Is Anyone Linking to My Site?
Oct 26th, 2008 by Val Nelson
[updated 9-30-2009]
You’ve heard you need to get some links FROM other websites TO your site.
Here’s a few ways to see who is already linking to you. (These are sometimes called “backlinks.”)
The Fast (Imperfect) Way
There’s a quick search you can do in Google, but it only shows some of the sites linking to you. It’s the fast way but not the most accurate way. Go to Google and insert this in the search box: link:mydomainname.com (replacing mydomainname.com with your actual domain name).
You could also check out website data, including backlinks, in this free information tool: Alexa
The Best Way
Both Google and Yahoo have free tools where you can see all the webpages that link to your site. These only work for websites that you own. (You have to provide proof of ownership in the form of editing your website.)
- Google Webmaster Tools
- Yahoo Site Explorer
(seems to find more links than Google)
While you’re in those tools, check out all the other insights into how the search engines see your particular site. It’s a bit overwhelming to understand it all at first and I’ll be happy to walk you through these gold mines.
Not Enough Sites Linking to Yours?
There are some tricks of the trade that I’d love to share with you.
Watch out for buying links or exchanging links. Seriously, buying links is against Google’s rules and they won’t hesitate to ban you from their listings in some cases.
I’ll help you with the legitimate ways to get more links.
Feel free to post comments or questions below or contact me for help.
