Ok, we have to admit – “Can’t See My backlinks on Google…” This is the MOST POPULAR question we get with emails each and every day. People are building backlinks, working hard, spending countless hours or money to outsource to get the links built for them, but they can`t see them on Google!
This is so unfair! Right?
Well, it might look so, but in reality, things are a bit different. And we`re going to tell you something you should know, if you are one of these people worrying about your backlinks not being seen on Google.
“I can`t see my backlinks on Google”
First and foremost, tools are not accurate. 
None of them – period! Take a look at any two link checking tools and you will get different data.
That being said… You need to work on BUILDING links, not CHECKING them 
We can assure you, and every successful SEO marketer can – the backlinks that you build, they DO WORK. Even if you don`t see improvement right away, you WILL get a higher rank in a short time. There`s just no way around it, unless of course your site is sandboxed. Do not worry about the number of links you see some system shows, but concentrate on building them – this is what pays off in the long run!
Now, the truth about the links not being shown by Google.
If you build 200 backlinks to any of your pages per month, you are doing great and will see a big improvement in your rankings over time. But when you check Google 3 months later, it will never show you 600 backlinks.
One of the reasons – not all of the backlinks get indexed fast, some might even take several months for the search engines to see (which is great, because your backlinks look natural, and it looks like you keep on getting them continuously!)
On the other hand, Google never promised anyone to show you what they see. They might see 550 backlinks but show just 230. And why should they show you what they see, right?
Other tools to use
Another example is Yahoo Site Explorer. This tool shows the backlinks pointing to the site, once you enter the URL. Yahoo Site Explorer seems to be much more accurate compared to Google, so many marketers use it instead.
There is also a backlinks checking tool at BacklinkWatch.com, and while many times it shows more links than Yahoo Site Explorer, it still isn`t accurate.
… and again…
Whatever you are thinking of it, you`ll never know why different search engines and tools do not show the backlinks correctly. But once again, checking for backlinks will not increase your ranking positions. But building more and more backlinks will definitely help! So let`s spend our time on things that have positive impact on the rankings – building backlinks!!
All the best,
Ivana and Alex
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It does not really matter as long as you do not build thousands in one day (even that would not do any bad – just think of some blog posts that can get “popular” overnight due to some interesting timely content). Not all the links get indexed right away too, so as long as you are building them on a regular basis, do not worry – just backlink more.
I Spend a lot of time building backlinks but its of no use non of them are listed in backlinkwatch.com
I totally agree that one should focus on CREATING good quality back links instead of checking to see if big brother recognizes your links.
I will sometimes see results in a day or so and other times it may take weeks but I know my hard work is not in vain.
Google tells us exactly what they want: original USEFUL content, good natural links (external/internal) and don’t be spammy with your sites ads.
How you go about this process in an entirely different subject.
Build a few links everyday to the page you are trying to rank for and give it a good 4-6 weeks and if done properly you will see results.
Good luck all and thanks LD Team for the great info! you guys rock….
I think Yahoo site explorer has disappeared as such and become merged with Bing webmaster tools which is a shame because it was one of the better tools out there.
Yahoo Site Explorer has definitely gone, and I can´t get on at all with Bing.
Yes, it is indeed true, you cannot see your backlinks immediately, it will never get indexed by the search engines in 24 hours it takes time to be indexed. Better practice white hat seo,than black hat
As a small business that is developing back-links to our website, it’s reassuring to hear that other people have gone through this phase of not ‘seeing’ live do-follow back-links on their search software, but, that nevertheless, the links are benefiting their SEO work.
I still have heavy criticism for Google though, for not providing a clear and defined means for measuring progress on back-link development, at least on a daily basis, so that we can be sure that our hard earned cash and valuable time is not being wasted. There is too much smoke and mirrors in SEO, which allows rumour, opinion and false science to thrive. This is a very negative, wasteful situation for everyone involved. SEO should be a much more defined science, not the Wizard of Oz scenario that we currently have to work with!
Yes you are right…but in Google eyes, they want website business owners paying for Google ads
…no wonder it is much smoke and mirrors
whoah this blog is wonderfu!!! I i love reading your articles. Keep up the good work! You know, many people are hunting around for INFO on SEO, you are helping them greatly.