Every successful SEO strategy begins with one thing — understanding your backlinks. They tell you who’s talking about your website and how much authority you’ve earned in your niche. But here’s the actual real challenge: how to find backlinks on Google without paying for expensive tools?
This Postpack guide walks you through free, reliable and Google-approved methods. It will help you to find, analyze and use backlinks to boost your site authority.
Why You Should Care About Backlinks
Backlinks are more than just clickable URLs — they’re signals of trust. When reputable websites link to yours, Google sees your site as credible and rewards it with better rankings.
According to a Backlinko study, pages with more referring domains rank 77% higher on average than those with fewer links.
Backlinks directly affect:
- Domain authority (your site’s trust level)
- Organic traffic (more visibility = more clicks)
- Search rankings (better position on Google SERPs)
If you ignore backlinks, you’re ignoring one of Google’s strongest ranking factors.
Step 1: Use Google Search Console (The Best Free Method)
The most accurate way to find backlinks is through Google Search Console (GSC) — because it’s Google’s own data source.
Here’s how to check backlinks inside GSC:
- Log into your Google Search Console.
- Select your verified property (website).
- On the left sidebar, click “Links.”
- Under External Links, you’ll see:
- Top linked pages: Your most-linked URLs.
- Top linking sites: Websites giving you backlinks.
- Top linking text: Common anchor texts used.
Pro Tip: Export your data as a CSV file. You can filter backlinks by source domain or page type to identify strong referring domains and potential outreach partners.
Step 2: Track Referral Traffic via Google Analytics
How to find backlinks on Google is one thing. Knowing which links actually bring traffic is another.
Google Analytics helps you measure the impact of those backlinks — not just their existence.
To find referral backlinks:
- Open Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
- Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition.
- Filter by “Session default channel group: Referral.”
This shows websites that send visitors to your site through backlinks. These are your most valuable backlinks — they bring real users, not just SEO juice.
Step 3: Use Google Search Operators for Manual Backlink Checks
If you prefer to explore backlinks directly through search results, try Google’s advanced search operators. These commands help you find sites mentioning your domain.
Search like this:
- link:yourdomain.com
- “yourdomain.com” -site:yourdomain.com
- intext: “yourdomain.com”
While Google no longer supports the link: operator officially, the second and third methods still reveal valuable brand mentions and unlinked citations (places where your brand is mentioned but not linked).
Pro Tip: When you find an unlinked mention, contact the site owner and politely request a backlink — a simple but effective link-building strategy.
Step 4: Analyze Competitor Backlinks to Discover Opportunities
Understanding competitor backlinks gives you a roadmap of what’s working in your niche. You can easily find these using Google itself.
Try searching:
- “competitorwebsite.com” -site:competitorwebsite.com
This shows where competitors are mentioned or linked. Then, you can evaluate those referring domains to see where you could also earn backlinks.
For deeper backlink analysis, you can combine this with free backlink checker tools like:
- Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker
- Ubersuggest
- Small SEO Tools
These tools help cross-check link quality, domain authority, and anchor text distribution.
If you also want to go one step further and learn how to find backlinks of competitors, check our detailed strategy guide that breaks down every step.
Step 5: Focus on Backlink Quality, Not Quantity
Many beginners believe more backlinks automatically mean better rankings. That’s not true anymore. Google’s algorithms now reward quality over quantity.
When analyzing backlinks, look for:
- Links from relevant, high-authority domains
- Contextual links within real content (not footers or sidebars)
- Diverse anchor text profiles
- Natural link placement
Low-quality or spammy links from irrelevant sites can actually harm your SEO. If you notice suspicious backlinks in your Search Console, use Google’s Disavow Tool to ignore them.
Common Issues: How To Find Backlinks On Google
Even experienced SEO professionals run into problems while tracking backlinks. Here’s how to handle them:
| Issue | Possible Reason | Solution |
| Missing backlinks in GSC | Links not crawled yet | Wait for Google to index or use external tools |
| Drop in backlinks | Page deleted or deindexed | Check referring domain and contact site owner |
| Spammy backlinks | Automated link farms | Disavow through GSC |
| Referral traffic mismatch | Filter error in GA4 | Adjust channel grouping settings |
Pro Tips for Better Backlink Analysis
- Monitor monthly: Regular backlink checks ensure your SEO strategy remains up-to-date.
- Track anchor text variety: Avoid overusing your exact keyword — it looks unnatural.
- Audit lost links: Tools like Ahrefs can show which backlinks were removed.
- Create linkable assets: Publish data studies or guides worth linking to.
- Leverage mentions: Turn brand mentions into backlinks with simple outreach.
Your Questions, Answered Honestly
1. Why can’t I see all my backlinks in Google Search Console?
Google doesn’t show every single link. It only lists the ones it has already crawled and indexed. Some links might exist, but if Google hasn’t picked them up yet, they won’t appear in your report and that’s totally normal.
2. How often should I check my backlinks?
If you’re running a smaller site or blog, once a month is fine. Bigger sites that get mentioned a lot should keep an eye weekly. It helps you spot new opportunities and remove junk links early.
3. Can Google Analytics show all my backlinks?
No, it can’t. Analytics only shows referral traffic — people who actually clicked through. It doesn’t reveal the full backlink profile. You’ll need to use it along with Google Search Console or a backlink checker to see the full picture.
4. How can I find my competitors’ backlinks on Google?
A quick trick is to search something like “competitor.com” -site:competitor.com. It shows where your competitor’s name or link appears outside their own site. It’s a fast way to spot backlink ideas that could also work for you.
5. What’s the best free backlink checker right now?
Honestly, Ahrefs’ free tool still does a great job. It won’t show you every detail, but it’s enough to see who’s linking to you and to get a feel for how to find backlinks on Google without paying for tools.
6. What should I do about bad or spammy backlinks?
You’ll get some no matter what. The trick is to spot them early. Check Google Search Console, see which links look off, and use the Disavow Tool to clean things up. It keeps your rankings safe.
7. Do backlinks still matter these days?
They do. Maybe even more than people think. Good links tell Google your site’s worth trusting — and that still makes a difference in where you show up.
8. How can I get good backlinks naturally?
Forget shortcuts. Focus on earning them. Write something original, run small studies, share helpful guides, or post guest articles. People link to content that genuinely helps them. That’s how you earn lasting links, not just quick ones.
Final Thoughts
If you really want to grow online, you need to know how to find backlinks on Google. It’s not about using fancy tools — it’s about understanding who’s linking to you and why. Every backlink tells a story. Some show trust. Others reveal opportunities you haven’t noticed yet.
Instead of chasing numbers, focus on learning from your links. The right ones can boost your rankings and open doors to new partnerships.
And when you’re ready to build links that actually matter, take a look at Postspack’s link-building services — built for people who want results, not just reports.
