The Best Ways to Find Backlinks and Spy on Your Competitors

Why Backlinks Are the Foundation of Your SEO Strategy

Check incoming links to understand how search engines measure your website's authority and trustworthiness. Here's what you need to know:

Quick Answer: How to Check Incoming Links

1. Free Method: Use Google Search Console's Links report (up to 100,000 rows of data)

2. Advanced Analysis: Use tools like Semrush (43 trillion links), Ahrefs, or Moz (45.5 trillion links)

3. Key Metrics to Track: Domain Rating, referring domains, anchor text, dofollow vs. nofollow status

4. Frequency: Audit monthly for small sites, weekly for active link building campaigns

Backlinks—also called inbound links or incoming links—are links from other websites pointing to yours. They work like votes of confidence in the eyes of search engines. The more quality votes you have, the higher your site tends to rank.

According to Google's former Search Quality Senior Strategist Andrey Lipattsev, "Content and Links going into your site, are the two most important ranking factors." This hasn't changed much since the PageRank system was invented at Stanford University in 1996. Even the 2024 Google leaks still reference link-based features like 'homepagePagerank' and 'siteAuthority'.

But not all backlinks help you. Some can actually hurt your rankings if they come from spammy or low-quality sites. That's why checking your incoming links regularly is critical for any business trying to improve their online visibility.

The challenge? Without the right tools, manually tracking and analyzing your backlinks is nearly impossible. Google's own Link Reports are limited to 1,000 rows in the interface, and third-party tools can be expensive or overwhelming for small business owners.

I'm Carlos Cortez, and I've spent over two decades helping businesses build scalable digital infrastructure and revenue-growth systems. At S9 Consulting, we regularly check incoming links for our clients to identify opportunities, spot problems early, and build stronger backlink profiles that drive measurable results.

Why You Must Regularly Check Incoming Links for SEO

In the early days of the web, SEO was a bit like the Wild West. People used keyword stuffing and invisible text to trick search engines. But as search engines evolved, they began to rely on the "PageRank" system, which treats every link as a vote. Today, those votes are more sophisticated than ever.

When you regularly check incoming links, you are essentially performing a health check on your website’s reputation. Search engines like Google use these links to determine your "Domain Authority" or site strength. If high-quality, relevant sites link to you, it signals that your content is valuable. This is why Official Google Webmaster Central Blog Backlinks are links pointing form website A to website B. Some frequent used synonyms (also in this article) are: external links, inbound links, incoming links.The total number of backlinks pointing to your complete website and their quality, result in the overall authority of your domain. The exter... emphasizes that the quality of these endorsements matters just as much as the quantity.

Beyond just rankings, backlinks are a massive source of referral traffic. If a popular blog in Boston or a news outlet in Jacksonville links to your service page, you aren't just getting SEO "link juice"—you’re getting actual humans clicking through to see what you offer.

At S9 Consulting, we recommend that you Perform a backlink audit on your website at least once a quarter. This helps you:

• Monitor Success: See if your recent content marketing efforts are actually earning links.

• Protect Your Site: Spot sudden influxes of spammy links that could trigger a penalty.

• Benchmark Strength: Compare your link equity against competitors to see where you stand in the local search landscape.

How to Check Incoming Links Using Google Search Console

If you are looking for a cost-effective way to start, Google Search Console (GSC) is your best friend. It is a free tool provided by Google that shows you exactly how they see your site.

Before you can dive into the data, you need to ensure you have a property set up. If you haven't done this yet, we have a guide on Setting up Google Search Console to get you started. Once you’re in, GSC provides a wealth of information through its Links report.

One thing to keep in mind is how Google handles "Canonical URLs." Google groups pages by their primary URL, omitting anchor tags and certain parameters. This means if you have multiple versions of a page, Google will usually consolidate the link data into one main version.

While GSC is powerful, it does have some limitations. For example, the user interface only shows the top 1,000 rows of data. However, you can export up to 100,000 rows to a CSV or Google Sheet for a more comprehensive look.

Feature	Google Search Console	Third-Party Tools (Moz/Semrush/Ahrefs)
Cost	Free	Usually Paid (Subscription)
Data Source	Google's direct index	Proprietary crawlers
Export Limit	100,000 rows	Varies (often millions)
Competitor Data	Only your own site	Any site on the web
Spam Scores	Not provided	Advanced toxicity metrics

Step-by-Step: How to Check Incoming Links for Free

Ready to get your hands dirty? Follow these steps to check incoming links using GSC:

1. Open the Report: Log into your dashboard and Open the links report.

2. View External Links: Look at the "External links" section. This shows you which of your pages are linked to the most.

3. Identify Top Linking Sites: This report lists the root domains that link to you most frequently. If you see a domain you don't recognize, it might be worth investigating.

4. Analyze Anchor Text: Check the "Top linking text" to see what words people use when they link to you. This helps you understand if users and search engines perceive your content the way you intended.

If you are working with an agency like ours, you might need to know about Granting access to Google Search Console so we can help you interpret this data.

