There are a couple of reasons why Google Search Console (GSC) might not be showing all the links to your website:
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Time Delay: It can take time for Google to discover and index new links. GSC data is updated periodically, so there might be a lag between when a link is created and when it shows up in Search Console.
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Link Type: GSC doesn’t show every link it finds. For example, it typically doesn’t show “no-follow” links, which tell search engines not to pass on ranking authority (also known as link juice).
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Property Verification: Make sure you’ve verified the correct version of your website property in GSC (with or without www). If you have both versions indexed, GSC might not be showing all links because it treats them as separate entities.
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Third-Party Tools vs. GSC: Third-party backlink checking tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush might show more links than GSC. These tools use their own methods for crawling and indexing the web, so they may find links that Google hasn’t discovered yet.
Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:
- Wait a few weeks: Give Google some time to discover and process the new links.
- Check your link profile: Use a third-party backlink checker to see if the links you’re missing are actually there.
- Verify your property: Ensure you’ve verified the correct version of your website property in GSC (http:// vs https:// and with or without www).
- Use the “Fetch as Google” tool: This tool in GSC allows you to see how Google sees your website and can help identify any crawl errors that might be preventing Google from finding your links.
If you’ve gone through these steps and you’re still concerned about missing links, you can try searching for your website on Google using the link operator: “link:[invalid URL removed]”. This will show you a list of pages that link to your website, which can be helpful for troubleshooting.
