Free Backlink Checker
Quick answer: Enter any website URL below to see how many of its pages are indexed in the Common Crawl web index, browse sample indexed pages, and open one-click searches across Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo that reveal pages mentioning — and linking to — the domain.
📝 Worked example
Type example.com → the tool queries the free Common Crawl index, counts indexed pages (e.g. 1 page for example.com), lists them, then gives you 4 ready-made searches like "example.com" -site:example.com to find every page that mentions or links to it.
✓ 100% FREE — No Signup Needed
Check backlinks, indexed pages and referring-domain mentions of any website — free forever, right in your browser.
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Tip: enter just the domain (example.com) or a full URL — http:// and www. are handled automatically.
What is a backlink checker?
A backlink checker finds other websites that link to a given domain. Backlinks remain one of Google's most important ranking factors: each quality link acts like a vote of confidence. Checking backlinks helps you measure a site's authority, spy on competitors' link sources, and discover websites where you could earn links too.
How this free backlink checker works
- Enter any website URL — the tool extracts the domain automatically.
- Indexed pages lookup: it queries the free Common Crawl index — a public, petabyte-scale crawl of the web — and counts how many of the domain's pages are indexed, showing real sample URLs.
- Backlink discovery searches: it builds ready-made queries such as "example.com" -site:example.com for Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo. Opening them reveals pages that mention — and usually link to — the domain.
- Review the report: use the findings to judge authority and find link opportunities.
What are referring domains?
Referring domains are the unique websites linking to you. Ten links from a single site count as one referring domain. Most SEO professionals treat referring-domain count as a stronger authority signal than the raw number of backlinks, because links from many different trusted sites are harder to fake than many links from one site.
Why free tools can't show every backlink
No free tool can access Google's complete private link index, so free checkers show a representative sample rather than every link. For the full picture of a site you own, verify it in Google Search Console (free) and open its Links report — that data comes straight from Google.
Why use our free backlink checker?
- 100% free — no signup, no email, no hidden limits.
- Real data from the public Common Crawl web index.
- One-click backlink discovery across 4 major search engines.
- Private: checks run in your browser — the URL is never stored.
- Instant results with a clean, shareable report.
Frequently asked questions
How many backlinks do I need to rank on Google?
No fixed number exists — it depends entirely on your competition. A page can rank with five strong links in a quiet niche and need hundreds in a competitive one. Instead of chasing a raw count, compare your referring domains against the top three pages currently ranking for your keyword and aim to close that gap with better-quality links.
What is the difference between backlinks and referring domains?
Backlinks count every individual link, while referring domains count the unique websites behind them. Ten links from a single site equal ten backlinks but just one referring domain. SEOs weight referring domains more heavily because they measure the breadth of independent support for your site, which is harder to fake.
Why do different backlink checkers show different numbers?
Each tool runs its own crawler and maintains its own link index, so crawl coverage, freshness, and spam filtering all differ. No third-party checker can see Google's complete link graph, which is why the numbers never match exactly between tools — treat each report as a sample, not a census.
How backlink checkers actually work
A backlink checker doesn't query Google live — it searches a link index built by web crawlers. Those crawlers fetch pages around the clock, follow every link they find, and record each one: the source page, the target URL, the anchor text, whether the link is follow or nofollow, and the dates it was first and last seen. When you enter a domain, the tool aggregates every recorded link pointing at it and computes the metrics you see.
The metrics that matter most: backlinks (total links found), referring domains (unique websites linking to you — the metric SEOs trust most), the dofollow/nofollow split, anchor-text distribution, and third-party authority scores that estimate how much ranking power a domain's links carry. A healthy profile has referring domains growing steadily, mostly dofollow links, and natural anchor text dominated by brand names and raw URLs.
Worked example: your site shows 2,400 backlinks from 60 referring domains — that's 40 links per domain on average, a classic sign of sitewide links (footers, blogrolls, templates). A competitor shows 900 backlinks from 300 referring domains — far broader support, and in practice it usually outranks you. Ten links from one site count as ten backlinks but a single referring domain, which is why SEOs compare referring domains, not raw backlink counts.
Practical tips: one editorial dofollow link from a real news site or university page is worth more than 200 directory or forum links — chase relevance and authority, not volume. Audit your anchor text for spikes of exact-match commercial keywords; that's the footprint of spammy link building. Limitation: no free tool sees Google's full link graph — every checker shows a sample of its own index, fresh links can take weeks to appear, and deleted links linger in reports long after they're gone.
Reading a link profile like an SEO: anchor-text distribution tells the story of how links were earned. Natural profiles are dominated by branded anchors (40–60%), raw URLs, and generic phrases ("click here"); a spike of exact-match commercial anchors ("buy cheap loans") is the classic footprint of manipulative link building and the pattern most associated with penalties. Also watch link velocity — 50 new referring domains in a month is normal after a viral post but suspicious for a dormant site. Toxic patterns to audit: sitewide footer links from unrelated sites, private blog networks (thin sites linking only to money pages), and hacked-link injections. Google's disavow tool exists for the worst cases, but for most sites the fix is earning better links, not disavowing — a growing base of genuine referring domains dilutes old junk naturally.