Backlinks remain one of the most important ranking factors for SEO in 2023. The number and quality of backlinks pointing to your website influence how high it ranks in Google search results.
That's why regularly viewing and analyzing your backlinks is essential for any website owner.
This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about viewing backlinks and analyzing them to improve your SEO.
A backlink is a link from one website to another. When Site A links to Site B, it passes authority and equity to that site. The more high-quality backlinks your site has, the more authority it accrues in Google's eyes.
Google's search algorithm uses backlinks as one of many signals to determine the ranking of pages for relevant searches. More backlinks (especially from authoritative, relevant sites) generally lead to higher rankings.
Some key benefits of backlinks include:
Clearly, backlinks are very important for SEO success. That makes having tools to view and analyze your backlinks crucial.
The first step towards viewing your backlinks is using a backlink checker or backlink analysis tool. Here are some top options:
Ahrefs offers one of the largest backlink databases you can access. It shows links pointing to your site and lets you analyze them in-depth. Helpful data provided includes:
Ahrefs isn't cheap, but it's one of the most powerful backlink analysis tools available. They offer a 7-day $7 trial so you can test it out.
Moz is another premium backlink analysis tool trusted by SEO professionals. Like Ahrefs, they have data on millions of backlinks and domains.
Useful Moz link analysis features include:
Moz offers a 30-day free trial so you can fully evaluate their backlink checker before committing.
SEMrush is best known for its keyword research but also provides a database of over 140 million backlinks to analyze.
With SEMrush you can:
They offer a free version, but full backlink data requires a paid plan. SEMrush does provide a 7-day pro trial to test.
Linkody specializes in backlink tracking and monitoring. Their database includes over 1 billion backlinks.
Useful backlink analysis features include:
They offer a free Starter plan with limited data and paid Pro plans with full access.
Majestic boasts a backlink index of over 1 trillion links. This makes it one of the largest link databases available.
Key backlink analysis info provided by Majestic:
Majestic offers a free plan but full historical data requires a paid subscription.
There are also various free backlink checker tools with more limited capabilities:
While less robust, these free tools can still provide useful backlink monitoring and analysis. They work well for smaller sites.
The best backlink analysis tools combine a large, accurate link database with powerful filtering and reporting. Carefully evaluate which tool provides the right capabilities for your site at a reasonable cost.
Once you select a backlink checker tool, viewing your site's backlinks takes just a few steps:
Most backlink checkers make it simple to view all your links with a few clicks. But don't stop at just looking at aggregate link totals. Take advantage of filtering, sorting, and reporting to really capitalize on your link data.
Simply viewing all your backlinks isn't enough. To maximize SEO value, you need to dig deeper and analyze:
Analyzing these factors provides the context to interpret what your backlink profile means and how to improve it going forward.
Ideally, your backlinks will come from a diverse mix of relevant, authoritative sites in your topic industry. Anchor text will include your brand name along with naked and optimized anchor text. New links will accumulate steadily over time from quality sources.
Compare your actual backlink profile to this ideal to identify strengths and weaknesses. Then you can work to build more high-quality links and remove problematic ones.
A backlink audit involves a thorough analysis of all links to uncover issues. Here's the general process:
Regular backlink audits encourage link best practices and help avoid Google penalties. Even if you don't have many links, an occasional audit can identify any bad links slipping through.
The backlink analysis process doesn't stop after an initial check. You need to continually track backlinks over time to:
Regular backlink tracking provides insight into your link-building efforts and site health.
Many backlink checkers include link-tracking features:
Schedule time every 1-2 months to run a link check and analyze trends. Tracking sources of new quality links can reveal link-building opportunities. Noticing a big uptick in shady links signals issues to address.
Here are some top tips for getting the most value from viewing and assessing your backlinks:
Following these best practices will boost the value you get from viewing and assessing backlinks.
A: The quickest way is to use a free backlink analysis tool like OpenLinkProfiler or Backlinko. Enter your domain to see a summary of your backlinks, referring domains, and anchor text in just a few seconds.
For more robust backlink data, free trials from Ahrefs, Moz, or Majestic provide full access for 7-30 days. SEMrush also offers strong backlink reporting in its free version.
A: Ideally, you should check your backlinks about once a month. This lets you monitor your link profile for new links from outreach efforts along with any toxic links needing removal.
If aggressively building links, checking every 2 weeks can help spot any sketchy patterns early. Use link tracking alerts as well to monitor new links in real time.
A: Yes, most backlink analysis tools let you enter any domain or URL to view linked pages and anchor text details. Just use caution in how you utilize competitor link data.
Check their anchor text ratios and top linking domains for useful benchmarking. But never copy or mimic competitors' manipulative link-building tactics.
A: The main indicators of a quality backlink are:
Be suspicious of links with over-optimized anchors, irrelevant sites, paid posts, article networks, and other shady tactics.
A: Yes, Google's site operator can view any pages linking to a domain. This only reveals a sample of links but can provide free insight into top pages and anchor text.
Open Site Explorer offers some free backlink data as well. For full details though, a paid tool is recommended.
Viewing and analyzing backlinks is vital for monitoring SEO success and identifying issues. Now you have a complete guide to checking links with the best tools and optimizing your overall link profile.
Ahrefs, Moz, Majestic, and other paid tools provide the most robust backlink data. Take advantage of free trials to test them out. Schedule time every month to audit new links and remove any toxic ones.
Remember - it's quality over quantity when building links. Focus on acquiring authoritative, relevant backlinks organically. Avoid manipulative tactics that could trigger penalties.
Use this guide's tips and best practices for backlink analysis. Soon you'll have the knowledge to view backlinks like an SEO expert!
