If you want to learn how to search for backlinks, you are asking the right question. Backlinks are one of the most important signals Google uses to decide which pages deserve to rank. A WebFX study of 1,462 domains across 15 industries found that pages ranking on the first page of Google have a median of 907 referring domains, and 92.2% of their links are editorial links inside real content. FirstPageSage’s 2026 Google Algorithm Ranking Factors report still lists backlinks as a weighted ranking factor. You cannot improve your link profile if you do not know what it looks like — so let us find your links.
Start with Google Search Console’s Links Report
If you want to see your own backlinks, start here. It costs nothing and the data comes from Google itself.
- Open Google Search Console and select your verified property.
- In the left menu, click Links.
- You will see three useful tables: top linking sites, top linked pages, and top linking text.
Search Console shows a sample of your links, capped at 1,000 rows per table, and only includes links from pages Google has crawled and chosen to index. Very new links and some links from low-quality pages may not appear, and the report does not mark links as dofollow or nofollow. Even so, this is the most trustworthy picture of how Google sees your link profile.
Use Google Search Queries to Find Backlinks
There is a free trick that uses Google itself as a backlink finder. Try this query:
“yourdomain.com” -site:yourdomain.com
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain. The quotation marks force Google to find exact mentions of your domain, and -site:yourdomain.com removes your own pages from the results. What remains is a list of other websites that mention you.
Note that you will no longer find a link: operator doing this job. Google dropped the link: operator back in 2017, and it now returns almost nothing. Old SEO guides still list it — ignore them and use the quoted-mention query instead.
This method is excellent for finding unlinked mentions: pages that talk about your brand but never added a link. Each one is a simple outreach opportunity — email the site owner, thank them for the mention, and ask them to add a link. This is called link reclamation, and it has one of the highest success rates of any link-building tactic because the hard part (getting noticed) is already done.
You can use the same query on a competitor’s domain to see who mentions them:
“competitor.com” -site:competitor.com
It shows mentions, not a full link list, but it is a useful starting point for finding where your competitors get coverage.
Try Free Backlink Checker Tools
Several professional SEO tools offer free ways to search backlinks for any domain:
- Ahrefs free backlink checker — shows the top 100 backlinks for any domain after a short check, no account needed.
- Semrush free account — 10 free reports per day across its tools, including backlink data.
- Moz Link Explorer — about 10 free queries per month, plus Domain Authority and Spam Score metrics.
- SEO Review Tools — a no-signup backlink checker that gives a quick snapshot with referring domains and dofollow share.
- OpenLinkProfiler — fully free competitor backlink checks with up to 1,000 exportable rows.
One warning: free tools do not all agree with each other. A 2026 test by Edvido ran 11 free backlink checkers against one real website and got results ranging from 14.9K to 65.6K backlinks on the same day. Every tool crawls the web its own way, so treat free results as a guide to trends, not exact science. Pick one tool for your own site and watch the trend over time rather than switching tools every week.
Free backlink tools at a glance
| Tool | What you get free | Free limit |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Your own links, from Google’s index | Your verified sites only |
| Ahrefs checker | Top 100 backlinks, any domain | 100 links per check |
| Semrush | Backlink and audit data | 10 reports/day |
| Moz Link Explorer | Backlinks + DA/Spam Score | 10 queries/month |
| SEO Review Tools | Instant backlink snapshot | Unlimited, no signup |
| OpenLinkProfiler | Competitor backlinks | 1,000 rows export |
Check a Competitor’s Backlinks with Bing Webmaster Tools
Many people forget Bing. If your site is verified in Bing Webmaster Tools, its free Backlinks report lets you compare your link profile with up to two competitors side by side. It is one of the few genuinely free ways to see competitor backlink data, and it uses Microsoft’s own crawl data.
How to Read the Backlinks You Find
Finding links is only half the job. Here is what to look at for each one:
- The linking page. A link from a real article in your industry is worth far more than a link buried in a footer or a low-quality directory. The WebFX study found editorial links make up 92.2% of top-ranking backlinks on average — context matters.
- Anchor text. This is the clickable text of the link. It tells Google what the linked page is about. A natural mix of brand names, plain URLs, and descriptive phrases is healthy; hundreds of identical keyword anchors are a red flag.
- Follow or nofollow. Nofollow links still send visitors and can build brand awareness, but they pass less ranking value than followed links.
- New versus lost. Check regularly for links that have disappeared — a broken or removed link from a good site is worth a polite email asking if it can be restored.
What to Do After You Search Your Backlinks
Searching for backlinks is useful only if you act on what you find:
- Save your list. Export what you can and keep a spreadsheet of your best links.
- Reclaim lost links. Contact webmasters when good links disappear.
- Turn mentions into links. Ask sites that mention your brand to add a link.
- Study competitor links. Find sites that link to your competitors and pitch them your own content.
- Build new links each month. Searching is diagnosis; building is treatment. Consistent manual outreach to real, relevant websites is what grows a link profile over time.
If you want expert help with that last step, our link building services use manual outreach only — no PBNs, no automation, just real links from real websites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a completely free backlink checker?
Yes. Google Search Console is completely free for your own verified sites and shows the links Google knows about. For any domain including competitors, Ahrefs’ free checker shows the top 100 backlinks, SEO Review Tools needs no signup, and Moz Link Explorer gives about 10 free queries a month. Bing Webmaster Tools is also free and compares your profile against two competitors.
Does the Google link: operator still work?
No. Google removed the link: search operator in 2017. It now returns few or no results. Use the quoted-mention query “yourdomain.com” -site:yourdomain.com instead to find pages mentioning your domain, or use Search Console’s Links report for your own site.
Can I find a competitor’s backlinks for free?
Partly. Free options include Ahrefs’ free checker (top 100 links), Moz Link Explorer (10 queries a month), OpenLinkProfiler, and Bing Webmaster Tools’ side-by-side competitor comparison. Free data is sampled, so treat the counts as directional rather than exact.
How often should I search my backlinks?
Once a month is enough for most sites. Check more often during an active link-building campaign, after a sudden ranking drop, or if you suspect a spam attack on your site. Set up alerts if your tool offers them so you hear about new and lost links automatically.
Why do different tools show different backlink counts?
Because every tool crawls the web separately. No backlink index sees the whole internet. A 2026 test found 11 free tools reporting anywhere from 14.9K to 65.6K backlinks for the same website. Pick one tool, watch its trend, and compare tools only when a big gap needs explaining.
Should I buy backlinks to grow my link profile faster?
No. Buying links breaks Google’s spam policies, and paid links that Google detects can trigger a manual penalty that wipes out your rankings. The WebFX 2026 study showed that over 92% of top-ranking backlinks are editorial — links earned because the content deserved them. Build links with outreach, digital PR, and genuinely useful content instead.
Abdullah Zulfiqar is Co-founder and Client Success Manager at RankWithLinks, an SEO agency helping businesses grow online. He specializes in client relations and SEO strategy, driving measurable results and maximizing ROI through effective link-building and digital marketing solutions.