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How to automate backlink monitoring for your website
Backlinks are major stamps of approval sought by search engines. When your website has backlinks from authoritative sites, it signals that your content is valuable enough to be referred to by these sites, and search engines give it higher priority.
Monitoring backlinks can get hectic, but you can automate this process with various tools.
I’ve created this guide to explore the best tools you can choose and why backlink monitoring is essential for website owners.
What makes backlinks important?
The internet hosts around 200 million active websites and 1.5 billion sites when inactive ones are included. Search engines have to sit through this vast number of websites to determine which appear in search results. Backlinks are a reliable way for search engines to carry out this sifting.
When a website has many links from external sources, it tells Google that its content is informative and of high quality. It signals that the content is good enough for external websites to recommend it to their audiences.
When determining which websites to display in search results, Google prioritizes websites with many backlinks. But that doesn’t mean backlinks from any source, as site owners can potentially game the system.
It prioritizes websites with backlinks from authoritative, reputable sources, preferably those in the same niche.
For example, a tech blog with backlinks from other tech blogs gets more priority than one with backlinks from fashion blogs. That said, backlinks from sites in other niches still help.
You should actively seek backlinks from reputable sites and monitor your existing ones. To get a good hint, check which sites your competitors have amassed backlinks from, and you can seek backlinks from similar sites.
The best backlink monitoring tools
1. Semrush
Semrush is an all-in-one SEO platform widely adopted by website owners. Among its many features is the Backlink Checker, which analyzes any website address and displays its backlinks in an intuitive format.
After scanning your website, you’ll view the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and the Authority Score assigned by Semrush (this score estimates your website’s overall SEO strength based on backlinks and other metrics).
Just as you check your website’s backlinks, you can do the same for competitors. Enter any rival’s website address, and Semrush will give the same in-depth report about their backlinks.
You can export the results to PDF format for further analysis. Likewise, you can compare backlink stats for various competitors on the same dashboard.
Semrush requires a monthly or annual subscription to unlock its complete features, including the Backlink Checker.
However, it lets users run 3 checks for free– you can do this even without signing up. The free scan shows the number of backlinks and referring domains, and also the Authority Score.
But it doesn’t show the full report or allow you to export the data to PDF– registration is mandatory to access these features
2. Ahrefs
It’s almost a tradition to mention Ahrefs after Semrush when discussing SEO tools. They are the two most widely used SEO platforms and offer similar features.
With Ahrefs’ Backlink Checker, you can enter any website address and analyze its backlinks. Its database covers trillions of backlinks, 500 million+ domains, and 493 billion pages, so you're sure of getting accurate results.
You can analyze backlinks for a complete web address, including its subdomains, or for a specific domain path. Results are presented in an intuitive format similar to what is shown below.
You can see the number of backlinks (and the percentage that are do-follow links), referring domains, and a Domain Rating assigned by Ahrefs. The list is sorted from the top referrers to the least.
Ahrefs offers its basic Backlink Checker for free (you can analyze your website or your competitor’s without signing up). However, the basic version is the tip of the iceberg.
With a paid plan, you can view interactive backlink charts, e.g., a chart illustrating your backlink growth for the past 5 years, or comparing your backlinks in specific countries against others.
You can compare backlink growth for different sites on the same chart, such as a chart showing your site’s 2-year growth compared to your top five rivals.
Backlinks can be filtered by "Dofollow" or "Nofollow" and the referring domain. Ahrefs also estimates the number of clicks generated by each backlink, a metric hardly found on other backlink monitoring tools.
Let’s just say, you have everything needed to monitor backlinks and grow your link profile with Ahrefs.
3. Google Search Console (GSC)
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free SEO tool that Google provides for web owners. Backlink monitoring is one of its features, and although not as advanced as Semrush and Ahrefs, GSC is completely free to use.
After verifying ownership of your website, navigate to the Links section of your GSC dashboard, and you’ll see a list of all your backlinks sorted from the highest to the lowest.
You’ll also see the top referring sites sorted the same way. GSC doesn’t go in-depth like Semrush or Ahrefs, but it provides basic backlink information you can trust.
Google Search Console only analyzes your website’s backlinks, but it can’t be used for competitive analysis. Its features center on tracking search engine rankings, with backlink monitoring as a bonus.
How to get backlinks?
1. Guest-post on other sites
Many websites, particularly blogs, allow guest posts from other sources. You can write informative articles and submit them to these websites. Each article will include a backlink to your website, inserted naturally with the article’s flow.
For example, you can publish a guest post titled “The best smart home devices of 2025.” When listing a device, you’ll link to its review on your own website. A reader can easily click that link to get an in-depth review from your site.
Websites that allow guest posts usually state this clearly. They’ll list the process of applying to publish a guest post and the requirements for your article to be considered.
If a website doesn’t have this information, but you really want to publish a guest post on it, you can try your luck by contacting their listed email address or phone number. You’ll pitch your guest post, and the site owner could agree to publish it.
2. Leverage your business relationships
You likely already know some website owners, suppliers, or other businesses with official websites. You can ask your close circles to link to your site, and they’ll be willing to do that to maintain the business relationship. Sometimes, they’ll ask you to link back to theirs– a win-win scenario.
If you don’t have many close contacts, there’s a solution for you. You can join backlink exchange platforms (e.g., NetLinkDeal) to connect with reputable websites. You’ll insert their link on your site, and they’ll reciprocate.
However, be careful when using backlink exchanges. Research any site’s reputation and ensure it’s not a spammy site. Backlinks from spammy sites can damage your search engine reputation.
3. Create high-quality content
Above all, creating high-quality content is the key to getting backlinks from diverse sources. You’d be surprised by the number of sites that will link to a valuable blog post or news article.
Try to create exclusive content that people can’t find elsewhere. For example, if you run a tech blog, an exclusive article about an upcoming smartphone release will work wonders.
Similarly, an interview with a top technology executive can generate a lot of backlinks.
When writing articles, add infographics that break down complex topics into simple bits. Other websites can borrow your infographics and cite you as the source.
For example, when reviewing a smartphone for a tech blog, you can create an infographic highlighting the smartphone’s core features against previous versions. Here’s an example below:
4. Participate in online forums
You can get backlinks by posting relevant content on forums like Quora. The content should be highly relevant– you’re providing information first and foremost, and a backlink is an extra.
For example, if someone asks about the features of the iPhone 17 Pro on Quora, you can post a detailed answer and link to your blog somewhere in it.
I’ll re-emphasize the need to post detailed answers and only insert links where relevant.
Forums deal with endless cases of website owners posting spammy content to amass backlinks, and they don’t hesitate to ban violators. Stand out from the rest with your highly informative, relevant content, and you’ll get valuable backlinks.
