How to Find & Check Backlinks (for Any Website)

Backlinks are links from different websites pointing to your site. And getting high-quality backlinks tin assistance you fertile higher successful the hunt results.

In this guide, we’ll amusement you however to analyse your ain site’s backlinks. And however to analyse your competitors’ links to find caller backlinking opportunities.

But earlier we dive into circumstantial tactics, let’s spell implicit what a backlink investigation involves. 

What Is a Backlink Analysis?

A backlink investigation is the process of measuring the quantity and prime of your backlinks and your competitor’s backlinks.

It involves utilizing backlink-checking tools to understand:

• Who’s linking to the website
• The prime of the linking domains
• The anchor text (the clickable substance that indicates a link) utilized for the backlinks
• The types of backlinks a tract has (which tin power whether they walk ranking strength)

These details supply clues astir a site’s backlink profile. And whether it’s healthy. 

For example, a high-quality backlink illustration typically features links from a assortment of applicable and trusted sites. With a scope of anchor texts and types of backlinks.

Why Are Backlink Analyses Important for SEO?

A backlink investigation is important for SEO due to the fact that it helps you negociate your backlink profile. And a beardown backlink illustration tin assistance you fertile precocious successful Google’s integrated (unpaid) hunt results.

Plus, a backlink investigation tin uncover caller backlink opportunities. 

For example, during your analysis, you mightiness announcement a ample fig of your backlinks are to lawsuit studies. This apt means lawsuit studies are a valuable, link-worthy benignant of contented successful your niche. 

You tin leverage this penetration to make much lawsuit studies.

Below, we’ll research 2 effectual methods for discovering backlink opportunities for your site.

Use Backlink Analytics

Semrush’s Backlink Analytics instrumentality gives you penetration into your ain backlinks. And your competitors' backlinks, too.

First, participate your domain (or 1 of your competitors’) and click “Analyze.”

You’ll past spot a high-level overview of that domain’s nexus profile. For a elaborate look astatine the idiosyncratic backlinks, spell to the “Backlinks” tab.

You’ll past spot insights similar circumstantial backlinks, the linking page’s Authority Score (a measurement of its wide prime connected a standard from 0 to 100), and the anchor substance for those links. 

Use this study to measure the relevance and prime of links pointing to a site.

Because not each links are equal. And you request to see nexus quality, not conscionable nexus quantity. 

For example, ideate you’re successful the wellness and fittingness niche. 

Having a fewer links from authoritative and applicable sites similar WebMD, Healthline, and Men’s Health would usually beryllium much invaluable than having tons of links from random, unrelated sites.

You tin besides filter and benignant the links by assorted criteria, specified arsenic Authority Score, the existent presumption of the nexus (active, new, and lost), the clip play erstwhile the links were acquired, and the nexus type.

To amusement lone progressive links that walk authority, click the “Active” and “Follow” tabs astatine the apical of the table.

Backlink Analytics besides lets you spot which pages connected a website person the astir backlinks. And which sites constituent to each page.

Just spell to the “Indexed Pages” tab. And you’ll spot the astir linked-to content. Sorted by referring domains—the fig of unsocial sites linking to a fixed page.

Clicking the fig of backlinks oregon domains for a fixed leafage volition instrumentality you to a study for that circumstantial URL.

Analyzing these pages helps you recognize which contented attracts the astir backlinks successful your niche. And however you tin make akin oregon amended contented to get much links successful the future. 

Finally, clicking the “Anchors” tab gives you a database of the linked substance utilized for each backlink.

This study helps you spot what substance different sites usage to nexus to your oregon a competitor’s pages. Which tin uncover insights. 

For example, let’s accidental a rival has a batch of backlinks with anchor substance that matches their marque sanction (like “bellroy” successful the representation above). This suggests they person a precocious level of brand awareness. 

Or possibly you’ll spot links utilizing anchor substance that your akin pages don’t presently usage arsenic keywords. Which tin springiness you optimization ideas.

You tin besides cheque the anchor substance utilized for links to circumstantial pages. To amended recognize what presumption different sites usage to nexus to a peculiar page.

While inactive successful the “Anchors” tab, adhd the URL of the leafage you privation to cheque successful the input box. And prime “Exact URL” successful the drop-down astatine the top.

This volition amusement anchor substance circumstantial to the leafage you privation to analyze. 

Use Backlink Gap

The Backlink Analytics instrumentality lets you research and analyse the links of immoderate website successful detail. But if you privation to cognize however to cheque backlinks that your competitors person but you don’t, usage the Backlink Gap tool.

To get started, participate your domain sanction and up to 4 competitors. Then click “Find prospects.”

The instrumentality analyzes each the entered sites and shows you referring domains linking lone to your competitors (this is what the default “Best” tab shows).

These are links you’re missing retired on. 

Look for prospects with precocious Authority Scores (the “AS” column) and a precocious fig of monthly visits. These are apt authoritative and popular sites.

And due to the fact that they nexus to each of your competitors, they’re apt to beryllium applicable to your niche arsenic well.

