How do I find out who is linking to my website?

Paste your domain into a backlink checker and it returns your referring domains, which are the unique sites that link to you. Google Search Console also lists your top linking sites for free under Links → External links. Between the two you get both a fast public view and Google's own record.

Can I see who links to my site in Google Search Console?

Yes. Open Search Console, choose your property, and go to the Links report. "Top linking sites" shows the domains that link to you most, and you can export the full list. It only covers sites Google has crawled and only for a property you've verified, so pair it with a backlink checker for a fuller picture.

What is inbound link analysis?

Inbound link analysis is the practice of reviewing the links pointing to your site. You look at how many there are, how authoritative the sources are, what pages they point to, and whether any are toxic. The goal is to protect your best links, fix or disavow harmful ones, and spot pages that attract links so you can make more of them.

How often should I check my backlinks?

For most sites, a monthly review is plenty. That is enough to catch lost links from your best sources and notice any sudden spike in spammy links. Set a reminder rather than checking daily; backlink profiles move slowly unless something unusual is happening.

Backlinks 101

How to check who is linking to your website

A clear, jargon-free walkthrough for finding every site that links to yours. Learn what tools to use, how to read the list, and how to spot the links worth protecting and the ones worth disavowing.

Brad Williams·Updated Jul 2026·3 min read

Before you chase new links, it's worth knowing exactly what you already have. The sites linking to you right now are your most valuable SEO asset. The fastest way to lose ground is to let a great link quietly disappear without noticing. This guide shows you how to pull the complete list of sites linking to yours, read it without drowning, and act on what you find.

The two lists you actually need

There are two authoritative ways to see who links to you, and they complement each other:

A backlink checker gives you the fast, public view. It shows the same crawl-the-web data your competitors can see about you. Paste in your domain and you get your referring domains back in seconds. Our free who-links-to-my-website checker does exactly this, with no account.
Google Search Console gives you Google's own record. Under Links → External links → Top linking sites, it lists the domains that link to you most, straight from the source that matters for ranking.

Use both, for different reasons

The checker shows you what the whole web sees (including links Search Console is slow to report). Search Console shows you what Google has actually counted. When they disagree, that gap is itself useful information.

Reading the list without drowning

A backlink report can run to thousands of rows. Don't read it row by row. Instead, sort it and skim the top. In order of what matters:

Referring domains, sorted by authority. A referring domain is a unique website linking to you; ten links from one site still count once. Sort high-to-low by Domain Rating (DR) and read the top 20. That's your real link profile.
The page each link points to. Links clustered on one page tell you which of your pages naturally attracts links. That's a pattern worth repeating.
Dofollow vs nofollow. Only some links pass authority. If you're not sure which is which, dofollow vs nofollow, explained covers it in two minutes.

A referring domain worth protecting

AR 72 / 100

Protect the good, question the rest

Once you can see the list, three actions cover almost everything:

Protect your best links. If a DR-70 site links to a page you later redirect or delete, you can lose that link's value. Note your top referring domains and don't break the pages they point to.
Recover lost links. Most checkers flag lost links. A site that dropped your link may relink if you reach out, especially if the page just got redesigned and the link was cut by accident.
Question the toxic ones. A sudden pile of links from spammy, unrelated sites can drag you down. Don't panic-disavow everything, but do review them. See how to find and remove toxic backlinks.

Knowing who links to you isn't vanity. It's the difference between building on your best assets and accidentally deleting them.

Do the same for your competitors

Everything here works on any domain, not just your own. Point the exact same process at a competitor and you're reading their link profile, which is where most of your best link ideas will come from. That's a guide of its own: how to find your competitors' backlinks.

See who links to your website, right now

Enter your domain and get your referring domains back in seconds, strongest first, with dofollow and new-this-month flagged. Free, no account. Then add a competitor to see what they have that you don't.

Check my backlinks →

When free is genuinely enough

For most sites, a free backlink checker plus Search Console answers every question that matters: who links to me, which links are strongest, and what did I just lose. Paid tools earn their price when you need daily monitoring, historical trends, or to audit hundreds of domains at once. Until then, check monthly, protect your best sources, and spend the saved subscription money on earning the next great link.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out who is linking to my website?: Paste your domain into a backlink checker and it returns your referring domains, which are the unique sites that link to you. Google Search Console also lists your top linking sites for free under Links → External links. Between the two you get both a fast public view and Google's own record.
Can I see who links to my site in Google Search Console?: Yes. Open Search Console, choose your property, and go to the Links report. "Top linking sites" shows the domains that link to you most, and you can export the full list. It only covers sites Google has crawled and only for a property you've verified, so pair it with a backlink checker for a fuller picture.
What is inbound link analysis?: Inbound link analysis is the practice of reviewing the links pointing to your site. You look at how many there are, how authoritative the sources are, what pages they point to, and whether any are toxic. The goal is to protect your best links, fix or disavow harmful ones, and spot pages that attract links so you can make more of them.
How often should I check my backlinks?: For most sites, a monthly review is plenty. That is enough to catch lost links from your best sources and notice any sudden spike in spammy links. Set a reminder rather than checking daily; backlink profiles move slowly unless something unusual is happening.

Keep reading

How to find your competitors' backlinks

The same method, pointed at the sites you're trying to beat.

How to check backlinks using Google search

Free operators and Search Console, step by step.

How to find and remove toxic backlinks

What to do about the harmful links you turn up.

Dofollow vs nofollow backlinks

Which of your inbound links actually pass authority.

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