Backlink tools cost money and estimate a lot. Before you pay for one, Google gives you two free views of who links to you: the Links report in Search Console, and Google search itself. Neither is complete, but together they answer most questions a small team has.
This post shows how to use both, what each leaves out, and a third check that matters more every month: which pages AI answers cite when they talk about you.
How do you check backlinks in Google Search Console?
If you have verified your site in Search Console, open the Links report. Under external links it shows three tables, which Google describes as:
- Top linked pages: "which of your pages have the most backlinks from other sites".
- Top linking sites: "which sites contain the most backlinks to your site".
- Top linking text: "which link text is used in backlinks to your site".
Each row can be opened for more detail, and each table can be exported. Start with top linking sites: it tells you who is vouching for you, and you will usually recognise most of the list.
What the links report leaves out
Google is direct about the limits. The report "isn't a comprehensive list of every link on your site. It shows a sample of internal and external links." And "tables are limited to 1,000 rows, so tables may be truncated in larger or more linked-to sites."
So treat it as a reliable sample of the links Google knows about and considers, not a census. A link you know exists may simply not be in the sample yet, especially if it is new or on a page Google has not recrawled.
How do you read the top linking text table?
The link text other sites use tells you how the web describes you. Mostly it should be your brand name, your domain and natural phrases about your product. Three patterns are worth noticing:
- An old product or company name. People still know you by it. Make sure your site connects the old name to the new one, and update links you can influence.
- A phrase you never use. Others describe you in words your own pages lack. Consider whether buyers use those words too; if so, your pages should.
- Lots of identical keyword-rich text from unrelated sites. That pattern looks engineered. If you did not create it, it is usually ignored; if someone did it on your behalf, stop it.
How do you read the top linked pages table?
It shows which of your pages other sites find worth linking to. Two checks:
- Are any of them redirects or dead pages? A heavily linked page that now redirects through a chain, or returns an error, is wasting links. Point it straight at the right page.
- Are your important commercial pages on the list at all? Usually the home page dominates, followed by a few articles or tools. That is normal. It also tells you which pages carry authority, and therefore which pages should link onward to the pages you most want to rank.
How does checking backlinks differ for a new site?
A new site has few links, and Search Console may take weeks to show any. Do not read much into an empty Links report in the first months. Focus on the searches and AI answers instead: they show whether you are mentioned anywhere at all, which is the first step towards being linked. What we watch most closely on our own site is which pages the AI answers about our category cite, because that list changes faster than any backlink report and tells us where to pitch.
How do you use Google search to find links and mentions?
Search finds something the Links report does not: pages that mention you without linking.
- Search your brand name in quotes, excluding your own site:
"Your Brand" -site:yourdomain.com. Every result is a page that mentions you. - Search your product names and founder names the same way.
- Add your category:
"Your Brand" best [category]finds roundups and comparisons that include you. - Check each result for whether it links to you, and to which page.
The pages that mention you without linking are your easiest link requests. The writer already chose to include you; a polite note asking them to link the mention, so readers can find you, is often welcome.
