Free plan: up to 100 URLs/domains per submission, 500 backlink lookups per day across all our backlink tools combined. Upgrade for up to 1,000 URLs/domains per submission.
Debug: upstream API calls (click to expand)
| Source URL | Destination URL | Domain Authority |
Page Rank |
Spam Score |
Domains/URLs |
|---|
How it works
The Backlink Checker searches a third-party index of links across the public web. It returns every page in that index that links to your target URL or domain. For each backlink we add metrics about the source domain, so you can judge link quality at a glance.
Single mode checks one URL or domain. Bulk mode queues up to 100 URLs or domains and processes them in the background, so you can keep working while the job runs.
Auto-detection. If you leave the type set to Auto, anything starting with http:// or https:// is treated as a page URL. Everything else is treated as a domain. A page URL returns backlinks to that one page. A domain returns backlinks to every page on that host. You can override the guess with the type dropdown.
Metrics we add to each row:
- Domain Authority from Moz, a 0 to 100 estimate of ranking strength.
- Page Rank on a 0 to 10 scale, computed independently from Google's original PageRank method.
- Spam Score from Moz, 0 to 100. Higher means more spam signals on the source domain.
Plan caps. Your plan caps how many backlinks we return per target. On the Free plan that is 500 backlinks per URL or domain. Each submission counts as one job toward a daily quota shared with the Backlink Gap Analyzer and Listing Checker.
Known limitations.
- Not a complete count. No backlink index covers the whole web. Small or brand-new pages may have links our source has not crawled yet. The numbers here are a strong sample, not a full count.
- New links take time to show. The index refreshes on its own schedule. A new backlink usually appears within days to a few weeks, depending on how popular the source page is.
What the columns mean
- Source URL
- The page on another website that contains the link to your target. Click it to open the page in a new tab and see the link in context.
- Destination URL
- The exact page on your target that the source links to. When you check a domain, different pages on it get different backlinks. This column shows which page each row points at.
- Anchor Text
- The clickable words inside the
<a>tag. Anchor text tells search engines what the linked page is about. A vague anchor like "click here" carries less weight than a descriptive phrase. - Domain Authority (DA)
- Moz's 0 to 100 estimate of how well a domain can rank. The scale is logarithmic, so each step up gets harder. Moving from 20 to 30 is a real gain. Moving from 80 to 90 is much harder. Scores of 90 or more are rare. Most established sites sit at 30 to 60. Links from high-DA domains usually pass more ranking value.
- Page Rank (PR)
- A 0 to 10 score computed independently from Google's original PageRank method, using a public link graph. The web's biggest sites, such as Wikipedia and major news outlets, score 8 to 10. Use it as a second opinion next to Domain Authority.
- Spam Score
- Moz's 0 to 100 count of spam signals on the source domain. A domain over about 60 may be a risk if it links to you. If several high-score domains point at your site, the Spam Score Checker can review each one before you decide to disavow.
- Domains/URLs (bulk mode only)
- Which of your inputs the row came from. Useful when you sort or filter a large bulk result to see which target earned which links.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check backlinks for a URL or domain?
Enter a URL, such as https://example.com/post, or a domain, such as example.com, in the box above and click Check Backlinks. We return every page in our index that links to that target. Each row shows the anchor text, the source domain's authority score, its Page Rank and its Spam Score. Bulk mode checks several URLs or domains in one go. The job runs in the background while you keep working.
How can I check backlinks using Google directly?
You cannot, for a site you do not own. Google retired the link: search operator years ago. Search Console only reports links to sites you have verified. There is no way to ask Google who links to any given URL. A backlink checker like this one uses an independent crawl of the public web instead. If you own the site, pair this tool with the Links report in Search Console to see what Google itself counts.
How can I tell if a backlink is do-follow or no-follow?
Open the source page and read its code. Our data source does not yet tell us whether a link carries rel="nofollow", rel="ugc" or rel="sponsored", so there is no Followed column. To check one link, open the Source URL, view the page source, find the <a> tag for that link and read its rel attribute. We will add the column as soon as the data source returns it.
Which backlink checker is the most accurate?
None is the most accurate for every site. Each tool crawls the web on its own and indexes a different slice of it, so coverage varies from domain to domain. Ahrefs and Majestic have the largest paid indexes, but both charge even for small lookups. Our index is strong on mid-to-high-traffic sites and less complete on brand-new or low-authority pages. Treat the data here as a solid starting point, not a full count.
What is a backlink (with an example)?
A backlink is a link from one website to another. If a Wikipedia article links to yourdomain.com/article, that is a backlink to your site. Wikipedia is the source, your domain is the target, and the clickable words are the anchor text. Search engines read a backlink as a vote of confidence from one site to another. That is why off-page SEO mostly means earning more good backlinks over time.
What are the three types of backlinks?
The usual split is:
- Editorial backlinks: earned because someone chose to cite your content. These carry the most weight in rankings.
- Manual backlinks: placed because you asked. Examples are guest posts, partner pages and resource lists. The link is only as good as the site it sits on.
- Self-created backlinks: placed on sites anyone can post to. Examples are forum signatures, blog comments and low-quality directories. Search engines mostly ignore these, and in bulk they can trigger a spam penalty.
Are backlinks still important for SEO in 2026?
Yes. Backlinks remain one of the strongest signals in Google's ranking system, but the bar has moved. A pile of low-quality links does little and can even hurt. A few links from strong, relevant sites still make a real difference. Use this tool to see what points at your site. Disavow toxic links in Google Search Console if you need to, and aim for fewer, better links from here on.
Is buying backlinks illegal?
No, but it breaks Google's spam policies. If Google spots a bought link, it usually just ignores its ranking value. Less often it applies a manual action to your site. In extreme cases it removes the site from its index. The risk is highest when bought links look unnatural: irrelevant anchor text, low-quality source sites, a sudden burst of new links, or a repeated pattern. This tool shows what your backlink profile looks like today, which is the first step in spotting anything risky.