Have you ever wondered how some websites seem to rank really well in search engines like Google, even for competitive keywords? Chances are, they’re using effective link building strategies to boost their online visibility. While link building can take time and effort, there are actually some great free tools that can help you get started on the right foot.
In this article, I’ll share my top five picks for https://serpline.com/ that are perfect for beginners. Whether you’re just starting to learn about SEO or want to supplement an existing strategy, these tools can help you identify link opportunities and build links without spending a dime. By the end, you’ll have some new tactics to try out on your own site.
But first, a quick intro to links. Search engines like Google use links from other sites as a vote – the more relevant sites that link to you, the more “votes” or authority you have in the eyes of Google. Building links strategically is a great way to boost your search rankings over time. The key is to focus on getting links from high-quality sites in your niche.
Now, let’s dive into those free tools!
Ahrefs Backlink Checker
While Ahrefs is best known for their paid link analysis and research tools, they also offer a handy backlink checker for free. Just enter your domain or a specific URL and it will show you all the external links that are currently pointing to that page. This is useful for auditing your existing links and identifying opportunities to build more. You can also filter the results by anchor text to see which keywords are driving the most links.
Moz Open Site Explorer
Moz’s free Open Site Explorer lets you analyze the linking domains, pages, and anchor text used for any site. Like Ahrefs, you can enter a domain name and it will return a list of all the backlinks it found. This tool is great for competitive analysis – enter a competitor’s site to see what strategies are working well for them. You can also plug in your own site for a baseline link audit.
Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo scans social media and online news to find viral, shareable content on any topic. Enter a keyword or topic related to your business, then sort the results by “social shares” to see the most engaging articles. Take note of common themes in headlines, images, and writing styles that seem to generate the most social love. Then reach out to those content creators on a human level to build links the organic way.
SEMrush
While SEMrush has many paid features, it also offers a basic backlink analysis tool for free. Enter a domain to see a summary of its linking root domains, top pages by links, and anchor text distribution. You can also use their keyword research and competitive analysis tools to find new link building angles and opportunities related to your target keywords.
Google Search Console
Google’s free Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) lets you see your verified site’s performance data and backlinks directly from Google. Under the “Links” section, you can view a filtered list of all the external links pointing to your site that Google has discovered so far. This is a handy way to monitor your link profile over time. You can also use Search Console to submit sitemaps and fix crawl errors.
Now that you’re familiar with some great free tools, here are a few actionable tips for using them to build links:
Run competitive analyses on top-ranking sites in your niche using Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush. Identify pages they link to for opportunities.
Search Buzzsumo for trending content you can reference or build upon, then reach out to those sites for a link.
Audit your own links using Ahrefs or Google Search Console. Identify weak links to disavow and new angles to pursue.
Use SEMrush or Buzzsumo keyword research to find related topics with low competition and search volume you can create content for.
Monitor your site’s backlink profile over time for new links using Ahrefs or Google Search Console.
With some strategic link building efforts using these free tools, you can start boosting your search rankings and traffic without any upfront costs. Focus on quality over quantity, and be sure to consistently produce helpful, engaging content for your target audience. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Link Building Tool 