How do I find external links to my website?

Finding external links to your website is an essential aspect of monitoring your website’s backlink profile and understanding its visibility across the web. Here’s is a guide on how to find external links to your website:

1. Google Search Console:
   • Sign in to Google Search Console (previously known as Google Webmaster Tools) using your Google account.
   • Select your website property (if you haven’t added it yet, follow the instructions to do so).
   • Navigate to the “Links” section under “Search Traffic” to view external links pointing to your website. Google Search Console provides a list of domains and specific pages that link to your site.
2. Backlink Analysis Tools:
   • Utilize backlink analysis tools such as Ahrefs, Moz Link Explorer, SEMrush, Majestic SEO, or Ubersuggest.
   • Enter your website’s URL into the tool’s search bar to generate a report of backlinks pointing to your site.
   • These tools provide valuable insights into the number of backlinks, referring domains, anchor text used, and the authority of the linking domains.
3. Google Search Operators:
   • Use Google search operators to find external links to your website. Enter the following query into the Google search bar: link:yourwebsite.com Replace “yourwebsite.com” with your actual website URL.
   • Google will display a list of web pages that link to your site.
4. Manual Search:
   • Perform manual searches using search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo.
   • Enter your website’s URL or specific pages into the search bar along with relevant keywords or phrases related to your content.
   • Scan through the search results to identify websites or pages that link back to your site.
5. Social Media Mentions:
   • Monitor social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for mentions of your website or content.
   • Use social media monitoring tools like Mention or Hootsuite to track brand mentions and links shared on social media platforms.
6. Check Referral Traffic:
   • Analyze your website’s referral traffic in Google Analytics to identify websites that refer visitors to your site.
   • Navigate to “Acquisition” > “All Traffic” > “Referrals” in Google Analytics to view a list of websites sending traffic to your site via external links.
7. Monitor Brand Mentions:
   • Set up Google Alerts or use social media monitoring tools to track mentions of your brand name, website URL, or specific content across the web.
   • Whenever your brand or website is mentioned, there’s a possibility of an accompanying link to your site.
8. Competitor Analysis:
   • Analyze the backlink profiles of your competitors using backlink analysis tools.
   • Identify websites that link to your competitors’ sites and explore opportunities to acquire similar backlinks for your website.

By employing these methods, you can effectively identify external links pointing to your website, gain insights into your backlink profile, and track your website’s visibility and authority across the web. Regular monitoring and analysis of external links can help inform your link building and SEO strategies for improved website performance and rankings.