How to Check Backlinks to Your Site or a Competitor's
To check backlinks to your own site, open Google Search Console and go to Links: it lists the sites that link to you, your most linked pages and the anchor text people use, for free. To check backlinks to any other site, such as a competitor’s, enter its domain or a page URL in a backlink checker, which lists a sample of the pages linking to it with each link’s anchor text and target page.
Links still matter because they are how other sites vouch for a page. If your posts are good but stuck on page two, the pages above them often have links yours don’t. Checking backlinks shows you that gap, and where the links that close it might come from.
How do you check your own backlinks for free?
Google Search Console is the free source, and the only one that shows links Google itself has found:
- Open Search Console and pick your property.
- Click Links in the left menu.
- Read the three external reports: Top linked pages, Top linking sites and Top linking text.
- Click any row to see the pages behind it, and export the list from the top right.
Search Console shows a sample, not every link, and it updates slowly. It’s still the best place to start, because the data comes from Google. If you haven’t verified your site yet, that comes first.
How do you check a competitor’s backlinks?
Search Console only shows sites you own, so for anyone else you need a backlink checker. Most SEO suites include one, and several offer a few free lookups a day.
- Enter the competitor’s domain to see links to the whole site, or a single URL to see links to one page.
- Ask for one link per linking domain. Ten links from one site count for much less than ten links from ten sites, and a per-domain list is easier to read.
- Sort the list and open the linking pages that look relevant to your market.
Checking a single page is usually more useful than the domain. If a competitor’s post outranks yours, its own links usually explain more than the links to its homepage.
What should you look at in each backlink?
| What to check | What it tells you | Good sign |
|---|---|---|
| Linking domain | Who vouches for the page | A real site in or near your topic |
| Linking page | Where the link sits | A page people actually read, not a link list |
| Anchor text | How the link describes the target | Natural words: the brand, the topic, a phrase from the post |
| Target page | Which page earns links | Guides, tools and data pages, not only the homepage |
| One site or many | Breadth of support | Many different domains, each linking once or twice |
Watch for patterns that look bought: dozens of unrelated sites, exact-match anchor text on every link, or links from pages that exist only to link out. Those don’t help, and you shouldn’t copy them.
How do you turn a competitor’s backlinks into links for you?
Read the list as a map of who links in your market, then work through it:
- Resource pages and roundups that link to a competitor’s guide may link to yours if it answers the topic better. Write to the person who keeps the page.
- Directories and listings in your niche are often open to anyone. Submit your site where it fits.
- Pages that cite data link to the source. A page with your own numbers, a study or a useful tool earns links a plain post won’t.
- Guest posts and podcasts show up as links on other sites. If a competitor appears on a show, that show may want you too.
Links follow pages worth linking to. A post that answers its query first and well, with a clear structure, is easier to pitch. The blog post structure guide covers how to build one, and internal linking spreads the links you earn across your own site.
How often should you check backlinks?
Once a month is enough for most small sites. Look at new linking domains, links you lost, and which pages earn links on their own. When a page suddenly drops in rankings, check whether it lost an important link before rewriting it.
How does Copix check backlinks?
Copix checks backlinks from inside the AI assistant you already use, through the SEO Engine on Copix Complete. The backlinks mode (10 credits) takes a domain or a single URL and returns a sample of up to 50 links pointing to it, one per linking domain by default, each with the linking domain, the linking page, the anchor text and the target page. It’s a sample, not a full count, and Copix doesn’t track links over time.
Pair it with the competitor mode (10 credits), which lists the keywords a site ranks for, to see both what a competitor wins and who links to it. The competitor keyword research guide covers that side. Every paid run shows its price and asks before it runs. Complete is $29 a month with 1,500 credits every month.
Start your 7-day free trial of Copix Complete, or compare the plans first. The trial needs a card at checkout and charges nothing for 7 days, then $29 a month unless you cancel.
FAQ
How do I check backlinks for free?
For your own site, use Google Search Console under Links. For other sites, many backlink checkers offer a few free lookups a day, usually limited to a sample of links.
Why don’t all my backlinks show in Search Console?
Search Console shows a sample of the links Google has found, and it updates slowly. New links can take weeks to appear, and not every link Google knows about is listed.
What is a good number of backlinks?
There’s no fixed number. Compare with the pages that rank above you for the same query: the count of different linking domains matters more than the total number of links.
Are all backlinks good?
No. Links from unrelated or spammy sites, or links that were bought, don’t help and can count against you. A few links from relevant sites are worth more than many from sites nobody reads.
What is anchor text?
The clickable words of a link. It tells readers and Google what the target page is about, so natural, varied anchor text is a good sign.