How to Check Backlinks for Free: Google and Bing Steps

Q: How do I check backlinks to my site in Google?

Verify your site in Google Search Console, then open Links in the left-hand menu. You'll see top linked pages, top linking sites and top linking text. Use Export external links to download up to 100,000 rows. Google says the report isn't a complete list of every link, so treat it as a sample.

To check backlinks for free, verify your site in Google Search Console and open the Links report, then add the same site to Bing Webmaster Tools and open Backlinks. Both are free and show which sites link to you, which of your pages they link to and the anchor text they use. To look at a competitor's links, use Bing's backlink comparison or the free tier of a commercial SEO tool, which give a limited preview. Every free option shows a sample, not every link.

That last point matters more than most guides admit. No backlink tool, free or paid, has a complete map of every link on the web. Google, Bing, Ahrefs and Semrush each run their own crawlers, find different links and update at different speeds. So the same site can show quite different backlink numbers depending on where you look. Treat any backlink report as a useful sample to act on, not an audit-grade count.

Below, we cover your own site first (where the free data comes from the search engines themselves), then competitors' sites, then what to do with the data.

Key takeaways

To check backlinks for free, open Links in Google Search Console and Backlinks in Bing Webmaster Tools; both are free once your site is verified, but both show a sample rather than every link.
Bing's backlink report can also show inbound link data for other websites, which makes it the most useful free way to compare yourself with a competitor.
Free third-party checkers such as Ahrefs' and a free Semrush account give a limited view, and no tool has a complete index of the web's links.
Google says most sites will never need the disavow tool, so spend your time on lost links, linked 404 pages and outreach instead.

Checking backlinks to your own site

If you want to check backlinks to your own site, start with the search engines' own webmaster tools. You'll need to prove you own the site, but in return you get link data straight from Google and Bing at no cost. (If you're searching for "Google Webmaster Tools", that's the old name: Google renamed it Search Console in 2015.)

How to check backlinks in Google Search Console

Add and verify your site. Sign in to Google Search Console, add a property and verify it. A Domain property covers every subdomain and both http and https, so it gives the fullest link picture.
Open Links. Choose your property, then click Links in the left-hand menu.
Read the External links tables. Start with Top linked pages, Top linking sites and Top linking text. Click More under any table to see the full list.
Drill into a site or page. Click a linking site to see which of your pages it links to, or click one of your pages to see the sites linking to it.
Export. Click Export external links at the top right and choose Latest links or More sample links. You can download a CSV or open the data in Google Sheets.

Here's what each external links table tells you, based on Google's Links report help page:

Top linked pages. The pages on your site that other sites link to most. Use this to check whether the pages you care about are earning the links you expect.
Top linking sites. The root domains linking to you most often. Click a domain to see which of your pages it links to.
Top linking text. The anchor text other sites use when they link to you.

Google is upfront about the limits. The help page says the report "isn't a comprehensive list of every link on your site." Some other details worth knowing, all from the same page:

On-screen tables show up to 1,000 rows and may be truncated for larger or heavily linked sites.
The Export external links option can include up to 100,000 rows, split into "Latest links" (most recently found) and "More sample links".
Data is grouped by root domain and canonical URL, and duplicate links are merged.
Links may be stale. The source page may have removed the link, or no longer exist.
The report doesn't tell you whether a link is marked nofollow.

The "Latest links" export is the most useful part for a small business. It lists links Google found most recently, which is how you spot new coverage, a supplier listing or a local news mention.

How to check backlinks in Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools has its own Backlinks report, built from Bing's crawler. It's a second, independent sample, so it often turns up linking sites that Search Console doesn't list, and the other way round.

Sign in and add your site. Go to Bing Webmaster Tools and sign in. The quickest way to add a site is to import it from Google Search Console, which brings across sites you've already verified there. You can also verify with an XML file, a meta tag or a DNS record. Our Bing Webmaster Tools setup guide walks through each option.
Open Backlinks. Pick your site, then click Backlinks in the left-hand menu. Older guides place it under an "SEO" heading; Bing has reorganised its menu since, so look for the Backlinks item itself.
Review the backlinks for your site. The report summarises the domains linking to you and the anchor text they use, and you can open the detail to see the individual linking pages and which of your pages they point to.
Download the data. Use the export or download option on the report to save the list as a CSV, so you can compare it with your Search Console export.
Compare with another site (optional). A separate tab lets you enter another domain and compare backlinks, which is covered in the competitor section below.

