How Do I Check Who’s Linking to My Website?

 Backlinks are one of the most important factors for search engine optimization (SEO), as they help boost your website's authority, visibility, and rankings. Knowing who is linking to your website gives you valuable insights into your link profile, helps you understand the quality of your backlinks, and allows you to identify opportunities for improving your SEO.

So, how do you check who’s linking to your website? Fortunately, there are several tools and methods that can help you identify these backlinks. In this article, we’ll cover the best ways to check who is linking to your website and how to analyze those backlinks.

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1. Google Search Console (Free)

Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that helps you monitor and maintain your website’s presence in Google search results. One of its key features is the ability to view the backlinks pointing to your website.

How to use Google Search Console to check backlinks:

1. Log in to Google Search Console and select your website property.

2. On the left-hand menu, go to "Links" under the "Legacy tools and reports" section.

3. In the "Top linking sites" section, you’ll see the websites that are linking to your site.

4. You can also check the "Top linking pages" to see the specific pages on your site that are getting the most links.

Google Search Console shows you data from Google's perspective and provides information such as the total number of external links and the specific anchor text used. It’s a great place to get a general overview of your link profile.

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2. Ahrefs (Paid)

Ahrefs is one of the most popular and comprehensive SEO tools available. It has a powerful backlink checker that allows you to view detailed information about who is linking to your website, the quality of the backlinks, and how they are affecting your SEO.

How to use Ahrefs to check backlinks:

1. Go to the Ahrefs website and create an account.

2. Once you’re logged in, enter your website URL in the search bar.

3. Navigate to the "Backlinks" section under the "Site Explorer" tab.

4. Ahrefs will provide you with a list of all the backlinks pointing to your website, including details such as the referring page URL, anchor text, domain rating (DR), and more.

Ahrefs also gives you the option to filter backlinks by type, such as follow or nofollow links, and allows you to see historical data to track changes in your backlink profile over time.

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3. Moz Link Explorer (Free and Paid)

Moz’s Link Explorer tool is another popular tool for checking backlinks. It offers both free and paid options, with more features available in the paid version. Moz’s Link Explorer provides insights into the quality and quantity of backlinks, the authority of the linking domains, and more.

How to use Moz Link Explorer to check backlinks:

1. Visit the Moz website and create a free account or log in to your paid account.

2. Navigate to "Link Explorer" from the Moz dashboard.

3. Enter your website URL into the search bar.

4. Once the data is generated, you can view the number of backlinks pointing to your site, the top linking domains, and other important metrics like Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA).

Moz also provides Linking Page Metrics to show you how relevant and authoritative the referring pages are, helping you assess the quality of your backlinks.

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4. SEMrush (Paid)

SEMrush is another all-in-one SEO tool that provides detailed insights into your backlinks. SEMrush’s Backlink Analytics feature allows you to track who is linking to your website, evaluate the quality of those backlinks, and see detailed information about anchor text, referring domains, and more.

How to use SEMrush to check backlinks:

1. Go to the SEMrush website and log in (create an account if necessary).

2. Enter your domain name into the Search bar on the SEMrush dashboard.

3. Select the "Backlinks" tab to view your website’s backlink data.

4. You’ll see a list of backlinks, including referring domain, anchor text, and the backlink type (dofollow or nofollow).

SEMrush provides additional features such as Backlink Audit, which helps identify toxic or harmful backlinks, and a Backlink Gap tool to compare your backlink profile with competitors.

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5. Ubersuggest (Free and Paid)

Ubersuggest, created by Neil Patel, is an affordable SEO tool that provides keyword analysis and backlink data. The Backlinks feature in Ubersuggest allows you to track who is linking to your website and the quality of those links.

How to use Ubersuggest to check backlinks:

1. Go to the Ubersuggest website and log in or create a free account.

2. Enter your website URL into the search bar.

3. On the dashboard, click on the “Backlinks” tab to view your backlink profile.

4. Ubersuggest will show you a list of backlinks, including the referring page, anchor text, and the authority of the linking domains.

Ubersuggest provides insights into how your backlinks are impacting your website’s SEO, as well as opportunities for new backlinks.

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6. Majestic (Paid)

Majestic is a dedicated backlink analysis tool that offers comprehensive backlink data and insights. Majestic’s backlink analysis is highly detailed and provides valuable metrics to evaluate the quality of your links, such as Trust Flow and Citation Flow.

How to use Majestic to check backlinks:

1. Go to the Majestic website and sign up for an account.

2. Enter your website URL into the search bar.

3. Majestic will provide you with a list of backlinks, the referring pages, and additional metrics such as Trust Flow, Citation Flow, and Anchor Text.

Majestic is particularly useful for advanced link analysis and for evaluating the overall trustworthiness and quality of backlinks.

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7. Monitoring Backlinks in Social Media Platforms

In addition to traditional backlink analysis tools, social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can provide insights into who’s linking to your website. Social media shares, mentions, and links often result in backlinks or indirect signals that Google may take into account.

To track social media backlinks:

• Use tools like BuzzSumo to monitor social media mentions and backlinks.

• Manually track mentions of your brand, products, or services across platforms.

• Check for mentions or shares of your content that might result in backlinks.

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8. Check Referring Domains Using Google Analytics (Free)

Although Google Analytics doesn’t give you a detailed backlink report like other tools, it can help you monitor traffic coming from external sources, which can be useful in identifying the referring domains (websites that are sending traffic to your website).

How to use Google Analytics to check referring domains:

1. Go to Google Analytics and log in to your account.

2. From the left-hand menu, go to Acquisition > All Traffic > Referrals.

3. You’ll see a list of domains that have referred traffic to your website, including backlinks.

4. By identifying which websites are driving traffic to your site, you can infer which ones are linking to you.

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Conclusion

Monitoring your backlinks is a crucial part of any successful SEO strategy. Knowing who is linking to your website gives you the opportunity to assess the quality of those backlinks, identify potential issues (such as toxic links), and find opportunities for new backlinks.

There are several tools you can use to check your backlinks, ranging from Google Search Console (free) to Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz (paid). Each tool provides valuable insights into the referring domains, anchor text, and the quality of the backlinks pointing to your site.

Regularly checking who is linking to your website helps you maintain a healthy backlink profile, which can ultimately improve your rankings and online visibility.