How to Check Backlinks in Google Search Console

If you want to understand who is linking to your website, you don't necessarily need an expensive SEO platform. Google Search Console backlinks data gives website owners a free way to review external links that Google has discovered pointing to their site.

Google Search Console can show which pages receive the most links, which websites link to your domain, and the words commonly used in those links. This makes it a useful starting point for backlink analysis, especially when you're checking the backlink profile of a website you own.

In this guide, we'll explain exactly how to find backlinks in Google Search Console, how to interpret the available reports, and how to export the data for deeper analysis.

What Are Backlinks?

Before looking at Google Search Console backlinks, it helps to understand what a backlink actually is.

A backlink is a link from another website pointing to your website.

For example, if an industry publication writes an article about SEO and links to one of your guides, that link is a backlink to your website.

Backlinks can potentially help with search visibility, provide referral traffic, and help search engines discover relationships between websites and webpages.

However, Google Search Console doesn't provide every backlink that exists on the web. Its Links report provides information about links Google has discovered for your property, making it a useful source of data but not a complete replacement for dedicated backlink databases.

How to Check Backlinks in Google Search Console

The process is straightforward.

Log in to Google Search Console, select your website property from the top-left dropdown, and click Links at the bottom of the left-hand menu.

Under the External links section, you can view your top linked pages, referring domains, and anchor texts.

This is the central location for reviewing your website's external links.

Navigating the Links Report

Follow these steps:

• Open Google Search Console and pick your site property.

• Scroll down the left sidebar and click Links.

• Look at External links to see incoming backlinks from other websites.

Once you open the report, Google presents several categories that can help you understand your backlink profile.

Analyzing External Link Data

The External links section contains several useful reports.

Top Linked Pages

Top linked pages: See which pages on your site get the most links.

This report can reveal which content on your website attracts the greatest number of external references.

For example, you might discover that a detailed guide, research article, product page, or free resource has attracted considerably more backlinks than your other pages.

This information can help you identify the types of content that naturally earn links.

It can also help you decide which successful content formats could be expanded into additional resources.

Top Linking Sites

Top linking sites: See the external domain names that link to you.

This report shows which websites are linking to your domain.

Reviewing these domains can help you identify publications, industry websites, partners, and other sources that have referenced your content.

If a particular website repeatedly links to your content, it may also indicate an existing relationship that could potentially support future content collaboration.

Top Linking Text

Top linking text: See the most common words used as anchor text.

Anchor text is the clickable wording used in a hyperlink.

For example, if another website links to your page using the words "SEO backlink guide," that phrase is the anchor text.

Looking at the most common linking text can help you understand how external websites describe your content.

Drilling Down Into Your Backlinks

The main Links report provides an overview, but you can go deeper into individual categories.

Click More on any report list to view the full data table.

This lets you move beyond the initial summary and inspect more of the available information.

You can also investigate individual relationships between linking websites and your pages.

Click a specific linking site or target page to see exact URL pairings.

This is useful when you want to understand exactly where a link comes from and which page on your website it points toward.

For example, instead of simply seeing that a publication links to your domain, you can investigate the particular URLs associated with the linking relationship.

How to Export Google Search Console Backlink Data

If you want to perform a more detailed analysis, Google Search Console allows you to export backlink information.

Click the Export button in the top right to download data as a CSV, Excel file, or Google Sheet.

Exporting the data can make it easier to sort and organize your backlink information.

You can use a spreadsheet to group referring domains, identify frequently linked pages, review anchor text, or compare different portions of your backlink profile.

How to Export and Analyze Data

• Click More at the bottom of any table to open the full list of domains or pages.

• Click the Export button at the top right of the report to download your data into Google Sheets or Excel for deep analysis.

• Click on any specific linking site or target page to see exact URLs and paths.

To check your website backlinks in Google Search Console, log in, select your property, and click Links in the left-hand sidebar menu.

Look under External links to view the pages on other sites that link to your domain.

How to Analyze Your Backlinks

Simply downloading backlink data isn't enough. The next step is understanding what the data tells you.

Look at Your Most Linked Pages

Start by identifying pages that receive a large number of external links.

These pages may reveal topics or content formats that naturally attract attention.

If your research report receives significantly more links than ordinary blog posts, for example, that could be a useful insight for your future content strategy.

Review Your Linking Domains

Next, examine the websites linking to your content.

Look for relevant industry publications, organizations, businesses, blogs, and resources.

The number of links isn't the only consideration. The context and relevance of the referring website are important when evaluating your overall backlink profile.

Examine Anchor Text

Review the words websites use when linking to you.

This can help you understand how your brand and content are being referenced externally.

It can also reveal whether different websites are naturally using a variety of descriptive phrases when linking to your pages.

Google Search Console vs. Dedicated Backlink Tools

Google Search Console is particularly useful because it is free and directly connected to Google's webmaster ecosystem.

However, it isn't designed to provide the same type of backlink database as dedicated SEO platforms.

Tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, and other backlink analysis platforms can provide additional competitive research capabilities and their own link databases.

A practical SEO workflow can therefore use Google Search Console as the foundation for analyzing your own website while using specialized backlink tools when you need broader competitor research.

Can You Check Competitor Backlinks in Google Search Console?

No.

Google Search Console provides data for properties you have access to. You cannot use your Search Console account to open the private backlink report of a competitor's website.

If you want to research competitor backlinks, you need a third-party backlink analysis tool that maintains its own backlink database.

This distinction is important when developing a link-building strategy.

Google Search Console is primarily a first-party website management and analysis platform, while dedicated backlink tools are designed for broader link intelligence.

Why Check Backlinks Regularly?

Backlink profiles change continuously.

New websites can link to your content, existing links can disappear, and previously linked pages can change.

Regularly checking your backlinks can therefore help you:

• Discover new referring domains

• Identify your most link-worthy content

• Understand how other websites reference your brand

• Monitor changes in your external link profile

• Find potential content and outreach opportunities

• Keep a historical record of your backlink development

For businesses actively investing in SEO and link building, this information can be particularly useful when measuring the progress of an off-page SEO strategy.

Final Thoughts

Checking backlinks in Google Search Console is one of the simplest ways to start understanding your website's external link profile.

The process is straightforward: open your property, select Links, go to External links, and explore Top linked pages, Top linking sites, and Top linking text.

You can then click More to explore additional data and use the Export button to download information for deeper analysis.

While Google Search Console should not be treated as a complete backlink database, its Links report provides valuable information for website owners.

When combined with content analysis, technical SEO, internal linking, and dedicated backlink research tools, Google Search Console backlinks data can become a useful part of a broader SEO strategy.

FAQs

Can you see backlinks in Google Search Console?

Yes. Google Search Console has a Links report where you can view external links Google has discovered pointing to your website. Under External links, you can review top linked pages, top linking sites, and top linking text.

Is Google Search Console a SEO?

Google Search Console is a free Google tool for monitoring and troubleshooting a website's presence in Google Search. It provides SEO-related information such as search performance, indexing, and external links, but it isn't an SEO service or a complete SEO platform by itself.

How to search for backlinks on Google?

If you're checking backlinks to your own website, the most direct free approach is to use Google Search Console. Select your property, click Links, and review the External links reports. For broader backlink discovery, including competitor research, dedicated backlink analysis tools can provide additional data.

What is backlink in SEO?

A backlink in SEO is a hyperlink from an external website pointing to your website or a page on your website. Backlinks can help search engines discover content, provide referral traffic, and contribute to signals used when evaluating webpages. The relevance and quality of the linking website and the context of the link are important.