Search "how to check backlinks in Google" and half the results tell you to type link:yoursite.com into the search bar. That trick has been dead for years. Google deprecated the link: operator and it now returns a near-useless sample. The good news: there are still genuinely free, genuinely current ways to check backlinks using Google's own tools and search. Here's what actually works.
Skip the link: operator
link:example.com no longer returns a meaningful list. Any guide still
recommending it hasn't been updated. Everything below is what replaced it.
Not as such, and this is the thing most people are actually looking for when they search for one. Google does not publish a backlink checker. What it gives you is the Links report inside Search Console, which shows the sites linking to a property you have verified, and nothing at all for sites you don't own.
So the honest answer splits in two:
- Your own site → Search Console is the best free source there is, because it's Google's own record rather than a third party's estimate.
- Any other site → you need an independent checker, because Google will never show you a competitor's links.
Both are covered below, in that order.
Check any domain's backlinks, free
Search Console only covers sites you've verified. Paste any domain here instead and get its referring domains back in seconds, no account and no verification.
1. Google Search Console: your own links, from the source
If you own the site, this is the most authoritative free option there is, because it's Google's own record of what it counts:
- Open Search Console and select your verified property.
- Go to Links in the left sidebar.
- Read Top linking sites (which domains link to you most) and Top linked pages (which of your pages attract links).
- Click Export for the full list.
The catch: it only covers sites Google has crawled, and only works for a property you've verified. It also can't show you anyone else's links. For that you need a checker.
2. Search operators: find mentions and citations
Google search still surfaces plenty of link opportunities if you ask the right way:
"yourbrand" -site:yourdomain.com: pages that mention your brand but aren't your own. Many are unlinked mentions, meaning the site already talked about you, so asking for a link is easy."exact phrase from your content": find sites that quoted or scraped you. Quotes without a credit link are links you can recover.intext:"competitor name" resources: resource pages in your niche, which are among the easiest legitimate links to earn.
The link: operator is gone, but Google is still the best free tool for finding
who talks about you without linking. That is the lowest-effort link there is.
3. A backlink checker: for everything Google won't show
Search Console stops at your own verified sites. The moment you want to see a competitor's links, or a fuller view of your own, you need a backlink checker that crawls the web independently. Paste in any domain and you get its referring domains back, no verification required.
See who links to your website, beyond what Search Console reports
Search Console shows what Google has counted so far. A checker shows what the whole web can see, which is usually more. Compare the two on your own domain, free.
Putting it together
| I want to… | Use |
|---|
| See links to my own site, from Google | Search Console → Links |
| Find mentions of my brand | Google "brand" -site: search |
| See links to any site (incl. competitors) | Backlink checker |
| Recover a scraped/quoted page | "exact phrase" search |
Start with Search Console for your own site and operators for mentions. Both are free, and both are current. Reach for a checker the moment the question is about a site you don't own. For the full inbound-link routine, see how to check who is linking to your website.
