show you a limited number of results — usually the top 20 to 50 backlinks — rather than your complete backlink profile. They are useful for a quick check or for spotting obvious patterns, but they do not replace paid tools for a thorough analysis.
These tools work without requiring you to verify your website, so you can check any domain, including competitors' sites. This is useful for understanding what kinds of backlinks successful sites in your industry have.
Using paid tools for a complete backlink picture
Paid tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz crawl the web constantly and maintain databases of billions of backlinks. They find far more backlinks than free tools and show you details like the anchor text (the clickable words in the link), the page authority of the linking site, and when the link was first discovered.
Ahrefs and SEMrush both offer free trials or limited free versions. Ahrefs' free backlink checker shows your top 100 backlinks. SEMrush's free plan includes limited backlink reports. Moz's free plan includes a backlink analysis tool with a limited number of queries per month.
If you check backlinks regularly or manage multiple websites, a paid subscription to one of these tools usually pays for itself through the time you save and the insights you gain. Prices range from roughly $100 to $500 per month depending on the tool and the features you need.
What to look for when reviewing your backlinks
Start by looking at the quality of the linking sites. A backlink from a well-established news outlet or industry authority matters far more than a link from a new or low-traffic site. Check whether the linking site is in your industry or field — a link from a relevant site carries more weight than a link from an unrelated topic.
Look at the anchor text — the words that form the clickable link. If most of your backlinks use anchor text like "click here" or your exact domain name, that is normal. If you see many backlinks with keyword-stuffed anchor text like "best plumbing services in Denver" when you did not request those links, that may be a sign of spam or a competitor trying to manipulate your ranking.
Check for unexpected or suspicious backlinks. If you see links from casino sites, pharmaceutical sites, or other unrelated industries when your business is in a completely different field, those are likely spam. Report these to Google using the Disavow Tool in Search Console so Google knows you do not endorse them.
Comparing your backlinks to competitors
Most paid backlink tools let you enter a competitor's domain and see their backlinks. This shows you where your competitors are getting links and suggests places where you might pitch your own content or reach out for coverage.
Look for patterns: Do your competitors have backlinks from industry directories? Local business listings? News outlets? Trade publications? These are often good targets for your own outreach. If a competitor has a backlink from a site you think would be relevant to your business, that site may be worth contacting.
Do not try to copy a competitor's backlink strategy exactly. Instead, use it as a starting point to understand which types of sites in your industry link to businesses like yours, then focus on creating content worth linking to and building genuine relationships with those sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I check my backlinks?
Check your backlinks monthly or quarterly to spot trends and catch spam early. If you are actively building links through outreach or content marketing, checking more frequently helps you see which efforts are working. Set a calendar reminder so you do not forget.
Does a backlink help my ranking when ready?
No. Search engines need time to discover the backlink, evaluate the quality of the linking site, and update your ranking. This can take anywhere from days to weeks. Backlinks from high-authority sites are usually processed faster than links from new or low-traffic sites.
What should I do if I find spam backlinks pointing to my site?
Use Google Search Console's Disavow Tool to tell Google you do not endorse those links. Go to Search Console, click Links, then click the Disavow links button. Upload a text file listing the domains or URLs you want to disavow, one per line. Google will reduce the weight of those links in your ranking.
Can I check backlinks for any website, or only my own?
You can check backlinks for any website using free or paid third-party tools. You do not need to own the site. However, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools require you to verify ownership before showing you backlink data for your own site.
Why does Google Search Console show fewer backlinks than other tools?
Google Search Console only shows backlinks that Google has found and indexed. Paid tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush crawl the web independently and find backlinks that Google has not yet discovered. Over time, Google usually finds most of the same links, but there is always a lag.