--- title: "How to Check Backlinks for a Domain (Free Methods)" description: "How to check backlinks for a domain with free tools, and what to look for in the list: live status, link type, placement and the pages they point to." url: https://hunter.domains/blog/how-to-check-backlinks-for-a-domain language: en --- # How to Check Backlinks for a Domain (Free Methods) How to check backlinks for a domain with free tools, and what to look for in the list: live status, link type, placement and the pages they point to. 3 October 2026 8 min read When you're considering buying an [expired domain](https://hunter.domains/domains), checking its backlinks is essential. Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to your domain. They matter because search engines see them as votes of confidence, and understanding what backlinks a domain has, where they come from, and whether they're live tells you a lot about the domain's value and risk. You can check backlinks for a domain with free tools and learn exactly what you're inheriting when you buy. ## Backlinks in one paragraph A backlink is a hyperlink from one website to another. If website A links to website B, then A has given B a backlink. The quality of the backlink depends on the authority of the linking domain, the context (is the link relevant to the topic?), and whether the link is marked as "do-follow" (passing link equity) or "no-follow" (not passing equity). [Total backlinks and referring domains](https://hunter.domains/blog/referring-domains-vs-backlinks) are different: a referring domain is a unique website linking to you, while total backlinks count every link, even if from the same source. Backlinks from topical, authoritative sites are more valuable than backlinks from random, low-quality domains. ## Free checkers and their limits Several providers, including Ahrefs, Moz, Semrush and Ubersuggest, offer free backlink lookups of some kind. Google Search Console shows backlinks only for sites you own and have verified. What each free tool shows, and how many lookups it allows, changes over time, so check the provider's own site for current limits. Free tools generally show a subset of the real backlink profile, often the strongest backlinks. No tool sees every link on the internet, and paid plans typically show more than free ones. For an expired domain, a free lookup can often reveal red flags: concentrated backlinks from low-quality sources, a sudden spike in links (a possible sign of a link network or spam campaign), or very few backlinks despite impressive metrics. The limitation is depth. A free tool may show only a limited number of backlinks, while the domain might have many more. If the visible ones are from quality sources but hundreds of spammy backlinks sit below them, the free tool will miss that. This is why free tools are useful for a quick check, but you may want a paid tool for a full assessment of an expensive domain. ## What to look at: live, dofollow, placement When reviewing a backlink, ask three questions: First, is it live? A backlink that no longer exists doesn't help you. Many tools mark live status, but some do not. Check by visiting the linking page yourself and searching for the link. If the link is gone but the tool still lists it, the backlink was counted once by the tool but is now stale. Second, is it dofollow? A dofollow link is the ordinary kind and is generally the more valuable one. A nofollow link carries a hint that the site does not vouch for the target, but it can still drive visitors. A domain whose links are mostly nofollow may have a weaker profile than the raw count suggests. If a tool doesn't show dofollow status, check the HTML of the linking page: search for "nofollow" in the page source. Third, where on the page is the link? A link in the article body carries more weight than a link in the footer or sidebar. A sidebar link to all domains in a category (like "expired domains") is worth less than a contextual link in a paragraph. If you check manually, skim the linking page and see whether the link is contextual or generic. ## Lost links Backlinks come and go. A domain may have had 200 referring domains two years ago and only 100 today. Backlink tools that keep history can show how a profile changed over time. A domain that once had many links from news sites but now has few may have changed topic, gone spam, or simply become outdated. When reviewing an expired domain, compare the backlink picture to the archive history. The [Wayback Machine](https://hunter.domains/blog/wayback-machine-domain-history) does not count links, but its captures show what the site was and when it changed. If the archive shows a long, steady history and the link count is lower than it used to be, some link loss after expiry is normal, because links rot over time. A sudden drop over a short period (for example, 200 links in one month and 80 in the next) can have several causes, such as a site clean-up, a change of ownership or a hack, so look at the archive around that date. ## Reviewing the ten strongest links When examining backlinks, start with the strongest ones. Review the top 10 backlinks the