How to Use the Google Search Console Links Report

What Is the Google Search Console Links Report?

The Google Search Console (GSC) Links study gives you accusation astir your site’s backlinks—i.e., links from outer sites pointing to yours—and interior links—i.e., links connected your tract that constituent to different pages connected your site.

Search engines mostly spot backlinks arsenic votes of confidence. Which means backlinks from reputable and applicable sites whitethorn assistance your contented fertile higher successful hunt results. 

Internal links, connected the different hand, assistance hunt engines observe pages connected your site. And assistance users navigate to antithetic pages. 

Why Is the Links Report Helpful for SEO?

GSC’s Links study helps you find applicable information astir backlinks and internal links, truthful you tin refine your linking techniques to effort to amended rankings.

The Links study shows you the pursuing data:

1. Top linked pages: Pages connected your tract that get the astir backlinks
2. Top linking sites: External sites that nexus to you the most
3. Top linking text: The astir communal anchor text (link text) utilized successful links to your site
4. Top internally linked pages: Pages connected your tract with the astir interior links

And it looks similar this:

The Links study successful GSC doesn’t supply the afloat representation due to the fact that the information is sampled, it tin amusement links you’ve since lost, it doesn’t separate betwixt invaluable travel links and little invaluable nofollow links, etc.

So, it’s utile to supplement that information with accusation from Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool.

How to Access and Navigate the Google Search Console Links Report

Access the Google Search Console Links study by logging successful to your GSC account.

After logging in, prime the applicable spot from the drop-down astatine the top. Then, click “Links” astatine the bottommost of the left-hand menu. 

Let’s look astatine what you tin bash from here.

Get External Links Data

The “External links” file shows information similar which of your pages has the astir backlinks, which websites nexus to each page, and what anchor substance those sites used.

Click connected 1 of the links nether “Top linked pages” to see:

• How galore backlinks the people leafage has
• How galore sites nexus to that page
• A database of domains that nexus to the people page

Get Internal Links Data

The “Internal links” file shows information similar however your pages are linked to each other, which tin assistance Google find applicable and related pages connected your site.

Click connected 1 of the pages nether “Top linked pages” to see:

• How galore interior links constituent to that page
• A database of pages that nexus to that page

Export Links Report Data

You tin export some outer and interior nexus information for further investigation to an Excel papers oregon akin software.

Click connected "Export External Links" successful the precocious close country and prime "Latest links" to export a database of the astir caller backlinks to your site.

Or, prime “More illustration links” to export a illustration of the afloat database of backlinks to your site.

You tin besides extract much granular information by clicking “MORE >” underneath the main dashboard reports and clicking the “Export” fastener connected the corresponding page. 

How to Interpret Link Data

The Google Search Console Links study tin assistance you amended your outer and interior linking strategies. Here’s however to usage each report:

Top Externally Linked Pages

Use this study to corroborate you person much backlinks pointing to important pages (like your homepage and merchandise pages) compared to little important pages.

Review which pages whitethorn request much backlinks, truthful you cognize wherever to absorption your link outreach efforts.

Top Linking Sites 

Look done your database of apical linking sites to guarantee they’re each applicable and high-quality. And see whether determination are immoderate sites you mightiness privation a nexus from that you don’t spot listed.

For instance, a healthcare concern would greatly payment from receiving a backlink from WebMD, an authoritative root of aesculapian news. 

Links from low-quality oregon spammy sites are improbable to amended your site’s ranking.

Top Linking Text

Review your link’s anchor substance to recognize however hunt engines whitethorn presumption your site.

Anchor substance gives discourse to hunt engines astir the contented of the linked page. Ideally, the anchor substance utilized successful your backlinks should beryllium applicable and varied. 

Search engines mightiness spot over-optimized anchor substance (like utilizing exact-match keywords excessively) arsenic manipulative. Which tin wounded your rankings.

Top Internally Linked Pages

Check the Top Internally Linked Pages study to guarantee each pages connected your tract person interior links and that cardinal pages person the astir links. 

For instance, a B2B SaaS startup mightiness prioritize linking to merchandise landing pages to guarantee these pages person a amended accidental of showing up successful hunt results.

How to Thoroughly Analyze Any Site’s Backlinks

Use dedicated backlinks tools to analyse your backlink illustration successful extent and reappraisal rival site’s backlinks to place untapped backlink opportunities.

Here’s how:

Open the Backlink Analytics tool, participate a domain you privation to study, and click “Analyze.”

Go to the “Backlinks” tab to spot the websites presently linking to the site. Including what pages they nexus to and the anchor substance they use.

Use the filters on the apical of the study to find caller and mislaid backlinks, travel and nofollow backlinks, and more.

If you’re analyzing your ain website, it’s a bully thought to look for mislaid backlinks. 

You tin past scope retired to the astir reputable domains (gauge this by looking for sites with a precocious fig successful the “Page AS” column) to effort to get that nexus reinstated.

Pages with higher scores whitethorn person a greater interaction connected your tract and whitethorn assistance you fertile higher. 

Check Your Backlink Profile’s Health 

Performing a backlink audit helps you find the quality, quantity, and relevance of your backlinks. So you tin uncover ways to fortify your backlink strategy.

Open the Backlink Audit instrumentality and travel our configuration steps to adhd your site. You tin link the Backlink Audit instrumentality with your Google Search Console to summation the accuracy of each audit.

The “Overview” tab highlights wide accusation astir your backlink profile. Like the toxicity score—a motion that you whitethorn person excessively galore low-quality links. And however galore domains nexus to you (shown arsenic “Referring Domains”).

Google mostly aims to ignore spammy links alternatively than penalizing the people domain. 

So, there’s usually nary request to worry. And you tin enactment to equilibrium retired a debased people by getting much high-quality links. 

And that’s elemental with Semrush’s Link Building Tool.

Try it today.

This station was updated successful 2025. Excerpts from the archetypal nonfiction by Ajdin Perco whitethorn remain.