Check Website Backlinks
Checking website backlinks means reviewing external links pointing to your domain to assess their sources, relevance, authority and potential risk. Use the findings to confirm valuable referring pages, investigate harmful links and prioritise improvements to your link profile.
Review Your Website Backlink Profile
Checking website backlinks means reviewing external links pointing to your domain, including source pages, anchor text and target URLs. This shows which sites reference your content and how search engines may interpret those connections.
Use a backlink checker to group links by referring domain, relevance and authority, then inspect unfamiliar sources manually. Look for broken target pages, repeated anchor text or irrelevant placements. A “nofollow” link is not automatically harmful; assess its context and the referring page before deciding what to do.
Record valuable links for content planning and investigate suspicious patterns. If a link appears to violate search guidelines and cannot be removed, review Google’s disavow guidance. Recheck your profile after campaigns, site migrations or technical changes.
Key Insights from Your Backlink Profile
Backlink profile insights summarise the sources, target pages, anchor text, link attributes and quality signals associated with links to your website. They help separate relevant references from broken, duplicated or potentially risky links.
Use these findings to prioritise link reclamation, investigate unusual patterns and guide content or outreach. Check important links manually, record changes and compare reports over time.
What to Look for When Checking Website Backlinks
New and Lost Links
Track recently acquired and removed backlinks to identify successful campaigns, broken relationships and changes that may affect important pages.
Link Status
Check whether backlinks resolve correctly and lead to the intended destination, so you can reclaim valuable links affected by errors or site changes.
Referring Domain Patterns
Compare links across referring domains to distinguish broad editorial coverage from repeated links concentrated on a small group of sites.
Destination Coverage
See which pages attract backlinks and identify important pages with little external support, informing content updates and internal linking decisions.
Suspicious Patterns
Flag unusual growth, irrelevant placements or clusters of similar links for closer manual review before taking corrective action.
Link Attribute Review
Separate follow, nofollow and other link attributes to understand how each reference may contribute to discovery, referral traffic or authority signals.
Historical Comparisons
Compare backlink reports over time to measure the effect of outreach, migrations and content changes while keeping an evidence-based record.
Questions About Checking Website Backlinks
How do I check website backlinks?
Website backlink checks identify external pages linking to your domain, showing referring sites, anchor text, target URLs and link attributes. Review these findings to assess relevance, quality, potential and risk.
Which backlinks should I prioritise when checking my website?
Prioritise backlinks from relevant, authoritative websites that send qualified referral traffic, use natural anchor text and point to important pages. Investigate suspicious, irrelevant, paid or manipulative links before taking action.
How can I identify harmful backlinks to my website?
Identify harmful backlinks by checking for irrelevant or manipulative placements, unnatural anchor text, sitewide links, malware warnings, or sudden patterns from low-quality domains. Review each link’s context manually before acting.