Using Tools to Check Incoming Links for Spam

While GSC is great for seeing what Google has found, it doesn't always tell you if those links are "toxic." This is where deep analytical backlink tools come in. Tools like Semrush boast databases containing 43 trillion links from 390 million domains, allowing for a much broader view of the web.

Spammy links—often called toxic backlinks—come from low-quality, irrelevant, or "link farm" sites. If your backlink profile is cluttered with these, search engines might think you are trying to "game" the system. Advanced tools use proprietary algorithms to assign a "Toxicity Score" to each link.

If you find that your site is being targeted by a "negative SEO" attack or you've inherited a messy link profile, you may need to Disavow harmful links to clean your backlink profile. This tells Google to ignore those specific links when evaluating your site.

Analyzing Your Backlink Profile Metrics

When you check incoming links, you'll encounter several metrics that might seem like alphabet soup at first. Understanding these is key to "spying" on your competitors effectively.

• Domain Rating (DR) / Authority Score: This is a score (usually 0-100) that estimates the strength of a website’s backlink profile. A higher score generally means more ranking power.

• Referring Domains vs. Total Backlinks: If one site links to you 1,000 times, you have 1,000 backlinks but only 1 referring domain. Search engines prefer diversity. It’s better to have 10 links from 10 different reputable sites than 100 links from just one site.

• Referring IPs: This metric helps identify "shady" tactics. If hundreds of links come from the same IP address, it suggests a link network (PBN), which is a major red flag for Google.

• Organic Traffic: A link from a site that actually gets traffic is much more valuable than a link from a "dead" site.

One of the best ways to grow is to Reverse engineer your competitor's backlink strategy. By looking at who links to your top competitors in Boston or Jacksonville, you can find "link gaps"—sites that link to them but not to you. These are your primary targets for outreach.

Understanding Dofollow vs. Nofollow and Anchor Text

Not all links are created equal. When you check incoming links, you'll notice two main types:

1. Dofollow Links: These are standard links that pass "link juice" or SEO authority. These are the ones you want for ranking purposes.

2. Nofollow Links: These links have a small piece of code (rel="nofollow") that tells search engines not to pass authority. While they don't directly boost your rankings, they are still valuable for referral traffic and making your link profile look "natural."

Then there is the Anchor Text. This is the clickable text in a hyperlink. If you are a dentist in Jacksonville and all your backlinks have the anchor text "click here," Google doesn't get much context. But if the anchor text is "best Jacksonville dental clinic," it sends a strong signal about what your page is about.

You can use the Links report > External links > Top linking text in GSC or a Free Backlink Checker Tool to see your most common anchors. Just be careful—if too many of your links use the exact same keyword-rich anchor text, it can look suspicious to Google.

Strategies to Improve Your Backlink Profile

Once you know where you stand, it's time to take action. Building a robust backlink profile isn't about buying links (which we never recommend); it's about earning them through high-quality content and smart outreach.

• Guest Blogging: This is one of the most reliable ways to get high-quality links. By Launching a guest blogging link building campaign, you provide value to another site's audience in exchange for a link back to your own.

• Broken Link Building: This is a "win-win" strategy. You find broken links on other websites using a backlink checker, then reach out to the site owner and suggest they replace the dead link with a link to a relevant page on your site.

• Content Outreach: If you have a great blog post or guide, don't just let it sit there. Launch a link building campaign for your existing content by emailing influencers or bloggers in your industry who might find it useful.

• Resource Pages: Many sites have "Resources" or "Recommended Tools" pages. Resources page link building outreach involves finding these pages and asking to be included if your service or content fits the list.

• Infographics: People love visual data. By Launching an infographic link building campaign, you create a shareable asset. When other sites use your graphic, they usually give you a backlink as an attribution.

Frequently Asked Questions about Backlink Audits

How long does it take for new links to appear?

It usually takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks for a new backlink to be discovered and reflected in a checker tool. Popular, high-traffic sites are crawled more frequently by Google and third-party bots, so links from those sites appear much faster than links from obscure blogs.

What are the limitations of free backlink tools?

Free tools are a great starting point, but they often have "caps." For instance, Moz's free account provides 10 queries per month, and GSC only shows your own data. Free tools also lack the deep competitive analysis and real-time toxicity monitoring that paid platforms offer.

How do I identify a toxic backlink?

Look for links from sites that have nothing to do with your niche, sites with "gibberish" domain names (e.g., xyz-123-best-links.info), or sites that are clearly part of a link farm. Most advanced tools will flag these with a high "Spam Score" or "Toxicity Score."

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a website isn't just about what's on your pages; it's about how the rest of the web perceives you. When you check incoming links, you are taking control of your site's reputation and authority.

Whether you are looking for Boston SEO Strategies or need help with digital marketing in Jacksonville, S9 Consulting is here to help. We don't just look at numbers; we build long-term partnerships to improve your process automation and digital efficiency.

From Search Engine Optimization to full e-commerce management, our team ensures your backlink profile—and your entire digital presence—is built for success. Check out our SEO Category for more resources, or reach out to us today to start your next backlink audit!