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Backlinks

  • Viewing your backlink profile: GSC's "Links" report provides valuable information about your website's backlinks (external links pointing to your site). You can see the domains that link to your site and the anchor text used.
  • Identifying potentially harmful links (to your site): While Google generally tries to ignore spammy links, it's still good practice to be aware of potentially low-quality backlinks to your site. You can use the Links report to identify suspicious or spammy links pointing to your pages. If you find such links, especially in large numbers, you might consider using the Disavow tool to tell Google to ignore them.
  • Discovering link building opportunities: The Links report helps you identify pages with numerous backlinks, indicating content that resonates well with your audience. You can leverage this insight to create similar, high-value content and attract more links.
  • Analyzing anchor text: The report shows the most common anchor text used for backlinks to your site, which can help you understand how your site is perceived and ranked for certain keywords.

Limitations and external tools

  • Assessing the reputation of external websites you link to: GSC primarily focuses on links to your site, not necessarily the outbound links from your site to others. To evaluate the reputation of external sites you're linking to, you'll need external SEO tools.
  • Beyond GSC for link quality: Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush offer in-depth backlink analysis features that can help you assess a website's authority, trustworthiness, and link profile quality.
  • Identifying low-quality domains and content: These external tools can help you identify websites with low Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR), indicating a potentially low-reputation site. They can also analyze content quality, identifying issues like duplicate content or spammy practices.

Important: Linking to reputable, high-authority websites is considered a positive SEO practice, as it signals to search engines that your content is well-researched and credible. Conversely, linking to low-quality or spammy sites can negatively impact your site's reputation and rankings. In summary: While Google Search Console is excellent for analyzing your backlink profile and spotting potentially harmful incoming links, you'll need to combine its insights with external SEO tools to comprehensively evaluate the reputation of the external websites you link to.