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Local SEO

Backlinks not showing up in Google Search Console? Here’s why

Banish AnguralUpdated 2 min read
Person holding a smartphone, the way most customers search for a local trade

You earned a link, the page is live, and Search Console still shows nothing. That is normal more often than not. Here is how to tell a slow link from a link Google will never count.

Reason 1: Google has not crawled the linking page yet

Search Console only reports links on pages Google has crawled and indexed. On a small or rarely updated site, that can take weeks. Check by searching Google for the exact URL of the linking page. If it does not show up, Google has not indexed it.

Reason 2: the linking page is noindexed or blocked

A `noindex` tag tells Google not to show a page in results. Pages that stay out of the index do not pass their links into the report. A robots.txt block stops Google crawling the page at all. Open the linking page, view the source and search for "noindex".

Reason 3: the report only shows a sample

The Links report lists top linking sites and pages, not every link that exists. A link can count without being listed.

Links from spammy directories, link farms or paid link packages may be ignored, and buying links to manipulate rankings breaks Google’s spam policies. Cheap link "gigs" are the usual source.

Reason 5: it is the wrong property

If the link points to `www.` but your property is only for the non-www version, or to `http://` instead of `https://`, use a Domain property, which covers every version.

What to do

  1. Wait three to four weeks after the link goes live.
  2. Confirm the linking page is indexed and does not carry noindex.
  3. Use a Domain property in Search Console.
  4. Spend your effort on links real customers would click: suppliers, local associations, sponsorships, local news and genuine reviews.

For local businesses, a handful of real local links beats hundreds of bought ones. Our SEO service earns them the honest way. Start with a free audit and we’ll show you which links your competitors have that you don’t.

Sources

  1. Links report, Google
  2. Block Search indexing with noindex, Google Search Central
  3. Spam policies for Google web search, Google Search Central
ServiceSEO

Banish Angural

Founder

Questions readers ask

How long do backlinks take to show in Search Console?

Often a few weeks, sometimes longer, depending on how quickly Google crawls and indexes the page that links to you.

Does a backlink count if it is not in Search Console?

It can. The Links report shows a sample of linking pages, not every link. If the linking page is indexed and not noindexed, the link may count anyway.

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