Where to find your backlinks for free

A backlink is straightforward another website linking to yours. Search engines use backlinks as a signal that your site is worth reading — the more links pointing to you, the more authority search engines assign to your pages. You can check your backlinks using free tools without paying for software or hiring someone.

Google Search Console is the fastest place to start. It is Google's own tool, and it shows you which sites link to you, which of your pages get the most links, and whether Google has found any problems with those links. You need a Google account and ownership verification of your website — usually by uploading a file or adding a code snippet to your site's header.

Bing Webmaster Tools works the same way for Bing's search engine. Both tools are free and take about ten minutes to set up. If you run a small local business or blog, Google Search Console alone will show you most of what matters.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are free and show you which websites link to yours directly from Google and Bing's data.
  • Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz offer free limited versions that show backlinks but with fewer results than their paid plans.
  • Backlink checkers show you the linking site's domain authority, which tells you whether a link helps your search ranking or hurts it.
  • A backlink from a high-authority site (like a news outlet or university) helps your ranking more than a link from a new or low-quality site.
  • You should check your backlinks monthly to spot spam links or competitors copying your content, then disavow the bad ones in Google Search Console.

Using free backlink checker tools

If you want to see more backlinks than Google Search Console shows, or if you want to compare your backlinks to a competitor's, use a free backlink checker. Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz all offer free versions with limited results. Type your domain name into the tool and it will show you a list of sites linking to you, sorted by how much authority each linking site has.

The free versions usually show your top 10 to 100 backlinks instead of all of them. That is enough to understand whether your links are coming from quality sites or spam. The paid versions show every backlink and let you filter by link type, anchor text, and date found — but for most small websites, the free version answers the question you actually have.

These tools pull data from their own web crawlers, not directly from Google, so the numbers will not match Google Search Console exactly. That is normal. Google Search Console is more accurate for your own site because it has Google's actual data. The third-party tools are more useful for comparing yourself to competitors, since you cannot access their Google Search Console.

Understanding domain authority and link quality

Not all backlinks help equally. A link from a site with high domain authority — a score that represents how much search engines trust that site — helps your ranking much more than a link from a brand-new site with no authority. Backlink checkers show you this score so you can tell which links matter.

A link from a news outlet, university, or established industry publication is worth far more than a link from a random blog or forum. Search engines assume that if a trusted site links to you, you must be trustworthy too. A link from a low-authority site or a site in a completely different industry may not help at all.

You should also check whether the link is dofollow or nofollow. A dofollow link passes authority to your site and helps your ranking. A nofollow link tells search engines not to count it toward your ranking — it still brings traffic if someone clicks it, but it does not improve your search visibility. Most backlink checkers show you which type each link is.

Spotting spam backlinks and when to disavow them

Spam backlinks come from low-quality sites, link farms, or sites in unrelated industries. They can actually hurt your ranking if search engines think you are trying to game the system by buying links or trading links with irrelevant sites. Check your backlinks monthly to catch spam before it becomes a problem.

If you find backlinks from obvious spam sites — gambling sites, adult sites, or sites with thousands of outgoing links to random domains — you can disavow them in Google Search Console. Disavowing tells Google to ignore those links when calculating your ranking. Go to the Disavow Links tool in Google Search Console, upload a text file listing the domains you want to disavow, and Google will stop counting them.

Do not disavow links from legitimate sites just because they are low-authority. Disavow only links that are clearly spam or from sites trying to manipulate search rankings. If a real business or publication links to you, even a small one, that link is usually worth keeping.

Checking backlinks to specific pages on your site

Your homepage probably gets the most backlinks, but individual pages can also attract links. Google Search Console shows you which of your pages have the most backlinks and which sites are linking to them. This tells you which content is resonating with other websites and which pages are your strongest in search rankings.

If one page gets many backlinks but does not rank well, it may need better on-page optimization — clearer headings, better keyword use, or more detailed content. If a page ranks well but has few backlinks, you might reach out to relevant sites and ask them to link to it, or create more content that naturally attracts links.

You can also see which of your pages link to other pages on your site. Internal links help search engines understand your site structure and distribute authority across your pages. If you have a high-authority page, linking from it to other pages on your site helps those pages rank better too.

Comparing your backlinks to competitors

Use a free backlink checker to see where your competitors are getting links. Type a competitor's domain into Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz and you will see their top backlinks. This shows you which sites in your industry are worth reaching out to, which publications cover your topic, and where you might be missing opportunities.

If a competitor has a backlink from a site you think would link to you too, that is a lead. You can contact that site and pitch your own content. If you see that competitors are getting links from industry directories, news outlets, or trade publications, those are places to focus your outreach.

Do not try to copy a competitor's backlinks exactly — search engines can tell when links are unnatural or bought. Instead, use their backlinks as a map of which types of sites in your industry link to content like yours, then create content worth linking to and reach out to those sites yourself.

How often to check and what to track

Check your backlinks in Google Search Console once a month. This is enough to spot major changes, new spam links, or lost links. If you are actively trying to build backlinks through outreach or content marketing, check more often — weekly or every two weeks — to see which efforts are working.

Track the total number of backlinks, the number of referring domains (unique sites linking to you, not total links), and your average domain authority. These three numbers tell you whether your link profile is growing, whether you are getting links from diverse sources, and whether the quality of your links is improving.

If your backlinks suddenly drop, check whether you lost links from major sites or whether Google straightforward re-crawled and found fewer links than before. A small drop is normal. A large drop from a single site usually means that site removed your link or went offline. A drop across many sites might mean Google found spam in your link profile and is filtering it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to pay for a backlink checker?

No. Google Search Console is free and shows you your actual backlinks from Google's data. Free versions of Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz show enough backlinks to understand your link profile. Paid plans show more backlinks and more filtering options, but most small websites do not need them.

What is a good number of backlinks to have?

There is no magic number. A site with 50 backlinks from high-authority sites will rank better than a site with 500 backlinks from spam sites. Focus on link quality and diversity — links from different domains in your industry — rather than the total count.

Can backlinks hurt my search ranking?

Yes, if they are from spam sites or if you bought them. Search engines penalize sites with unnatural link patterns. If you find spam backlinks, disavow them in Google Search Console. If you built links naturally through good content, they will help your ranking.

How long does a new backlink take to show up in search results?

Google usually finds and indexes new backlinks within a few days to a few weeks, depending on how often it crawls the linking site. You may see a new backlink in a backlink checker before Google Search Console shows it, since third-party tools crawl the web on their own schedule.

Should I reach out to sites linking to my competitors and ask them to link to me instead?

No. Instead, create content that is better or different from your competitor's, then reach out and explain why your content is worth linking to. Sites want to link to the best resource for their readers, not to help you compete. Focus on making your content link-worthy rather than asking for links directly.