What is a Backlink Checker? (And Why You Need One)

The world of SEO tools can feel overwhelming. You’ve got keyword trackers, rank checkers, site auditors, link builders, and about a dozen other categories of software — each claiming to be essential for your search rankings. And somewhere in that chaos, you’ve come across the term “backlink checker.”

But what does it actually mean? What does a backlink checker do? And more importantly, do you need one?

Let me break this down without the jargon.

So What Exactly is a Backlink Checker?

At its simplest, a backlink checker is any tool that helps you understand the links pointing to a website.

But here’s where it gets interesting: “backlink checker” is actually an umbrella term that covers two very different types of tools. Most people don’t realize this, and it causes a lot of confusion.

Let me explain.

Type 1: Backlink Discovery Tools

These are the big players you’ve probably heard of — Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, Majestic. They crawl the entire internet (or as much as they can) and build massive databases of links.

When you enter a domain, they show you:

• How many sites link to that domain
• Which specific pages contain those links
• The anchor text used in the links
• The authority of the linking sites
• Historical data on links gained and lost

These tools answer the question: “What backlinks exist for this website?”

They’re like a searchable archive of the internet’s link structure. Super powerful for competitive research, finding link building opportunities, and understanding your overall backlink profile.

Type 2: Backlink Verification Tools

This is the other category, and it’s fundamentally different.

Verification tools don’t try to discover all backlinks in existence. Instead, they check specific links you already know about to confirm they:

• Actually exist on the page
• Point to the correct URL
• Have the right attributes (dofollow vs nofollow)
• Haven’t been removed or modified
• Are accessible to search engines

These tools answer the question: “Are these specific backlinks real and working correctly?”

Think of it this way: discovery tools are like a map of all roads that exist. Verification tools are like a GPS that confirms whether a specific road actually takes you where it’s supposed to.

Why Do Both Types Exist?

Because they solve different problems.

Discovery tools are great for:

• Researching competitor backlink profiles
• Finding new link building opportunities
• Understanding your overall SEO landscape
• Tracking backlink growth over time

Verification tools are essential for:

• Confirming that links you paid for actually exist
• Auditing SEO agency deliverables
• Checking that guest post links are still live
• Verifying link attribute types (dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, ugc)
• Catching removed or broken links quickly

Here’s a scenario that makes this crystal clear:

Let’s say an SEO agency sends you a report claiming they built 50 backlinks for you last month. How do you know those links actually exist? How do you know they’re dofollow (if that’s what you paid for)? How do you know they’re pointing to the right pages?

A discovery tool might show you some of them — but these tools don’t crawl the internet instantly. It can take weeks or months for new links to appear in their databases. And if a link gets removed after a few days? You might never see it.

A verification tool lets you check those specific URLs right now and see exactly what’s there.

What Do Backlink Checkers Actually Analyze?

Whether you’re using a discovery tool or verification tool, here’s what a good backlink checker examines:

Link Existence

The most basic question: does this link actually exist on the page? You’d be surprised how often the answer is “no” — especially with paid backlinks. Pages get deleted, content gets reorganized, or someone just… removes your link.

Link Destination

Where does the link point? It should go to your intended URL. But sometimes links get modified to point elsewhere, or redirects break the chain.

Link Attributes (The rel Attribute)

This is huge. A link can be:

• Dofollow (no special rel attribute) — passes SEO value
• Nofollow (rel=”nofollow”) — tells search engines not to count it as an endorsement
• Sponsored (rel=”sponsored”) — indicates a paid link
• UGC (rel=”ugc”) — marks user-generated content

If you’re paying for dofollow links and getting nofollow instead, that’s a problem. A good backlink checker tells you exactly what you’re dealing with.

Anchor Text

What’s the clickable text of the link? This matters for SEO because anchor text provides context to search engines about what the linked page is about.

Page Accessibility

Can search engines even see the link? Some pages block crawlers with robots.txt or require login. A link behind a paywall or blocked page provides zero SEO value.

HTTP Status

Is the page returning a 200 (OK) response? Or is it throwing 404 errors, redirects, or server errors?

Who Actually Needs a Backlink Checker?

Short answer: anyone who cares about their website’s search engine rankings and has invested (time or money) in building backlinks.

More specifically:

Business Owners Working with SEO Agencies

You’re paying someone to build links. Are you just taking their word for it? A verification tool lets you audit their deliverables. Trust, but verify.

