The short answer
- Bulk check your backlinks: paste your pages into the free AnyBacklink bulk backlink checker to see which links are still live, and whether each one is dofollow, nofollow, sponsored or ugc.
- Your own site: Google Search Console, look under ‘Links’. It’s free.
- Your competitors: Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz or Majestic. You need a paid plan for the full list; the free versions only show a sample.
- Expect different numbers: each tool will find different links, so pick one provider and track it over time. Compare the tools.
Backlink checkers compared
Search Console will only work for your own website. To look up a competitor’s backlinks, you need a tool that crawls the web and records their backlinks.
Your own website
Count and check the links pointing at your site.
Bulk checks your linking pages: is each link still live, and is it dofollow, nofollow, sponsored or ugc. PDF report
Best for: Making sure the links you have earned or swapped still count
Google Search Console
Free
Your own site only. Links Google itself has found
Best for: Your own backlinks, straight from Google
Bing Webmaster Tools
Free
Your own site. Backlinks report with export
Best for: A second opinion, from Bing’s crawl
Competitor research
Look up the backlinks of any website.
Ahrefs
From $99/month (Lite)
Huge link index, competitor lookups. Free Webmaster Tools for your own sites
Best for: Competitor research and full backlink data
Semrush
From $139.95/month (Pro)
Backlink audit, link gap, competitor tools. A few free lookups a day
Best for: All-in-one SEO, including keyword research
Moz
From $49/month (Starter)
Simple interface, Domain Authority score. Limited free lookups
Best for: Judging a site’s overall link strength
Majestic
From $49.99/month (Lite)
Link data only, with Trust Flow and Citation Flow
Best for: Checking the quality of the sites linking in
Prices are the lowest monthly plan in US dollars, checked in October 2026. Annual billing is usually cheaper, and prices change often.
Backlinks vs referring domains vs dofollow links
Backlinks
Every single page linking to you, spam and low-quality links included. One site with your link in its footer can increase this number drastically.
Referring domains
The number of different sites that link to you. This is the number to watch.
Dofollow links
These backlinks pass value to your site. Links marked nofollow, sponsored or ugc don’t.
Fifty links from fifty relevant sites are worth far more than fifty links from one site. When comparing your site against a competitor’s, compare the referring domains.
Find out which of your backlinks are dofollow
Google Search Console won’t tell you whether a link is dofollow or not, and most free plans only show a sample. Use our bulk backlink checker.
- 1Export your backlinksIn Google Search Console, go to Links, click More under Top linking sites, then Export.
- 2Paste them inAdd the linking pages and your domain to our bulk backlink checker.
- 3See what countsWe show you all the important information you need to monitor your backlinks.
- 4Download the PDFKeep our PDF report for future reference, and check again later.
What you’ll see for each page
Free to use, with a downloadable PDF report.
Open the bulk backlink checkerIf you want to check just one page, use our nofollow and dofollow checker.
Common questions
Why does every tool show a different number?
Each tool only counts the links its own crawler has found, and no crawler sees the whole web. Some keep counting links from deleted pages until they recrawl, and some filter out spam. Pick one tool and compare a site against itself over time.
How many backlinks does a website need?
There is no target number. Look at the referring domains of the sites ranking above you for your main search term: that is the level you are competing with. Buying links or swapping them in bulk to raise a count breaks Google’s spam policies.
Why is a backlink missing from Search Console?
Usually because it’s new. Search Console updates slowly and shows a sample rather than every link, so a new link can take weeks to appear. If you know which page it is on, check that page directly instead of waiting.
More guides
Want more referring domains?
AnyBacklink matches you with verified site owners in your niche who are open to a link swap. Every link is checked when both sides confirm it is published. Free, and nothing is bought or sold.
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