By the top of this information, you’ll know tips on how to analyze your personal web site’s backlinks (hyperlinks from different web sites pointing to your web site), tips on how to discover competitor backlinks, and tips on how to discover new backlink alternatives.
Why Backlinks Matter
Backlinks from respected, related web sites sign to search engines like google and yahoo that your content material is reliable. And that may enhance your probabilities of rating greater in search outcomes and attracting extra site visitors.
In our 2024 Rating Elements research, we discovered that 8 out of the highest 20 elements with the strongest correlation to rating are associated to backlinks.
And whereas some top-ranking pages we analyzed had hundreds of backlinks, the median variety of backlinks for top-ranking pages is just 13. Which implies you don’t essentially want hundreds of backlinks to rank extremely.
5 Methods to Discover Backlinks
The beneath instruments make it easier to discover backlinks to your web site—and a few choices allow you to discover backlinks to any web site.
1. Google Search Console
Google Search Console helps you discover which websites hyperlink to you together with helpful info just like the anchor textual content (the clickable a part of hyperlink) they use and what number of hyperlinks level to every web page in your web site.
Right here’s tips on how to discover backlinks to your web site with Google Search Console:
- Check in to your Google Search Console account
- Click on “Hyperlinks” within the left-hand navigation menu
- Assessment the “Exterior hyperlinks” studies
- Click on “Extra >” to drill into particular studies
The precise studies you possibly can click on into are:
- Prime linked pages: Exhibits which pages in your web site have probably the most backlinks and what number of distinctive domains hyperlink to every one. So you possibly can spot which pages are most tasty and the place you may have to construct extra hyperlinks.
- Prime linking websites: Lists the domains that hyperlink to your web site most continuously. Which reveals your strongest backlink sources and helps you consider the standard and breadth of referring domains.
- Prime linking textual content: Shows probably the most generally used anchor textual content in backlinks to your web site. So you possibly can monitor for selection, relevance, and potential over-optimization (over-optimized anchor textual content is an overuse of the key phrases you wish to rank for, which might seem unnatural to search engines like google and yahoo).
To export all of your backlinks, click on “Export Exterior Hyperlinks” and choose “Extra pattern hyperlinks” to export all backlinks. Or “Newest hyperlinks” to export your latest backlinks.
You too can export any of the person studies.
Google Search Console is beneficial whenever you want a fast have a look at your backlinks. And it gained’t result in knowledge overwhelm.
2. Semrush Backlink Analytics
Semrush’s Backlink Analytics instrument attracts on a database of greater than 43 trillion hyperlinks to allow you to discover your web site’s backlinks and competing websites’ backlinks.
First, enter your area (or a rival’s) and click on “Analyze.”
You’ll then see a high-level overview of that area’s hyperlink profile, like Authority Rating—a rating from 0 to 100 that measures your web site’s search engine optimisation high quality. Websites with greater scores have a greater probability at rating greater.
You too can view the variety of referring domains (what number of domains hyperlink to at the least one web page in your web site). And a community graph. So you possibly can perceive the relevance of your backlinks.
For an in depth have a look at the positioning’s particular person backlinks, go to the “Backlinks” tab.
You’ll see insights for every hyperlink just like the web page’s Authority Rating, anchor textual content, and hyperlink attributes (further details about a hyperlink).
Backlinks from related websites with excessive Authority Scores might be extra invaluable than these from websites with low scores. However hyperlinks from high-authority websites may also be more durable to get.
3. Bing Webmaster Instruments
Bing Webmaster Instruments allows you to see your web site’s backlinks and permits you to examine your self with as much as two different websites.
Create and configure your Bing Webmaster Instruments account in case you haven’t. After which head to your dashboard.
Click on “Backlinks” to see the domains that hyperlink to you, the pages that hyperlink to you, and the anchor textual content websites use.
Clicking “Obtain all” downloads the chosen report as a CSV file.
Click on “Backlinks To Any Website” to view the identical info for as much as two different websites.
Lastly, click on “View detailed report” for one of many studies.
Choose “Add filter” to filter the information.
For instance, within the “Prime Referring Domains” report, you possibly can filter knowledge to solely present domains that hyperlink to your entered opponents and never you.
4. Backlink Audit
Semrush’s Backlink Audit instrument analyzes the standard of your web site’s backlinks, so you recognize which varieties of backlinks your web site could have to carry out higher in search outcomes.
To get began, configure an audit for the Backlink Audit instrument.
The “Overview” tab provides you info on the variety of backlinks you will have. Together with what share are observe versus nofollow.
Nofollow hyperlinks possible don’t cross authority to your pages. Wholesome backlink profiles have each nofollow and observe hyperlinks.
For instance this, we reviewed the highest 100 web sites from Semrush Rank in June 2025. On common, we discovered that 71% of the backlinks had been observe. And 29% had been nofollow.
In case you have a lot of nofollow hyperlinks, you’ll possible wish to spend time getting observe hyperlinks.
You too can overview your backlinks’ anchor textual content (clickable hyperlink textual content).
Scroll right down to the “Backlinks by Anchor Kind” and click on “View full report.”
You’ll get an inventory of all of your backlinks with their anchor textual content. Ideally, you’ll have a mixture of totally different anchor textual content. As different anchor textual content typically signifies pure backlink profiles.
5. Different Free Backlink Checkers
When you’re utilizing free instruments like Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Instruments, it is value operating your web site by a couple of further backlink checkers that may uncover additional knowledge. To present you a extra full view of your backlink profile.
