How to Find Who Links to Your Website
Short answer
The most reliable free way to find who links to your own website is Google Search Console's Links report, since it shows real backlinks Google has actually found, not an estimate. If you want a broader picture, including links Google hasn't crawled yet, free tiers from Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz's Link Explorer will show a partial list, capped well below their paid results.
Wanting to see who links to your site is a different question from knowing what a backlink is. You already have a page or two of definitions on that. This is the practical version: where do you actually go to get a list, and why do different tools give you different numbers for the same site.
There's no single tool that sees every link on the internet. Google Search Console only shows links to pages it has indexed and crawled recently, and every third-party backlink checker builds its list from its own crawler, which covers a different, smaller slice of the web than Google's. That's why checking two tools for the same domain almost always gives two different counts, and both can be correct for what they actually measured.
Google Search Console: start here
Search Console's Links report (under Links in the left sidebar) splits results into external links and internal links. External links is the one you want for finding who links in from other sites; it lists the linking site, the specific page linking to you, and the page on your site it points to. It only works if you've already verified your site in Search Console, and it only shows links Google has crawled, so a brand-new link can take days or weeks to appear.
Free third-party backlink checkers
Ahrefs' free Backlink Checker, Semrush's free Backlink Analytics, and Moz's Link Explorer all let you look up any domain, including your own, without an account for a limited number of results, usually capped somewhere between 5 and 100 links depending on the tool and the day. Use these to sanity-check Search Console's list or to look up a competitor's backlinks, which Search Console can't show you at all since it only covers sites you've verified.
Why the numbers never match
Each tool crawls the web with its own bot, on its own schedule, at its own scale. Google's crawler sees far more of the web than any third-party tool, but Search Console only reports links to pages Google has already indexed, and it doesn't refresh in real time. A third-party checker might show a link Search Console hasn't picked up yet, or miss one entirely because its crawler hasn't reached that page. Treat the exact count from any single tool as approximate, and cross-check important links (like a mention from a site you actually care about) manually by visiting the linking page.
Finding broken links to your site
A link to your site can break after the fact if you've changed a URL, deleted a page, or migrated platforms. Search Console's Coverage report will show 404 errors, but it won't tell you who's linking to that dead URL. For that, run the broken URL through a free backlink checker to see which external sites still point to it, then either 301 redirect the old URL to its replacement or reach out to update the link directly.
The practical checklist
Verify your site in Google Search Console
If it's not verified yet, you can't see your own Links report at all.
Check the External Links report
Links → External links. Sort by top linking sites to spot your most valuable ones first.
Run your domain through one free third-party checker
Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. Use it as a cross-check, not a replacement for Search Console.
Note any 404s in the Coverage report
A page that no longer exists can still have live links pointing at it from other sites.
301 redirect any broken URL that still has links pointing to it
This passes the existing link's value to the new page instead of losing it.
Key takeaways
- • Google Search Console's Links report is the most reliable free source for your own site's backlinks, but only for pages Google has already crawled and indexed.
- • Free tiers of Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz let you look up any domain, including competitors, but cap results well below what their paid plans show.
- • Different tools will always report different link counts for the same site because each one crawls the web with its own bot and its own coverage.
- • Search Console can't check other people's sites; third-party checkers are the only free option for that.
- • A dead page can still have live external links pointing to it; redirecting the old URL keeps that link value instead of losing it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find links to my website for free?+
Verify your site in Google Search Console and check the External Links report under Links in the sidebar. It's free and shows real links Google has crawled, not an estimate.
How do I find links to a website that isn't mine?+
Search Console only works for sites you've verified, so for anyone else's domain you'll need a third-party tool like Ahrefs' free Backlink Checker, Semrush's Backlink Analytics, or Moz's Link Explorer.
Why do different backlink checkers show different results for the same site?+
Each tool crawls the web with its own bot and its own schedule, so no two tools have identical coverage. Google's own crawler, which feeds Search Console, sees a different slice of the web than Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz's crawlers do.
How do I find broken links pointing to my website?+
Search Console's Coverage report shows which of your URLs are returning 404 errors. Run any of those dead URLs through a free backlink checker to see which external sites still link to them, then 301 redirect the old URL to fix it.
Is there a completely free way to see all backlinks to a site?+
No single free tool shows every backlink. Google Search Console is the most accurate for your own site but only covers what Google has crawled, and free tiers of third-party checkers cap the number of results they'll show without a paid plan.