Find Backlinks Using Google: Free Search Operators (2026)

Want to find backlinks using Google without paying for Ahrefs or Semrush?

You can get useful backlink signals for free with two approaches:

1. Google Search Console (GSC) — best for your own site (most accurate).
2. Google search operators — best for any site (imperfect, but practical).

This guide shows both, plus a safe workflow to turn what you find into action.

What Google can (and can’t) show you

Google does not provide a public “backlinks for any domain” report anymore.

So here’s the reality:

• For your site: GSC is the closest thing to “source of truth”.
• For other sites: operators can reveal linking pages, but:
  • results are incomplete,
  • some results are “mentions” (not links),
  • duplicates and noise are common.

That’s still enough for:

• quick competitive research,
• finding outreach targets,
• validating whether a link got indexed.

Method 1: Use Google Search Console (your site)

If you control the site, do this first:

1. Open Google Search Console → Links
2. Check:
   • Top linking sites
   • Top linking text
   • Top linked pages

Then use URL Inspection for:

• important landing pages,
• recently earned backlinks (to see if Google can fetch them).

Method 2: Find backlink pages with Google search operators

Operators won’t give you a clean backlink list, but they can reveal pages that likely link to a domain.

Operator set A: “domain mention” patterns (works most often)

Try these queries:

• "example.com" -site:example.com
• "www.example.com" -site:example.com
• "Example Brand" "example.com" -site:example.com

Why it works: many pages include the URL in plain text, even if the link is nofollow or rendered.

Operator set B: intext / intitle / inurl (reduce noise)

Use:

• intext:"example.com" -site:example.com
• intitle:"example.com" -site:example.com
• inurl:links "example.com" -site:example.com

Then narrow by topic:

• intext:"example.com" "directory" -site:example.com
• intext:"example.com" "resources" -site:example.com
• intext:"example.com" "submit" -site:example.com

Operator set C: find list pages you can get into

These are useful for early-stage link building:

• "submit your site" "directory"
• "add your website" "directory"
• "list your tool" "AI directory"

When you find good pages, add them to a tracker and treat it as a workflow (not a one-time hack).

What about the link: operator?

Historically, Google supported link:example.com. In practice, it’s unreliable and often doesn’t return meaningful results.

If you want free and repeatable results, use the operator sets above + GSC for your own site.

A safe workflow to turn results into backlinks

1. Start small (20–50 targets)
2. Filter aggressively (relevance + legitimacy)
3. Submit manually
4. Track outcomes (approved/rejected/noindex)
5. Maintain quarterly (remove dead/noindex targets)

If you want to go deeper on directory submissions:

• Do directory submissions work? (decision guide)
• SEO directory submission software (risks + safer alternatives)

FAQ

Can I find all backlinks of a competitor using Google?

Not completely. You can discover many linking pages via operators, but it won’t be exhaustive or consistently reproducible like paid link indexes.

Why do I see “mentions” instead of links?

Some pages mention a domain as text, or links are rendered dynamically. Operators also surface scraped content and duplicates.

What’s the fastest “free” approach?

For your own site: GSC. For any site: "domain.com" -site:domain.com plus intext: refinements.

What should I do after I find link opportunities?

Turn it into a process: submit or outreach, then track outcomes. If you want a curated list and a checklist workflow:

• Profile backlinks list
• Free submission tracker