Listed here are 4 different free backlink checkers to discover:
- search engine optimisation Assessment Instruments has a backlink checker that exhibits you prime backlinks, misplaced backlinks, and new backlinks
- Linkody has a backlink instrument that exhibits you as much as 100 referring domains with anchor textual content and observe/nofollow attributes
- SEOptimer has a backlink checker that exhibits a abstract of your backlink profile and your prime 10 backlinks
- seobility affords a instrument that exhibits a complete checklist of your web site’s backlinks (restricted to 3 checks per day)
3 Methods to Discover New Backlinks for Your Website
After accumulating knowledge in your web site’s backlinks and your competitor’s backlinks, you possibly can deal with discovering new backlink alternatives by hyperlink hole analyses, damaged hyperlinks, and misplaced backlinks.
1. Carry out a Competitor Hyperlink Hole Evaluation
A competitor hyperlink hole refers to backlinks your opponents have that your web site does not have. And these hyperlinks might be invaluable alternatives—if a web site is already linking to related content material, there’s a very good probability they’d take into account linking to yours as effectively.
Go to Semrush’s Backlink Hole instrument, enter your area and as much as 4 competing domains, and click on “Discover prospects.”
The ensuing report allows you to kind domains utilizing six tabs:
- Greatest: Domains pointing to all entered opponents however to not you
- Weak: Domains that time to you lower than your entered opponents
- Robust: Domains that time solely to you and to not any entered opponents
- Shared: Domains that time to each you and all entered opponents
- Distinctive: Domains that time to just one entered area
- All: All linking domains discovered
Take note of the “Greatest” tab. As these are the domains that don’t presently hyperlink to you however are possible keen to.
Use the checkboxes to examine off websites you’d like hyperlinks from. Prioritize related websites with excessive Authority Scores.
Then click on “+ Begin outreach.”
Clicking this button sends prospects to the Hyperlink Constructing Software. The place you possibly can monitor your outreach efforts. (We’ll present you ways to do that later.)
2. Discover Damaged Hyperlinks
Damaged hyperlink constructing is whenever you discover webpages with hyperlinks that don’t work and recommend a related web page of yours to interchange the damaged hyperlink.
Discover damaged hyperlinks to a competitor’s web site by going to the “Listed Pages” report in Backlink Analytics and checking the field subsequent to “Damaged Pages.”
Then, click on the quantity within the “Backlinks” column subsequent to a web page.
You’ll see the precise pages that hyperlink to the desired web page. Together with which web page the hyperlink is from and the hyperlink’s anchor textual content.
Assessment the websites and see in case you can attain out to them with a working web page they will hyperlink to as a substitute of your competitor’s web page. Prioritize your outreach efforts by reaching out to websites with the best Web page Authority Rating.
3. Discover Misplaced Backlinks
Misplaced backlinks are hyperlinks your web site used to have that you may attempt to get better to keep up your web site’s search engine optimisation.
Within the “Backlinks” tab inside Backlink Analytics, click on “Misplaced and Very important” to get an inventory of high-priority backlinks to earn again.
To attempt recovering misplaced backlinks:
- Assessment the supply web page to know why you misplaced the hyperlink (e.g., is your content material outdated?)
- See when you have any up to date or related items of content material the web page can hyperlink to. And even have a look to see whether or not the web page was not too long ago up to date.
- Contact the positioning proprietor and ask them to hyperlink to your web site once more
Michelle Symonds, Founder and Managing Director at search engine optimisation company Ditto Digital, observed a sluggish, regular drop in search visibility throughout some vital weblog posts when operating a content material audit for a shopper. And suspected misplaced backlinks had been inflicting the drop in rankings.
“The most effective options of Backlink Analytics is seeing which hyperlinks had been misplaced resulting from one other web site’s construction adjustments—not removing. We discovered a couple of high-authority placements, primarily from visitor posts and accomplice round-ups, the place the linking web site had redesigned or shifted content material. The hyperlinks weren’t deleted maliciously, they’d simply damaged quietly.”
She notes that based mostly on inner knowledge, her workforce is often capable of reclaim roughly 50% of misplaced backlinks resulting from web site construction adjustments.
To examine which backlinks had been possible misplaced to web site construction adjustments (for instance, an internet site removes a web page that had a backlink), Michelle used the “+ Add filter” choice, chosen “Misplaced points,” and checked the field subsequent to “Web page redirect.”
This can be a nice strategy as a result of dropping a large variety of backlinks over time could influence your site visitors and rankings.
Streamline Constructing Backlinks by Automating Your Outreach
Automating your outreach helps you safe extra backlinks in much less time.
Semrush’s Hyperlink Constructing Software has built-in workflows to simplify discovering contacts and sending outreach emails—so you possibly can keep organized and work extra effectively.
Open your mission after configuring the Hyperlink Constructing Software and click on “Prospects” to see an inventory of potential backlink alternatives.
Undergo the checklist and click on “To In Progress” subsequent to any hyperlink you’d like to accumulate.
While you’re accomplished, click on the “In Progress” tab to see the total checklist of internet sites you’d like backlinks from.
Click on the blue “Contact” button subsequent to a given prospect to draft and ship your outreach e mail.
An e mail editor will open the place you possibly can ask for a backlink. Which works finest whenever you:
- Provide a high-quality, related piece of content material
- Preserve your e mail temporary and well mannered
- Tailor your e mail to the recipient so it doesn’t sound such as you’re utilizing a template for mass outreach
Then, you possibly can simply ship your emails and monitor your progress inside the instrument.
Wish to attempt constructing backlinks to your web site?
Strive Semrush’s Hyperlink Constructing Software at present.
