The ability to see what sites are linking to us is valuable one in the world of SEO. Unfortunately, when a backlink query is searched (link:www.nameofsite.com) the major search engines only return a cross-section of the sites that are linking to query site, not the entire list.
While this may prove bothersome to many, there are very few alternatives when one wants to perform a backlink check. One such alternative is Yahoo’s site explorer tool, which, according to Yahoo’s Tim Mayer, will show the majority of the links pointing to a site. Yahoo’s Site Explorer is not live as of yet.
However, if you don’t want to query each engine individually, Aaron Wall of SEOBook fame has a new free tool for you to experiment with: the Back Link Analyzer. While this tool is subject to the same restrictions a normal web-based search engine backlink check are, it does give users the ability to conduct these check on a number of search engines without having to visit to each one individually.
After downloading and installing the Back Link Analyzer, In order to use Aaron’s tool, users enter the URL they want to check, select the engines they want to use, adjust the available filters as necessary and fire away. The program returns a healthy cross-section of sites pointing to the domain being analyzed. However, because Aaron’s tool employs the Google Web Service, in order to access Google’s results, users must enter a Google API key (available here).
Aaron is quick to note that the available version, while sporting the 2.0 designation, is still in beta. He also invites users to provide plenty of detailed feedback in order to make future versions of the Back Link Analyzer more robust. For a detailed description and how to of Aaron’s newest tool, please visit the Back Link Analyzer page.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