Bing changes its interface from time to time, so labels may differ slightly when you log in. New links can take a while to show, because the report only includes links Bing's crawler has found and processed. Bing has also said the backlink report "displays inbound links data not only for your site, but also for any website." That line comes from Bing's own announcement, and it's what makes Bing useful for competitor research too (more on that below).

The same announcement confirmed that Bing removed its disavow links feature and API in October 2023, saying its systems can now discount unnatural links themselves. If you read an older guide telling you to disavow links in Bing, it's out of date.

Search Console vs Bing Webmaster Tools for backlinks

	Google Search Console Links report	Bing Webmaster Tools Backlinks
Cost	Free	Free
Needs verification	Yes	Yes, for your own site
Linking sites and pages	Yes	Yes
Anchor text	Yes (external links)	Yes
Shows other domains' links	No	Yes
Complete list	No, a sample	No, a sample
Shows nofollow status	No	Not stated
Disavow	Separate Google tool	Removed in October 2023

Use both: two independent samples beat one.

How to check backlinks manually

You can also find some links by hand. Your analytics tool's referral report lists other websites that sent you visitors, and each one is usually a link. Searching for your business name in quotes turns up pages that mention you, some of which link. Neither method is complete, but both catch links the webmaster tools haven't picked up yet.

Pulling the data into one place

Make It Flow's free Search Console dashboard connects Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools so you can see your top pages, top keywords and quick wins together. On the Pro plan (and Agency), our Backlink Checker uses your own Bing Webmaster Tools API key to show the links Bing has found to your verified site: which of your pages attract links, how many each has, and for each page the linking URLs and anchor text, with a CSV export. It only works for sites you've verified in Bing yourself. To be clear, we don't run our own backlink database and can't show you a competitor's links. Plan details are on the pricing page.

How to check a competitor's backlinks for free

You can't verify a site you don't own, so Search Console is out. That leaves Bing and third-party tools, all with limits on their free versions.

Bing's backlink comparison

As mentioned above, Bing says its backlink report can show inbound link data for any website. When Bing launched its comparison view in 2020, Search Engine Journal reported that the "Similar Sites" tab accepted any domain and offered three filters:

Show All: domains linking to your site, the competitor or both.
Show Only Common Domains: domains linking to both sites.
Show Domains Not Linking to My Site: domains linking to the competitor but not to you.

The same article said reports could be downloaded as CSV and described the data as a representative set rather than a complete list. Bing's interface has changed since 2020, so the tab names may differ when you log in. The third filter is still the one to look for, because it's a ready-made list of outreach prospects.

Say you run a landscaping firm in Harrogate and a York rival outranks you. Look at the sites linking only to them. You might find a regional trade association directory, a local wedding venue's recommended suppliers page, or a feature in a Yorkshire lifestyle magazine. Those are places you could realistically earn a link too.

Ahrefs' free backlink checker

Ahrefs' free backlink checker lets you enter any domain or URL and see headline figures, including referring domains, total backlinks, Domain Rating and Ahrefs Rank. Ahrefs describes it as "the free version" of its paid tool and calls it "a glimpse into the power of our premium tool".

For your own sites, Ahrefs also offers free tools for verified websites through Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. That page says the free Site Explorer shows which websites and pages link to you, with up to 1,000 backlinks visible at once. It's another independent crawler, so it's worth adding alongside Google and Bing.

Domain Rating is Ahrefs' own score, not something Google uses. Our guide to what domain authority means explains how to read third-party authority scores without overrating them.

A free Semrush account

Semrush's plan comparison page says its free plan includes "10 reports per day across all vital tools". That daily allowance is shared between reports, so a backlink lookup uses one of the same ten you'd spend on keyword or domain reports. Semrush's own blog says the free plan allows up to 10 backlink searches a day, and frames it as a way to look at your own or a competitor's link profile.

Why the numbers never match

Bing, Ahrefs and Semrush will give different totals for the same competitor. That's expected. Each company crawls the web on its own schedule, starts from different seed URLs, decides differently how deep to go into each site, and counts duplicates and redirects in its own way. None of them sees everything Google sees, and Google doesn't publish a complete list even for your own site.

So compare like with like. If you're measuring yourself against a competitor, use the same tool for both domains, and pay more attention to the actual linking sites than to the headline number.

If you want a broader view of how a competitor wins in search, beyond links, see our guide to competitor SEO analysis.

What to do with your backlink data

Here's what's worth doing with the data, roughly in order of payoff.

1. Fix linked pages that now return errors

This is usually the quickest win. Pages get deleted or renamed while other websites still link to them, so those links land on a 404.