In-House SEO Professionals

You need to track your link building efforts and prove ROI to stakeholders. Knowing exactly which links exist, their status, and their attributes is essential for accurate reporting.

Digital Marketing Managers

You’re overseeing multiple campaigns and contractors. Spot-checking backlink reports helps you identify which partners deliver quality and which ones… don’t.

Freelance SEO Consultants

You might need to audit a new client’s existing backlinks, verify your own work, or check on links from past campaigns.

Small Business Owners Doing Their Own SEO

Even if you’re just doing occasional guest posts or link exchanges, knowing whether your links are live and configured correctly matters.

Anyone Who Has Ever Paid for Backlinks

Let’s be honest — the backlink industry has trust issues. Verifying what you paid for is just common sense.

Common Use Cases for Backlink Checkers

Let me get specific about when you’d actually use these tools:

Verifying SEO Deliverables

Your agency sends a monthly report with 30 new backlinks. Instead of trusting blindly, you upload that list to a verification tool and see:

• Which links actually exist
• Which ones are dofollow vs nofollow
• Which pages might be blocking search engines
• Which links have already been removed

This takes minutes instead of hours of manual checking.

Auditing Your Backlink Profile

You want to understand the quality of links pointing to your site. Are they mostly dofollow? Are there broken or removed links? Are any links from spammy sites that could hurt your rankings?

Competitive Analysis

What kind of links do your competitors have? Discovery tools are perfect for this — you can see where their links come from and potentially pursue similar opportunities.

Link Building Outreach

Before reaching out for guest posts or link placements, you might want to check a site’s existing outbound links. Do they use nofollow by default? What anchor text patterns do they follow?

Post-Purchase Verification

You bought a backlink package from a marketplace. Now you need to confirm you got what you paid for. This is where verification tools shine.

Monitoring Link Health Over Time

Links can disappear. Pages get deleted, sites go offline, content gets reorganized. Regular monitoring helps you catch these issues before they impact your SEO.

How to Choose the Right Backlink Checker

With so many options out there, here’s how to think about what you actually need:

If You Need to Discover Backlinks

Go with one of the major discovery tools (Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush). They have massive crawl databases and provide comprehensive data on backlink profiles. They’re typically subscription-based and can get expensive, but they’re industry standards for a reason.

If You Need to Verify Specific Links

Look for a verification tool that can:

• Handle bulk uploads (you don’t want to check links one by one)
• Accept multiple file formats (PDFs, CSVs, Excel)
• Show detailed rel attribute information
• Flag accessibility issues
• Work quickly without requiring enterprise pricing

If You Need Both

Many SEO professionals use both types of tools together. Discovery tools to understand the landscape, verification tools to confirm specific links are real and properly configured.

The Manual Alternative (And Why It’s Painful)

You can technically check backlinks without any tools. Here’s how:

1. Go to the page that supposedly links to you
2. Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F) to search for your URL or brand name
3. If you find it, right-click the link
4. Select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”
5. Look at the HTML to see if there’s a rel attribute
6. Note whether it says nofollow, sponsored, ugc, or nothing (dofollow)
7. Document your findings
8. Repeat for every single link

With 10 links, this is annoying. With 100 links, it’s a full day’s work. With 500 links from an agency report? Forget about it.

This is exactly why backlink checker tools exist — they automate what would otherwise be mind-numbing manual work.

Red Flags That Mean You Need Better Link Verification

Not sure if you should invest time in checking your backlinks? Here are some warning signs:

• Your SEO agency won’t provide detailed link reports — What are they hiding?
• Rankings dropped despite “successful” link building — Maybe those links aren’t what they claim
• Links seem too good to be true — High-authority sites linking to you for cheap prices? Verify.
• You’ve never actually clicked through to see your backlinks — Time to start
• Previous link building efforts showed no results — Were the links even real?

The Bottom Line

A backlink checker is simply a tool that helps you understand and verify the links pointing to your website. But the term covers two distinct categories: discovery tools that find all backlinks, and verification tools that confirm specific links exist and are configured correctly.

For most website owners and marketers, the key insight is this: knowing that backlinks exist isn’t enough. You need to verify they’re actually there, that they’re the right type (dofollow vs nofollow), and that search engines can see them.

Whether you’re auditing an SEO agency’s work, verifying a purchased link package, or just doing due diligence on your own link building efforts — don’t just trust. Verify.