Why Backlinks Matter for YouTube
YouTube’s algorithm primarily cares about watch time and engagement. But when your video appears in Google search (not YouTube search), backlinks matter.
Google treats your video URL like any web page. Videos with stronger backlink profiles rank higher in Google’s video results.
The cycle:
- External sites link to your video
- Google sees it as authoritative
- Video ranks higher in Google search
- More people discover and watch it
- YouTube notices increased engagement
- YouTube ranks it higher too
How to Find Video Backlinks
Ahrefs Site Explorer
- Paste full video URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID - Navigate to Backlinks report
- See linking domains, anchor text, dofollow/nofollow status
Also check your channel URL for the full picture.
Google Search Console (Free)
- Add your channel as a URL prefix property
- Verify via linked Google account
- Access the Links report
Shows links at channel level, not individual videos. Free and straight from Google.
SEMrush
Similar to Ahrefs. Paste video URL, review backlink report.
Manual Google Search
Search: "your video title" -site:youtube.com
Finds pages that mention your video. Not comprehensive but catches major links.
The Discovery vs Verification Problem
Backlink reports show what tools found, not what’s live now.
Common issues:
- Links removed since last crawl
- Nofollow when you expected dofollow
- Pages with noindex tags
- Sites blocking crawlers
- Spam sites you’d rather avoid
Report shows 30 links. Reality? Maybe 10 are passing value.
Verify Your YouTube Backlinks
Discovering backlinks is easy. Knowing which work is the hard part.
Backlink Checker Pro verifies any URL, including YouTube videos. Upload your backlink list and check:
- Link existence
- Dofollow/nofollow status
- Anchor text
- Page accessibility issues
Building Video Backlinks
Embed Outreach
When blogs embed your video, that creates a backlink. Find bloggers writing about your topic, pitch the embed.
Resource Pages
Search: "[your topic] resources" or "[your topic] recommended videos"
Pitch to curators listing helpful videos.
Guest Posts
Include relevant video embeds in guest posts. Natural way to build links.
Press and PR
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connects you with journalists. Provide expert commentary, point them to your video.
YouTube URL Formats
Videos have multiple URLs:
- Standard:
youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID - Short:
youtu.be/VIDEOID - Embed:
youtube.com/embed/VIDEOID
Check all formats for complete picture. Some tools count separately.
Monitoring
- Set Google Alerts for channel name and video titles
- Monthly audits — pull fresh reports, compare to previous
- Verify new links — check they’re actually working
Can I check YouTube video backlinks for free?
Yes. Google Search Console is free after verifying channel ownership. Ubersuggest and SEMrush offer limited free tiers.
Do backlinks help YouTube videos rank?
Primarily in Google search results, where video URLs are treated like web pages. For YouTube's internal search, engagement metrics matter more, but backlinks can indirectly help by driving traffic.
Should I build links to my channel or individual videos?
Both. Channel links build overall authority. Video links help specific content rank in Google. Best-performing videos should have direct backlinks.
Why do some reported backlinks not pass SEO value?
The link might be nofollow, the page might have noindex, the page might block crawlers, or the link was removed since the database was last updated.