In Search Console, open Top linked pages and export the list.
Run the URLs through our free HTTP status checker to find any that return 404 or another error.
For each broken URL that has links, add a 301 redirect to the closest live equivalent page. The redirect checker confirms the redirect works and doesn't run through a chain of hops.
Use the broken link checker on your own key pages to catch internal links still pointing at the old URLs, and update them.

A typical case: a Cardiff estate agency rebuilds its site and its old /area-guides/pontcanna page disappears. A local blog and a relocation site still link to it. A single redirect to the new area guide recovers both.

2. Spot lost links

Export the Search Console links data every month or quarter and keep a copy. When a linking domain drops out of the next export, check whether the link was removed or the page changed. Sometimes a supplier redesigned their "stockists" page and left you off by accident, and a friendly email gets you back on. Remember the report is a sample, so a domain disappearing isn't proof the link has gone. Visit the page and check.

3. Don't panic about "toxic" links

Many tools label some of your backlinks as toxic or spammy. Every site picks up odd links from scraper sites and directories it never asked for. Google's advice is clear. Its disavow links help page says "most sites will not need to use this tool," because Google can usually work out which links to trust on its own.

Google says you should only consider disavowing if you have a considerable number of spammy, artificial or low-quality links pointing to your site, and those links have caused or are likely to cause a manual action. Even then, it recommends trying to get the links removed first. It also warns that the tool "can potentially harm your site's performance" if used incorrectly. If you haven't received a manual action in Search Console and you didn't buy links, leave the disavow tool alone.

4. Use the data for outreach

Your backlink data shows which kinds of sites already link to businesses like yours. That's your outreach list.

Link gaps. Sites that link to two or three competitors but not to you, from Bing's comparison or a free checker, are the strongest prospects. A Manchester accountancy practice might find that rivals are listed on a local chamber of commerce member directory it never joined.
Unlinked mentions. Search for your business name in quotes. Where a local paper or partner mentions you without linking, a polite request often adds the link.
Pages that already earn links. Your Top linked pages table shows what other sites find worth linking to. If a guide to parking permits in Brighton earns links for a removals firm, more practical local guides like it are a sensible next step.

Keep outreach honest and relevant. Google's spam policies treat buying links or exchanging them purely to manipulate rankings as link spam, so focus on earning links people would add anyway.

A simple monthly backlink routine

Export "Latest links" from the Search Console Links report and save it with the date.
Check Bing Webmaster Tools Backlinks for linking domains Google didn't list.
Run your top linked pages through the HTTP status checker and redirect any that return a 404.
Compare your site with one main competitor in Bing and note three new outreach targets.
Ignore "toxic link" scores unless you've received a manual action.

FAQ

What is the best free backlink checker?

For your own site, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are the best free options, because the data comes from the search engines themselves. For a competitor, Bing's backlink report, Ahrefs' free backlink checker and a free Semrush account all work, but each shows a limited sample. Use more than one, and always use the same tool when you compare two sites.

How do I check backlinks to my site in Google?

Verify your site in Google Search Console, then open Links in the left-hand menu. You'll see top linked pages, top linking sites and top linking text. Use Export external links to download up to 100,000 rows. Google says the report isn't a complete list of every link, so treat it as a sample.

How do I check backlinks in Bing Webmaster Tools?

Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools, add your site (importing it from Google Search Console is the quickest way), then open Backlinks in the left-hand menu. You'll see the domains linking to you, their anchor text and the linking pages, and you can download the list. Like Google's report, it's a sample of the links Bing has found.

Can I see a competitor's backlinks in Google Search Console?

No. Search Console only shows data for sites you've verified, so you can't view a competitor's links there. Bing says its backlink report can show inbound link data for any website, which makes Bing Webmaster Tools the main free option from a search engine. Third-party tools like Ahrefs and Semrush also offer limited free lookups.

Why do backlink tools show different numbers?

Each tool runs its own crawler, so they find different links, update at different speeds and count duplicates and redirects differently. No tool has a complete index of the web's links, and Google doesn't publish one either. Focus on which sites link to you and whether those links still work, rather than the headline total.

Do I need to disavow bad backlinks?

Probably not. Google says most sites will not need its disavow tool, and that you should only consider it if you have a considerable number of spammy or artificial links that have caused, or are likely to cause, a manual action. Bing removed its disavow feature in October 2023. Using disavow incorrectly can harm your rankings.

How often should I check my backlinks?

Monthly is enough for most small businesses, and quarterly works for quieter sites. Export your Search Console links each time so you can compare lists and spot lost links. Check more often after a site rebuild or URL change, because that's when linked pages most often break and start returning 404 errors.