tool shows and look for patterns. Are they all from the same source domain (concentrated)? Are they from low-quality, spammy sites? Are they contextual or all generic? Are they recent or years old? If the top 10 links are diverse, topical, and from established sources, the domain is likely legitimate. If the top 10 links are all from the same site, or all from PBNs (which you can identify by looking at the linking site: does it look like a real site or a generic content farm?), the domain is risky. If the top 10 links are all "casino," "pharma," or "betting" sites and your domain is in a different niche, the backlinks may not help you. Review the linking sites too. Click through to a few of the top referring domains and check whether they're real, active websites or dormant/spam sites. A link from a live news site is better than a link from a parked page. ## Where the links point on an expired domain When you buy an expired domain, you inherit its backlink profile, but you may not inherit the value of those backlinks. This depends on what you do with the domain. If the domain had a travel blog and it received backlinks from travel websites, and you convert it to a finance site, the backlinks are now off-topic. Google's spam policy on [expired domain abuse](https://hunter.domains/blog/expired-domain-seo) targets domains that are bought and repurposed primarily to manipulate search rankings by hosting content that provides little to no value to users. Off-topic links are also simply less useful to you, and there is no guarantee they will help. If you revive the domain in the same niche (restore the travel content, improve it, add new posts), the existing backlinks stay relevant to the site. If you're planning to use the domain as a redirect to another site, a topically aligned target is the more defensible choice, and nothing guarantees that the links will carry over. The cleanest way to use an expired domain is to [revive it in the same niche](https://hunter.domains/blog/how-to-buy-expired-domains) or build on its existing topic. This respects the backlink context and keeps the domain's authority intact. Buying a domain purely for its backlinks and redirecting to an unrelated site is the highest-risk approach. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I check backlinks for free? Yes, to a degree. Several providers offer free backlink lookups, and Google Search Console shows backlinks for sites you own and have verified. Free lookups generally show only part of the profile, and what they include changes over time, so check each provider's site. For evaluating an expired domain, free tools can often help you spot red flags, and our [12 checks before you buy](https://hunter.domains/blog/expired-domain-checker-checklist) cover the rest. ### What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow? A dofollow link is an ordinary link with no special attribute. A nofollow link is marked with a rel="nofollow" attribute, which tells search engines the linking site does not vouch for the target. Both can drive visitors, but dofollow links are generally the more valuable kind for SEO. A domain with many dofollow backlinks from good sources usually has a stronger profile than one with mostly nofollow links. ### How do I see a competitor's backlinks? Use a backlink checker and enter your competitor's domain. Third-party tools from providers such as Ahrefs, Moz, Semrush and Ubersuggest let you look up a domain you do not own, and their own sites explain what the free and paid versions include. You cannot see links the tool has not crawled, but you'll usually see the strongest ones and get a sense of where the domain's authority comes from. This helps you understand the [competitive landscape in your niche](https://hunter.domains/expired-domains/dr-50-plus) and identify where quality backlinks come from. ## We find domains that meet these criteria every day Expired domains with a clean history and real authority, listed with a score; the ones matching your rule land in your inbox the moment they appear. [See today's catch](https://hunter.domains/domains) ## Related articles Basics ### [How to Find Expired Domains with Backlinks That Count](https://hunter.domains/blog/expired-domains-with-backlinks) How to find expired domains with backlinks that are real and still live, and how to judge link quality instead of raw link counts before you buy. 3 October 2026 8 min read History checks ### [Toxic Backlinks on Expired Domains: How to Spot Them](https://hunter.domains/blog/toxic-backlinks-expired-domains) What toxic backlinks are, how to spot them on an expired domain, how far to trust tool “toxicity” scores and when a disavow is actually needed. 3 October 2026 8 min read History checks ### [Anchor Text Analysis for Expired Domains: Reading the Profile](https://hunter.domains/blog/anchor-text-analysis-expired-domains) How to run an anchor text analysis on an expired domain: what a healthy spread looks like and how spam, paid links and takeovers show up in the anchors. 3 October 2026 8 min read ## Don't miss the next good domain. 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