How to check a website's backlinks for free

Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. They're one of the signals search engines use to judge a page, so knowing who links to a site, and to which pages, is a basic part of any SEO review. You can get useful backlink data without paying. How much you get depends on whether you own the site.

If it's your site (or a client's, with access)

Google Search Console

This is the first place to look, because the data comes from Google itself.

1. Verify the site in Google Search Console if it isn't already.

2. Open Links in the left sidebar.

3. Under External links, look at three lists:

- Top linked pages: which of your pages earn links

- Top linking sites: which domains link to you

- Top linking text: the anchor text other sites use

4. Click any linking site to see which of your pages it links to.

5. Use Export external links to download the data.

Two things to keep in mind. The export is a sample, not necessarily every link. And Search Console doesn't show the quality of a link or its follow/nofollow status, so you'll need to judge that yourself.

Ahrefs' free plan for verified sites

Ahrefs offers a free plan (formerly called Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) for sites you verify. Its Site Explorer shows which sites link to yours, alongside a Site Audit tool. It's useful as a second opinion next to Search Console, because a third-party index can surface links that Search Console's lists don't show.

If it's a site you don't own (a competitor or prospect)

Without ownership you can't use Search Console, so you depend on third-party indexes. Your free options:

• Free backlink checkers. Several SEO tool vendors offer a free checker that shows a limited preview, usually the top links and a summary. Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz all offer some free access. The limits change, so check each one's current terms.
• Google search operators. These are rough but free. Try searching for the domain in quotes while excluding the site itself:

"example.com" -site:example.com

This finds pages that mention the domain. Many of those mentions will be links, and the ones that aren't are outreach opportunities.

• Look where links usually come from. Check industry directories, "best tools" roundups, local business listings and partner pages in the niche. If a competitor shows up there and you don't, that's your list.

No free tool sees the whole web. Expect different tools to show different numbers for the same site. Compare patterns, not exact counts.

How to judge whether a backlink is any good

A list of links only matters once you know which ones count. For each important linking site, ask:

1. Is it relevant? A link from a site in the same industry or location usually counts for more than a random one.

2. Is it a real site with real readers? Open it. Does it have content people would actually read, or is it a page of links?

3. Where is the link? A link inside an article's main text is usually worth more than one in a footer, sidebar or comment.

4. What's the anchor text? Natural anchor text is varied: brand names, URLs, descriptive phrases. Lots of exact-match keyword anchors can be a warning sign.

5. Does it point at a page that matters? Links to a dead page or an old redirect chain waste value. Fix or redirect the target.

What to do with what you find

• Broken targets: if other sites link to pages on your site that now return a 404, redirect those URLs (with a 301) to the closest live page.
• Unlinked mentions: if a site mentions the brand without linking, a polite request often gets a link added.
• Competitor gaps: list sites that link to two or more competitors but not to you. These are your best outreach targets.
• Spammy links: most low-quality links can simply be ignored. Google's disavow tool is meant for specific cases, such as links you or a past contractor built that violate Google's spam policies. Don't use it just because a tool marked a link "toxic."

Pitfalls

• Treating one tool's backlink count as the truth.
• Disavowing links without a clear reason.
• Counting links and ignoring which pages they point to.
• Forgetting to export Search Console data now and then, so you can compare it over time.

A quicker way to look while you browse

We're building Auditfold, a browser extension that will show link and on-page insights for the site you're viewing, so you can size up a prospect's or competitor's site without switching tools. It's coming soon. Until then, the free methods above will get you most of the way.