Link Building

How to Check Backlinks of a Website

8 min read

Backlinks, links from other websites to yours, are one of Google's strongest ranking signals. Checking them tells you how much authority a site has earned, which pages attract links, and where the opportunities are. You can check backlinks for your own site or for any competitor, because backlink data is gathered by independent crawlers, not from the site's own analytics. This guide shows you how to check backlinks for free, what the numbers actually mean, and how to use them to build more links of your own.

Step-by-Step Guide

Start with Google Search Console for your own site

For a site you own, Google Search Console is the free, official source. Open Links then External links to see your total backlinks, your top linked pages, the sites linking to you most, and your most-used anchor text. It doesn't show every link, but it's Google's own view of your profile, so it's the best free starting point.

Use a backlink checker for the full picture (or any competitor)

Search Console only covers sites you own and shows a sample. To see a complete profile, or to check a competitor, use a backlink checker tool. Enter any domain to get its total backlinks, referring domains, authority score, and the individual linking pages. This works for any website because the data comes from independent web crawls.

Focus on referring domains, not raw backlink count

One site linking to you 500 times counts as 500 backlinks but only one referring domain. Referring domains, the number of unique websites linking to you, is the metric that actually reflects authority. A profile with 200 referring domains is far stronger than one with 5,000 backlinks from a single site.

Judge link quality, not just quantity

Not all links are equal. A single link from a respected, topically relevant site outweighs hundreds from low-quality directories. Check each linking site's authority, its relevance to your topic, whether the link is follow or nofollow, and the surrounding context. A high spam score is a red flag.

Analyze a competitor's backlinks for opportunities

The most useful backlink check is on your competitors. Find the sites linking to them but not to you, those are realistic prospects, since they already link to sites in your niche. This is called a link gap, and it turns a backlink check into a concrete outreach list.

Watch for lost and broken backlinks

Profiles change over time. Track lost backlinks (links that disappeared) so you can try to win them back, and broken backlinks (links pointing to dead pages on your site) so you can redirect them and recover the lost authority. Both are quick wins most sites ignore.

Pro Tips

Referring domains beats total backlinks every time, one link each from 100 sites is worth far more than 100 links from one.
The highest-value use of a backlink check is competitor link-gap analysis, it hands you a ready-made outreach list.
Reclaim broken backlinks first: redirecting a dead linked page recovers authority you already earned, no outreach needed.
A few relevant, authoritative links move rankings more than a large volume of low-quality ones, prioritise quality.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Chasing backlink quantity over quality

A big backlink number looks impressive but means little if the links come from spammy, irrelevant sites. Google weighs relevance and authority heavily. A handful of strong, on-topic links will outrank thousands of junk ones.

Only checking your own profile

Your own backlinks tell you where you stand; your competitors' backlinks tell you where to go next. Skipping competitor analysis means missing the clearest, highest-probability list of link opportunities available to you.

Ignoring nofollow and anchor-text context

Not every link passes authority, and over-optimised anchor text can look manipulative to Google. Read links in context: a natural mix of follow and nofollow with varied, relevant anchors is healthy; a flood of exact-match anchors is a risk.

How Keyword Kick Makes It Easy

Full backlink profile for any domain: referring domains, authority, anchors, and follow/nofollow split
Competitor link-gap analysis that hands you a ranked list of realistic outreach prospects
Broken and lost backlink tracking so you can reclaim authority you've already earned

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I check the backlinks of a website for free?

For your own site, Google Search Console (Links report) is free and official. For any website including competitors, use a free backlink checker tool, enter the domain to see referring domains, total backlinks, and the linking pages. Free tiers show a sample; paid plans reveal the full profile.

How do I check a competitor's backlinks?

Enter the competitor's domain into a backlink checker to see who links to them. The highest-value move is a link-gap analysis: find the domains linking to your competitor but not to you. Because they already link to sites in your niche, they're your most realistic outreach targets.

Can I check backlinks without owning the website?

Yes. Backlink data is collected by independent web crawlers, not from a site's private analytics, so a backlink checker can show any public site's links without any access. This is exactly why backlink analysis works for competitor research.

What is a good number of backlinks?

There's no universal target, it depends on your niche and competitors. Focus on referring domains (unique linking sites) rather than raw backlinks, and compare against the sites you're trying to outrank. Matching or exceeding their referring-domain count from quality sources is a practical goal.

Do nofollow backlinks help SEO?

Nofollow links pass less direct ranking authority than follow links, but they still add value: referral traffic, brand exposure, and a natural-looking profile. A healthy backlink profile has a mix of both, an all-follow profile can look manipulated.

How often should I check my backlinks?

A monthly check is enough for most sites to track new, lost, and broken links and to spot competitor movements. Check more often after a link-building campaign or a ranking drop, when you want to see changes quickly.

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