Free backlink checker: who links to any site
Every referring domain we can find for a site, followed or not, the anchor used, when it appeared, and what dropped. Plus the pages worth copying. Free, no account.
Every column, and what it means
A backlink checker is only as good as its index and as honest as its columns. Here is what each one tells you.
Linking page
The exact page, not just the domain. Two links from one domain on different pages count as one referring domain and two backlinks. Referring domains are the number that matters: ten links from one site are one vote.
Link type
Follow, nofollow, ugc or sponsored, read from the link itself on the live page. Followed links pass ranking weight; the others are hints and mentions, worth having and not worth counting the same.
Anchor text
The clickable words. Your brand name and plain phrases like "this guide" are normal. Many links with the same exact keyword are what a penalty looks like, and the checker shows the mix so you see it before Google does.
First seen
The first crawl that found the link. For links older than our index it is the date we found them, not the date they were placed.
State
Live, lost or changed. Lost means the page is gone or the link was removed. Changed means the link is still there but the attribute moved, usually from followed to nofollow.
Competitors average
The referring-domain count of the three sites that outrank you, so your number has something to stand next to.
Three sources, every row checked live
Enter a domain or a page
The checker reads three sources: the sites our agents have already crawled in your niche, a live crawl of the pages known to link out in it, and public link data where it exists.
Every row checked live
Each link is fetched and read on the page, so the state and the attribute are current, not a stale index count. Fewer rows than a paid index, and every one of them real.
Lost links first
A lost link is the easiest to recover: the editor already said yes once. If your page moved, one redirect fixes every lost link at once; if theirs changed, a short note with the new address usually brings it back. The agent drafts that note.
Good, bad, and what to do with a competitor's list
What a good profile looks like
Referring domains that grow a few a month, from sites in your own subject, with a mix of followed and nofollow, and anchors that are mostly your name.
What trouble looks like
A sudden jump from one source, a long run of exact-match anchors, or most links from sites that link to everyone. The checker does not judge; it shows the rows so you can.
Run it on competitors
The three sites that outrank you, sorted by followed and by subject, are the shortest list of pages worth pitching you will get: every one has already linked to a site like yours. That list feeds the opportunity finder and the agent.
Three kinds, and what each one is worth
Editorial links
A writer chose to cite you inside an article. Followed, in context, on a page about your subject. The kind that moves rankings, and the only kind the agent asks for.
Listings and directories
Your profile on a directory, a roundup entry, a partner page. Often nofollow, still a mention that AI answers and buyers read. Worth having once, not worth collecting.
Forum and community links
A reply in a thread where your buyers ask. Nofollow almost everywhere, but a real reader clicks it, and a real answer builds the name that gets the editorial links later.
What the anchor column is telling you
Brand and plain anchors
"yourdomain", "this guide", "their invoicing app". Most of a healthy profile looks like this, because that is how people link when nobody is steering them.
Partial-match anchors
"an invoicing app for freelancers". Natural in small numbers, from pages that describe what you do. The agent uses these only after the first month, and never the same one twice in a week.
Exact-match anchors
"best invoicing app" on link after link. The pattern a spam filter looks for. If the checker shows a run of them, the fix is more plain links, not fewer keyword ones.
Three questions to ask of any row
Is the linking page indexed?
A link from a page Google never shows passes nothing. The checker fetches the page; if it returns an error or carries noindex, the row is marked, and it does not count toward your followed total.
Is it about your subject?
A link from a cooking blog to an invoicing app is a mention, not a vote. The checker notes the linking page's topic so the rows that matter stand out from the ones that happened by accident.
Does the site link to everyone?
Directories and link pages that point at hundreds of sites pass little. The checker shows the outbound count of the linking page, so a link from a page with twelve links reads differently from one with twelve hundred.
Three moments the checker earns its keep
Before you pitch anyone
Run your own domain first. The anchor mix and the lost links tell you what to ask for: a brand-name link if your anchors are all keywords, a restored link before a new one.
Monthly, not daily
Backlinks change slowly. Run the checker once a month, after a campaign, or when rankings move without a reason you know of.
When a site offers you a link
Paste the page address. What else it links to tells you whether the link is worth having, and the attribute tells you whether it will carry weight.
Owners who do their own SEO
Local service businesses
Local guides, chambers, supplier pages and community sites are where your links come from. The checker shows which of them link to the clinic or trade across town and not to you.
Software and agencies
Roundups, alternative pages and newsletters. A competitor's backlink list is a pitch list; the opportunity finder judges each page and the agent writes the ask.
Online shops
Gift guides, product roundups and niche reviewers. The pages that already mention your products without a link are the first to chase.
Six columns and what each one tells you
Referring domain
The site, not the page. Ten links from one site count roughly as one. The table groups by domain for this reason.
Linking page
The exact page, so you can read the context. A link in a body paragraph is worth more than one in a footer or a sidebar.
Anchor
The clickable words. Brand names and plain phrases are natural; the same money keyword everywhere is a pattern search engines discount.
Attribute
Followed, nofollow, sponsored or UGC, read from the live page. Nofollow links still bring visitors and still appear in source lists.
First seen · last seen
When the link appeared and when it was last confirmed. A gap in last seen is how a lost link is spotted.
Status
Live, lost, or changed. Lost in the last thirty days is listed first because it is the one you can get back with a note.
Three moves the table makes obvious
Copy the pages that link to competitors
The preview lists pages that link to three competitors and not to you. Those writers already link to your category.
Recover the lost ones
A page rewrite drops a link more often than a decision does. A short note with the new address gets most of them back.
Ask for the deep page
Most of your links point at the home page. The next ones should land on the pages written for keywords.
Fewer rows, each one real
Straight answers
How is this different from the Ahrefs or Semrush backlink checker?+
Theirs run on paid indexes with far more rows and a limited free view. Ours shows fewer links, each checked live, with the lost ones and the followed state, and it feeds the opportunity finder, which turns a competitor's backlinks into pages worth pitching.
Why does it show fewer backlinks than another tool?+
Every tool has its own index. Ours favours links verified live over a bigger stale count. If a link you know about is missing, add the page and it is checked within a minute.
Can I check any domain?+
Yes. Your own, a competitor, or a page you were offered a link from, to see what else it links to.
What does lost mean?+
The linking page returns an error, the link was removed, or it was changed to nofollow. In the product won links are re-checked daily; here the state is from the last crawl.
Does it find who links to a single page?+
Yes, paste the page address instead of the domain.
Is nofollow worth anything?+
As a mention and a referral, yes. Search engines treat nofollow, ugc and sponsored as hints, not as votes. Count followed domains for ranking; count all of them for reach.
Eight checks on the same engine
Want the fixes applied, and the links earned?
The free preview runs the full agent on your domain: score, fixes written, five real prospects with the people behind them, and a draft pitch. No card.