Do expensive backlink checkers exist? To be sure, that is not always the case. Examine these 5 no-cost programs that perform as well as their costly counterparts.
One of the most crucial aspects of search engine rankings is the authority of a website or page, which is measured by the quantity and quality of inbound links to it. It's also one of the best places to gain an edge over the competition in terms of search engine optimization. The same holds true for on-page and technical SEO, keyword research, and content optimization; however, there is a ceiling to how much growth can be achieved in these areas. There are no limits when it comes to linking.
For this reason, having access to top-tier backlink tools is essential. Finding new link-building opportunities, learning about your competitors' strategies, and keeping tabs on your backlink profile's health are all made easier with the help of a good backlink checker. In this piece, we'll look at several of the most useful backlink checkers out there, with one additional stipulation: they must be freely accessible in some form.
1. SEO SpyGlass
One of those backlink analysis tools that can truly do it all.
Managing and analyzing your backlinks has never been easier than with SEO SpyGlass' comprehensive dashboard. SpyGlass gives you more control over the discovered backlink data than any other free checker by letting you sort and filter it using any of several dozen backlink parameters, including:
- Linking and linked pages;
- anchor text and anchor URL;
- dofollow and nofollow attributes;
- domain and page authority of the link source;
- Penalty risk, i.e., how spammy the link source is;
- And more.
While you're only able to see 1,100 backlinks per domain for free, you can check an unlimited number of domains. This allows you to study both your own and your rivals' sites. In addition, you can link SEO SpyGlass with Google Search Console and Google Analytics if you want even more information. Once you're linked, you can import your backlink data from Google Tools directly into SEO SpyGlass and then run your own analysis on the data using the SEO SpyGlass dashboard at no cost to you.
In addition, SEO SpyGlass has a tool called "Domain Comparison" that can help you find fresh opportunities to build backlinks. Throw in a few rivals and investigate the intersection of their backlink profiles. You can expect to see immediate results from targeting these websites. If a website links to two or more of your rivals, it probably isn't an exclusive partnership and will likely agree to link to your website as well.
Best for: SEO SpyGlass is best utilized as a hub for backlink research and management due to its superior analytics and the largest data allowance on this list.
Free data allowance: unlimited domain checks and backlink analytics, up to 1,100 inbound links per domain.
2. Google Search Console
A completely free backlink tool with a large data allowance, but limited opportunities for backlink analysis.
Google's Search Console is an instrument designed to aid webmasters in making their sites better. It's free, but you can only use it to examine your own websites. After you verify your ownership, you'll gain access to a number of dashboards detailing various aspects of your site's quality, including a list of backlinks culled straight from Google's index. Even if the list is very long, you will only be able to see the first thousand results. Although there are no built-in analytics or supplementary metrics, you are welcome to download the data and analyze it with whatever means you see fit.
An oddity of Search Console is that its lists of backlinks are typically much shorter than those of other backlink checkers. This is due to the fact that Search Console filters out irrelevant backlinks before calculating their value. In the absence of such scrutiny, the tool cannot be used to identify spammy backlinks and remove them from a user's profile. On the plus side, this means you'll get a collection of backlinks that stands out from the crowd among available SEO software.
Best for: Google Search Console is best used as a source of raw backlink data, which can then be exported to SEO SpyGlass for analysis and additional insights.
Free data allowance: up to 1,000 backlinks, but you can only check the sites that you own.
3. Seobility
A perfect tool for a quick review of your or your competitors’ backlink profiles.
You are only able to view a maximum of three backlinks at a time using Seobility, and you are allowed up to three backlink checks per day. The number of links that you are able to view is restricted, but you will be shown the most useful ones.
Anchor texts, dofollow and nofollow attributes, link types, and linked pages are some of the optional extras that come along with the links. In addition to the total number of backlinks, domain rating, and referring domains, a quick summary of the entire backlink profile is displayed at the very top of the page. Highly recommended for: There are two applications for seobility. The first is to look at your own site, where you might discover some of the broken links that Search Console and SEO SpyGlass didn't find. The second is to do a quick search of the backlinks of competing sites to learn more about their tactics.
Free data allowance: 400 backlinks per check, three checks per day.
4. Ahrefs
A popular link checker tool that draws data from one of the largest backlink indexes.
Though you can run as many daily checks as you like with Ahrefs, you'll only be able to see the top 100 backlinks at a time. Additional metrics can be derived from backlinks, such as domain and page authority, traffic, anchor text, and link type. The overall backlink profile is briefly discussed as well, including domain authority, total backlinks, and referring domains.
Best for: You can use this tool in place of Seobility to quickly examine your website and the websites of your competitors. Get started with Ahrefs first because there is no daily usage cap. If the first hundred backlinks don't seem promising, you can always head over to Seobility and pull the additional two hundred backlinks from there.
Free data allowance: 100 backlinks per check, unlimited checks per day.
5. SEMrush
The best tool for generating high-level backlink reports and domain summaries.
The majority of the included software on this list relies on luring customers with free, limited access to their full backlink tables before asking for payment. The team at SEMrush has decided to change tactics. It provides extensive backlink statistics but no lists of links. You can look around at the surface level without paying anything, but if you want to get into the weeds, you'll need a subscription. This is acceptable because advanced metrics are essentially the only thing that paid alternatives to free backlink checkers lack. And there's plenty for everyone at SEMrush. More than a dozen tables and graphs summarize your backlink profile, including data for the past five years and breakdowns by industry, country, TLD, attribute, type, anchor, and authority score.
Best for: Getting a big picture view of your own link-building efforts or those of your competitors. SEMrush is a great tool for this.
Free data allowance: unlimited reports, but only 5–10 actual backlinks per domain.
Final thoughts
A potential downside of using free SEO tools is that they may not be as user-friendly as paid options. Using multiple backlink checkers may be necessary to cover all of your bases when conducting link analysis.
Combining SEO SpyGlass and Google Search Console, two of the link checker tools discussed in this article, should meet most, if not all, of your needs. SEO SpyGlass's analytics can make up for Search Console's lack of metrics, while Search Console data can be used to circumvent SEO SpyGlass's backlink restriction. Put them together, and you have a sturdy base from which to keep tabs on your competitors and manage your own backlink profile.
In addition, the free versions of Seobility and Ahrefs can be used for speedy but limited backlink extraction, and the free version of SEMrush can provide essential analytics and reporting. These three tools work wonderfully together to help you learn about the backlink strategies of your rivals.
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