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Free Backlink Checker & Citation Explorer

Check the backlink and referring-domain data available for a domain. Link totals, follow status and authority appear only when captured by the source.

Also known as: Backlink checker, referring domains

Evidence shown with sourceNo account requiredNo invented metrics

Run a real check above

Submit a public URL, domain, or keyword. Novaverb will show only the evidence this tool can actually retrieve or measure.

Evidence model

Know what the result proves

This domain-level check reports available stored backlink evidence. A stored summary may include link and referring-domain totals, relationship data and an index authority score. A referring-domain graph reports observed domains, not a complete inventory of backlink URLs, and unsupported fields remain unavailable.

1. Source

Stored backlink evidence. The result identifies where its evidence came from.

2. Boundary

This check uses a stored domain summary or a referring-domain graph. Missing fields stay unavailable; a workspace shows captured records, not every link on the web.

3. Next action

Use the finding to verify a problem, then connect a workspace when you need history, monitoring, or site-wide analysis.

What does a backlink checker measure?

A backlink is a link from another website to a page on your domain. This checker reports only the fields available for the exact domain. A complete backlink-index result can include link totals, referring domains, follow status and authority; a web-wide domain-graph result reports observed referring domains and leaves unavailable fields blank.

How to read the numbers

Total backlinks: links recorded for this domain by the active source; one site can contribute many links. This is not a complete web-wide count.
Referring domains: the unique websites that link to it. Link diversity matters more than a big raw total.
Dofollow domains: referring domains with at least one followed link. The relationship label does not prove ranking benefit.
Domain authority: a source index's 0–100 comparison score, not a Google ranking metric or a guarantee of future positions.

What to improve next

Earn relevant, editorial links to your important pages. Watch for spammy patterns, reclaim broken-link opportunities, and track new referring domains over time instead of chasing a single total.

What this free check does not prove

It does not show every link on the web, prove a link is valuable, measure a Google penalty, or replace a full link audit.

Go deeper in your workspace

View captured source pages, anchors and target URLs in your workspace. Available detail and history depend on the selected source and account access.

Get the right answer

What to submit - and what to avoid

Submit a public domain or URL. The checker normalizes it to a domain-level target, so a path does not become a page-level backlink report. Reading an unavailable field as zero or an index score as a search-engine metric is the misreading this section is designed to prevent.

Use it like this

yourdomain.comAny address form works - we normalize to the domain. http or https, with or without www, a bare domain or a full path - we normalize it for you.

https://www.yourdomain.com/pagePaste a full URL if you like - backlinks are a domain-level signal, so we roll it up to the domain automatically.

Avoid this

Expecting per-page backlinksThis public result is normalized to a domain-level target; it is not a page-level backlink inventory.

Public methodology

Exactly how this result is produced

The checker first looks for a stored summary. When none is available, it may query an independently observed referring-domain graph. The result carries its evidence type, and fields that the active source did not measure remain unavailable rather than being inferred from another total.

We normalize the target and look for a stored backlink summary.
If no stored summary is available, we query the observed referring-domain graph.
We label the active evidence type and leave link totals, relationship shares or authority unavailable when that source did not measure them.

Built on public standards

The international standards this check applies

HTML link-relation vocabulary explains relationship fields when the active source provides them. Novaverb does not combine incompatible backlink totals and referring-domain observations, because each source answers a different question and no web-wide link index is complete.

WHATWGrel types

HTML link relation types

Explains relationship fields only when the active backlink source provides them.

Read the specification

We list a standard only where this tool genuinely reads or measures against it. Where a signal is outside a live check, the result says so instead of implying coverage.

Common questions

Backlink Checker FAQ

What does the Backlink Checker show?

What is a backlink?

A backlink is a link from one website to another. Search engines treat relevant, trusted backlinks as endorsements, so they are a major off-page signal influencing how authoritative and rankable a domain appears.

What's the difference between backlinks and referring domains?

Backlinks count every individual link pointing to you; referring domains count the unique websites those links come from. One domain can send many backlinks, so referring domains often better reflect link diversity.

What is a dofollow link?

Dofollow is a common label for a link that is not qualified with nofollow. Relationship labels do not prove ranking benefit; the tool reports them only when captured by its selected source.

What is domain authority?

Domain authority is a link index's comparison score, not a Google ranking metric or a guarantee of future positions. This checker shows an authority value only when the selected source supplies one.

Why do backlinks matter for SEO?

Backlinks from relevant, trustworthy sites act as votes of confidence that can lift a domain's visibility and rankings. A diverse profile of quality referring domains generally signals more authority than raw link volume alone.

How many referring domains do I need?

There is no fixed number; it depends on your niche and competitors. Quality and relevance outweigh quantity, so a handful of trusted, topical domains can outperform many low-value ones. Compare against sites ranking for your terms.

Does Novaverb estimate these numbers?

No counts are invented. Counts come from the selected source for the submitted domain. Authority, when available, is that index's comparison score, not a Google metric.

Can I see the full list of individual backlinks?

This check uses a stored domain summary or a referring-domain graph. Missing fields stay unavailable; a workspace shows captured records, not every link on the web.

How do I improve my backlink profile?

Earn links from relevant, reputable sites through useful content, digital PR, and genuine outreach, prioritizing dofollow links from diverse referring domains. Avoid low-quality or paid link schemes that search engines may discount or penalize.

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