How to use it
01
Enter a domain
Type or paste any website address, whether it’s your own site or a competitor’s. We check the links pointing to the whole domain.
02
We scan the link index
We find the websites linking to it, the pages those links sit on, the anchor text they use and whether each link is followed by search engines.
03
Review the strongest links
Links are ranked by the authority of the site they come from, so you can see at a glance which ones do the heavy lifting and which anchors dominate.
How does a backlink checker work?
A backlink checker relies on a link index built by web crawlers. These crawlers visit billions of pages, follow every link they find and record where it points, the anchor text it uses and whether it’s followed or nofollowed. The index is refreshed constantly, so new links are added and lost links are flagged as pages change.
When you enter a domain, the checker searches that index for every link pointing to it, groups the links by the website they come from and ranks them by the authority of the linking site. No index covers the entire web, so different tools show slightly different numbers, but the strongest links almost always appear in all of them.
How do I check my website’s backlinks?
Enter your domain into the checker above to see your referring domains, total backlinks, anchor text and strongest links. For a second view, the Links report in Google Search Console shows the links Google itself has found to your site, free of charge.
What are backlinks?
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. Search engines treat relevant links from trusted sites as votes of confidence, which is why backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking signals.
Is this backlink checker free?
Yes. It’s free to use, with no sign-up or card details needed. You can check your own domain or any competitor’s.
How do I check my competitors’ backlinks?
Enter a competitor’s domain into the checker. The sites linking to them are often sites that would link to you too: directories, local press, industry blogs and partners. Sorting by authority shows which of those links are worth chasing first.
How do I track or monitor new backlinks over time?
Run a check every month or so and compare the results, or keep an eye on the Links report in Google Search Console, which updates as Google finds new links. Paid tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush can also email you when you gain or lose a link. The trend matters more than any single snapshot.
What makes a good-quality backlink?
A good backlink comes from a relevant, trusted website that real people read. It sits within the main content of the page rather than in a footer or sidebar, uses natural anchor text and is followed. One link from a respected industry site or national newspaper is worth more than hundreds from low-quality directories.
How do I find toxic or spammy backlinks?
Look for links from sites with no real content, unrelated foreign-language sites, obvious link farms and exact-match anchor text you didn’t create. The checker shows the authority of each linking site, so very low-quality links stand out. Google mostly ignores spammy links rather than penalising you for them. Only consider its disavow tool if you’ve bought links or received a manual action.
How we can help
Knowing who links to you is step one. Earning better links is where rankings move. Bold Digitals builds links the way Google rewards: genuinely useful content, digital PR that lands coverage in UK press, where 70% of UK adults now get their news online, and outreach to the sites your customers already read. No link farms, no shortcuts, and no paid placements dressed up as editorial, which the ASA requires to be labelled as ads. We’ll show you the gap between you and the competitors above you, and how to close it.