How to Use the Links Report in Google Search Console

The ‘Links’ report available in Google Search Console is a handy report that is generally underutilized.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss the Links report, how to access it, what data it contains, and how to utilize it. With this insight, you’ll soon be able to use the Links report to its full potential.

Table of contents

• What is the Links report in Google Search Console?
• How to access the Links report in Google Search Console
• Exploring the Links report in Google Search Console

• Top linked pages (external links)
• Top linked pages (internal links)
• Top linking sites
• Top linking text
• Export external links

• How to use this data

What is the Links report in Google Search Console?

Google Search Console’s Links report has been built to show you two things:

• How your site links internally
• How other websites link to your site

Tracking both internal and external links is vital. Google uses links as a primary way to show site authority, so the more backlinks that point to one of your pages, the more authoritative that page is and the higher it ranks. In theory, anyway.

Within the Links report, you will find different sections:

• Top linked pages (External)
• Top linked pages (Internal)
• Top linking sites
• Top linking text

We will discuss these later, but these links show the different sections of the report, which you can use to see how other websites are linking to your content and how you are linking to your content internally.

How to access the Links report in Google Search Console

Start on your Google Search Console dashboard:

On the toolbar located on the left side of your screen, click on the “Links” tab:

After clicking, you will be taken directly to the Links report within Google Search Console:

From here, you can click on the different reports available to you using the “More” buttons on each tab:

Exploring the Links report in Google Search Console

This section will discuss the different features within Google Search Console’s Links report.

Top linked pages (external links)

This section highlights the pages on your website most frequently linked to by other websites.

You can use this report section to help you identify which pages on your website attract the most links. You can then use this information to help you identify content that resonates well with your audience.

High-performing pages in this section may include:

• Blog posts
• Resource pages
• Landing pages

This section of the Links report can also be used to monitor external backlinks to your site. This could save you and your business money, as you wouldn’t need to invest in an external tool to track backlinks for you, such as Ahrefs or Semrush.

Top linked pages (internal links)

This section shows your website’s pages with the most internal links from other pages.

You can use this section of the Links report to identify which pages have the most internal links pointing to them and which have no internal links pointing to them.

The crucial use case for this section of the report is you will be able to identify important pages of your site that don’t have any internal links pointing to them, such as:

• Product pages
• Cornerstone content pieces
• Pages targeting high-value queries

You may find adding internal links to these pages is a great “quick win” for your site.

Take a look at these results from a previous SEO test we ran, adding 21 internal links to a new guide we published:

This shows the value of adding internal links to new and existing content!

Top linking sites

The top linking sites section of the Links report will give you valuable information about the number of times certain websites have linked to your content. Essentially giving you a list of the top linking sources for your site:

You can use this data to your advantage. By looking at the top linking sites, you can predict how likely a website will link to your content when performing backlink acquisition tasks. It will also help you identify sites that link to your competitors often but don’t link to your content as much. This will help you fill those backlink gaps that are sometimes crucial for ranking.

Top linking text

This section of the report details the most common anchor text for links. It is worth noting, however, that this part of the report only covers external links, not anchor text for internal links. So keep this in mind when analyzing your data!

You can use this report section to analyze what anchor text is frequently used when sites link to your website. It’s common for most websites to have their brand name as their most common anchor text, but you can use the report to explore what other phrases, queries, and terms are being used when sites link to your content.

Export external links

Finally, if you wish to export this data for use outside of Google Search Console, you can use the ‘Export External Links’ button in the top-right corner of the Links report:

How to use this data

The data provided by the Links report is invaluable for improving your site’s internal structure and external visibility. This section will explore three practical ways to utilize this data: adding internal links, acquiring external links, and amending anchor text.

Adding internal links

Internal links are critical for distributing link equity across your site and helping search engines understand the hierarchy and importance of your content. By reviewing the “Top linked pages (internal)” section of the Links report, you can:

1. Identify orphan pages. These pages on your site lack internal links, which can cause search engines and users to overlook them and reduce their visibility. Prioritize adding internal links from relevant, high-traffic pages to these pages.

2. Reinforce important pages: Use the data to find pages targeting high-value keywords or serving as cornerstone content. Ensure these pages have sufficient internal links pointing to them, as this helps pass link equity and signals their importance to search engines.

Adding external links

External backlinks remain a cornerstone of SEO success. The “Top linked pages (external)” and “Top linking sites” sections offer actionable insights for your link-building strategy:

1. Recognize high-performing content: Identify the pages attracting the most backlinks. These pages often indicate content that resonates with your audience and other websites. Use this information to guide your future content creation efforts.

2. Identify potential link partners: The “Top linking sites” section shows which domains frequently link to your content. Leverage these relationships by reaching out to these sites for further collaboration or asking them to link to other valuable content on your site.
3. Close backlink gaps: Compare the sites listed in the “Top linking sites” report with those linked to your competitors. This analysis can help you identify backlink opportunities you might be missing so you can focus your outreach efforts on sites more likely to link to your content.

Amending anchor text

The “Top linking text” section provides insights into other websites’ anchor text when linking to your site. This data can be used to refine your backlink profile:

1. Ensure diversity in anchor text: If your anchor text distribution is overly focused on one term, such as your brand name, it could appear unnatural to search engines. Use the report to identify opportunities to diversify your anchor text by encouraging partners to use a mix of branded, keyword-rich, and generic phrases.

2. Optimize for target keywords: Review the anchor text for links to your high-value pages. If the anchor text doesn’t align with the target keywords for those pages, contact the linking site to request adjustments that better reflect your target queries.
3. Identify irrelevant anchor text: Occasionally, sites may link to your content using irrelevant or potentially harmful anchor text. Use this section to spot such instances and take corrective action, such as disavowing spammy links or contacting the linking site to request changes.

Wrapping Things Up

The Links report in Google Search Console is a powerful tool that can elevate your SEO strategy effectively.

Analyzing internal and external links, identifying high-performing content, and optimizing anchor text can strengthen your site’s authority and improve its visibility in search results.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced SEO professional, this report offers valuable insights to help you make better, data-driven decisions. Start exploring the Links report today and unlock its potential to enhance your website’s performance.

If you want to take your use of Google Search Console to the next level, consider trying SEOTesting. Our tool delivers helpful reports and testing features to help you optimize your site even further. Plus, you can start with a 14-day free trial; no credit card is required to sign up. Give it a try and unlock new ways to enhance your SEO strategy!