Free Backlink Checker
A backlink checker shows which websites link to a domain and how strong those links are. This free backlink checker reports the total live backlinks, referring domains and IPs, dofollow versus nofollow links, link types, countries and anchor texts for any website, yours or a competitor's, then explains what the numbers mean for rankings.
Backlink Checker
Links and Backlinks
About this tool
What a backlink checker shows: every link from another website to the domain you enter is a backlink, and the report groups them in the ways that matter. Referring domains is the number of different websites linking to you. Referring IPs and subnets show how many separate servers those sites sit on. Followed and nofollow split the links by whether they pass ranking credit. Link types (text, image, redirect), top-level domains and countries show where the links come from, and the anchor table shows the words people use to link.
Dofollow vs nofollow: a dofollow link is an ordinary link that search engines may treat as a vote for the page it points to. A nofollow link carries rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc", which asks search engines not to pass that credit. Nofollow links are normal on social profiles, forums, directories and comments and do not hurt a site. What moves rankings is a steady flow of followed, editorial links from relevant sites. Google treats paid links without rel="sponsored" as a link scheme, so a healthy profile always has some nofollow links in it.
How to read the numbers: referring domains matter more than the total link count. A thousand links from one website, usually a sitewide footer or blogroll, carry far less weight than fifty links from fifty relevant sites. When many linking domains share very few IP addresses, look closer, because private blog networks often share hosting. A high nofollow share points to a profile built on profiles and directories rather than editorial mentions. Broken backlinks are links to pages on the domain that now return an error, and a 301 redirect wins their value back.
How to use a backlink checker for outreach: run your own domain first, then the three sites ranking above you for your main keyword. The gap in referring domains tells you how much link building stands between you and them. Their linking domains are your prospect list: directories, industry blogs, resource pages and news sites that already link to a competitor are far more likely to link to a comparable page of yours. Note the anchor texts they earned, write a page that deserves the same mention, then approach each site with a specific reason to link.
Limits of this checker: the numbers come from DataForSEO, a commercial link index that crawls the web continuously, and cover live links to the whole domain, subdomains included. No crawler sees every link on the internet and every vendor finds a different share, so the counts will not match Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz exactly. Compare domains checked with the same tool rather than mixing sources. When the live data connection is switched off, the form asks for your email and we send the same summary within 24 hours.
When to use the paid service: this checker tells you where a domain stands. SEO SMO HUB's SEO service does the work that follows, from a competitor gap analysis to monthly white-hat outreach and a report of every link earned. For ready-made prospect lists, start with the two guides linked below, which we check and update by hand.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What is a backlink checker and what does it show?
A backlink checker is a tool that lists the links pointing to a website from other sites and summarises them: how many links, how many different referring domains, how many are dofollow or nofollow, which link types and countries dominate, and which anchor texts are used. SEO teams use it to judge a site's link strength and to find where competitors earn their links.
How do I check the backlinks of a website for free?
Enter the domain above, such as example.com, and submit. You get the live backlink count, referring domains and IPs, followed and nofollow links, link types, countries, anchors and a plain-language reading, with no signup. When the live data connection is off, leave your email and we send the full summary within 24 hours.
How do I check my competitor's backlinks?
Run the checker on the competitor's domain exactly as you would on your own. Compare their referring domains with yours to measure the gap, then look at the kinds of sites linking to them: directories, industry blogs, resource pages, news. Those sites already link to a business like yours, which makes them the best outreach prospects you can find.
What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks?
A dofollow link is a normal link that search engines may count as a vote for the page it points to. A nofollow, sponsored or ugc link asks them not to pass that credit. Both are part of a natural profile. Google's spam policies require paid links to carry rel="sponsored", so a share of nofollow links is normal and safe.
Why are my backlink numbers different from Ahrefs or Semrush?
Every link index runs its own crawler, so each one finds a different share of the web and drops lost links on its own schedule. This checker uses DataForSEO data. Treat any single number as a large sample rather than a full census, and compare competitors with the same tool so the differences reflect the sites, not the data sources.
Why am I asked for an email instead of seeing results?
Live backlink data comes from a paid data source. While that connection is switched off, the checker takes the domain and your email instead, and we send the full summary within 24 hours. We use your email only to send that report and never add you to a mailing list you did not ask for.