The instrumentality besides lets you filter domains by antithetic categories, specified as:

• Weak: These are the sites that nexus to you little often than to your competitors. Use this tab to find sites you whitethorn privation to get much links from.
• Strong: These are the sites that nexus lone to you and not to your competitors. Use this tab to spot your unsocial nexus advantages.
• Shared: These are the sites that nexus to some you and your competitors. Use this tab to spot however you comparison with your competitors successful presumption of nexus quantity and prime from these sites.
• Unique: These are the sites that nexus to lone 1 circumstantial domain, either yours oregon 1 of your competitors. Use this tab to spot your competitors’ exclusive nexus sources. And effort to replicate them.
• All: This tab shows you each the links crossed each the entered domains. Which tin item sites that nexus to immoderate but not each of your competitors.

Once you travel crossed a imaginable you privation to interaction for a link, prime it utilizing the checkbox. Then click “Start Outreach.”

A paper volition popup. Select your tract successful the “Project:” conception and click “Send prospects.”

This adds these prospects to the Link Building Tool—which we’ll spell implicit later. 

How to Find Backlinks with Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) tin assistance you find which sites nexus to you. Along with different utile accusation similar the anchor substance they usage and however galore links constituent to each leafage connected your site.

Here’s however to find backlinks with Google Search Console:

1. Sign successful to your Google Search Console account
2. Click “Links” successful the left-hand navigation menu
3. Review the “External links” reports (“Top linked pages,” “Top linking sites,” and “Top liking text”)
4. Click “More” to drill into circumstantial reports

The “Top linked pages” study tells you however galore incoming links each leafage has. Including however galore sites those links travel from.

Ideally, you privation a scope of applicable and authoritative referring domains. Because that reflects a earthy profile. 

So, reappraisal your pages to spot if you person a scope of antithetic sites linking to each one.

You tin besides click a circumstantial leafage to reappraisal which domains nexus to it. 

Clicking a domain volition past amusement you the circumstantial leafage connected that domain the nexus comes from.

The “Top linking sites” study shows you which domains nexus to your tract the most. And however galore pages they each nexus to.

Clicking a tract shows you which pages that tract links to. And however galore full outer links (backlinks) travel from that tract successful total.

This study tin beryllium utile for spotting pages that you whitethorn privation to physique much backlinks to. 

Lastly, the “Top linking text” study tells you the nexus substance (anchor text) utilized for the backlinks pointing to you. Sorted by frequency.

Use this study to support way of your anchor text. And marque definite it’s applicable and varied. 

How to Audit the Backlink Profile of Any Website

While checking backlinks, you tin besides execute a speedy audit to measure the wide prime of a site’s nexus profile.

Here are immoderate things to look for erstwhile doing a backlink audit:

• Total fig of backlinks: More links mostly help, but retrieve that prime typically matters much than quantity. So, links from relevant, trusted websites are the astir valuable.
• Number of referring domains: A higher fig of referring domains indicates a much divers and earthy nexus profile
• Authority Scores of referring domains: Links from reputable, high-authority sites successful your manufacture are best. And a precocious people is simply a bully denotation of a tract that meets this criteria.
• Anchor substance diversity: Varied, natural-looking anchor substance is ideal. Rather than over-optimized, keyword-loaded links.
• Link velocity (the complaint astatine which a tract gains links): Steady, earthy maturation implicit clip is preferred. Compared to an unnatural spike successful links.
• Follow vs. nofollow links: “Follow” links tin walk authority. Nofollow links don’t, but they tin inactive nonstop immoderate benefits your mode if they’re from fashionable websites (via postulation and/or marque awareness). 
• Link location: Links higher up successful contented are typically seen arsenic much valuable. As they’re much apt to beryllium clicked by a idiosyncratic than those further down oregon nested successful navigation bars.
• Toxicity Score (a metric indicating the hazard level of low-quality links): Links from low-quality, spammy sites tin harm your site’s SEO if you person excessively many

Evaluating these factors volition springiness you a consciousness of the wide prime and SEO worth of your site's nexus profile.

Use Semrush’s Backlink Audit instrumentality to summation insights into your website’s backlink profile.

Set up a task successful Backlink Audit and commencement the audit. Once it’s ready, you’ll spot a study with the pursuing details:

The wide Toxicity Score (based connected the proportionality of perchance toxic backlinks the tract has):

The full fig of referring domains, backlinks, and Authority Score:

The most-used anchor substance for linking: 

And what percent of links are travel versus nofollow:

Regularly audit your backlinks to recognize wherever you tin amended successful your nexus gathering efforts. 

Build Backlinks to Your Site (At Scale)

Relevant backlinks from authoritative websites tin assistance your ain tract fertile higher successful the hunt results. 

So you tin thrust much integrated traffic. And ultimately, crook much of that postulation into leads and sales.

A bully mode to standard your nexus gathering efforts is by utilizing Semrush’s Link Building Tool.

This instrumentality allows you to find caller nexus gathering opportunities, negociate outreach, and show your progress. All successful 1 place.

To begin, create a task successful the Link Building Tool. Or prime a task if you’ve already created one.

Then, spell to the “Prospects” section, wherever you'll find a database of websites that could perchance nexus to you.

Carefully reappraisal each tract and prime the ones you privation to interaction by clicking “To In Progress” to determination them to the adjacent stage.

Go to the “In Progress” tab and take a tract to interaction by clicking the “Contact” fastener adjacent to their name.

Then, constitute and nonstop an outreach email to them.

Be definite to travel proven outreach champion practices similar utilizing personalization and providing worth to the website owner.

Ready to effort this instrumentality and the different ones mentioned successful this article?

Sign up for a escaped trial to commencement getting backlinks to your tract today.