Backlink checker guide: what backlinks are and how to check them
Links from other websites are still one of the strongest signals Google uses to decide which pages deserve to rank. This guide explains what backlinks and referring domains are, how to check backlinks with a backlink checker, how to judge a link, and the fastest ways to earn more.
What are backlinks, and why do they matter?
A backlink is a link on another website that points to yours. When a respected outdoor magazine links to a guide on your site, it tells its readers, and Google, that the page is worth visiting.
Google’s ranking systems use links to discover pages and to judge their importance. Two pages with similar content often rank in the order of the links behind them. That is why the difficulty of a keyword is largely a question of how many sites link to the pages that rank for it.
Not all links are equal. One link from a relevant, trusted site in your field can do more than hundreds of links from directories nobody visits.
Backlinks versus referring domains
Backlink reports show two counts, and the difference matters.
- Backlinks are all individual links. A blog that links to you from every post’s sidebar can add thousands.
- Referring domains are the distinct sites that link to you. That same blog counts as one.
Growth in referring domains is the more meaningful trend. Ten new sites linking to you say more than a thousand new links from one site.
How do I check backlinks to my website?
Google Search Console shows a sample of the links to your own site. To see yours in more detail, or to check the backlinks of any other website, use a backlink checker. The process is the same for your site, a competitor or a prospect.
- 1Enter the domain. The overview shows its domain rating, referring domains, total backlinks and the share of dofollow links.
- 2Open referring domains and sort by authority to see the strongest sites linking in.
- 3Read the anchors. The words used to link show how others describe the site.
- 4Check new and lost links over the last 7, 30 or 90 days to see what changed.
- 5Look for broken backlinks: links pointing to pages that no longer exist.
Check a competitor’s profile the same way. Its strongest referring domains show where the links in your niche come from.
How to judge the quality of a link
Before you chase a link or worry about losing one, weigh it on these points.
- Relevance: is the linking site about your topic, or close to it?
- Authority: a high domain rating means the site itself is well linked.
- Link type: nofollow, sponsored and user-generated links are hints to Google rather than full endorsements.
- Placement: a link inside an article is worth more than one in a footer or a list of hundreds.
- Anchor text: descriptive words help Google understand the target page.
A natural anchor mix
Most links to a healthy site use its brand name or its address, with a smaller share of descriptive topic words and some generic ones like "here". A profile where most anchors are the exact keyword you want to rank for looks built, not earned, and can do more harm than good.
Reclaim broken backlinks first
Sites often keep linking to pages you have moved or deleted: an old sale, a discontinued product, a guide at a new address. Those links point to a 404 and pass nothing. Reclaiming them is the fastest link building there is, because the links already exist.
- 1List the pages of your site that return an error while other sites still link to them.
- 2Start with the pages that have the most referring domains and the strongest links.
- 3Bring the page back, or 301-redirect it to the closest live page on the same topic.
- 4Run a site audit afterwards to make sure the redirects do not chain or loop.
Find competitor backlinks with a link gap
The best outreach targets already link to sites like yours. To find backlinks to a competitor’s website, enter its domain and sort the referring domains by authority. A link gap goes further: it lists the sites that link to your competitors but not to you, and a site that links to two or three of them clearly covers your topic.
Study what they link to: a guide, a tool, a study, a supplier list. Then offer something better or something missing. Pair it with competitor analysis to see which of their pages attract the most links, and with keyword research to create content worth linking to.
Check and monitor backlinks with Aseoma
Links come and go every week. A site redesign removes a link; a new article adds one. In Aseoma, every backlink report is available for any domain: overview, referring domains, anchors, the backlink list, new and lost links and broken backlinks. The link gap sits next to the keyword gap of your project.
Turn on the backlink watch and Aseoma checks your profile weekly and alerts you when a site starts or stops linking to you, filtered by domain rating. Every plan includes the backlink reports, and the 7-day free trial lets you check your own profile today. See the pricing page.