Your competitors have already done the hard work of finding link opportunities - you just need to learn how to uncover and replicate their success. Competitor backlink analysis is one of the most efficient link building strategies because it focuses on proven opportunities: if a website linked to your competitor, they may link to you too.
According to data from Ahrefs, the average top-10 ranking page has backlinks from over 300 referring domains. By analyzing where your top competitors get their links, you can build a prioritized list of high-value targets that are already proven to link to sites in your space.
This comprehensive guide walks you through the complete process of competitor backlink analysis, from identifying the right competitors to analyzing their link profiles and executing outreach to replicate their best links.
Turn Analysis Into Action
Once you identify link opportunities through competitor analysis, Outreachist helps you execute. Our marketplace connects you with publishers for guest posts and sponsored content to build the links you have discovered.
Execute Your Link StrategyWhat You Will Learn
Reading Time: 14 minutes | Difficulty: Intermediate
- How to identify your true SEO competitors
- Tools and techniques for backlink analysis
- Link gap analysis to find missing opportunities
- Categorizing and prioritizing competitor links
- Replicating competitor link building strategies
- Creating an actionable outreach plan
Why Competitor Backlink Analysis Works
Competitor backlink analysis is powerful for several reasons:
Proven Opportunities
If a site linked to your competitor, they have demonstrated willingness to link to content in your space. This dramatically increases your success rate compared to cold outreach to random sites.
Competitive Intelligence
Understanding where competitors get their links reveals their strategy. You can identify tactics working in your industry and find gaps in their approach to exploit.
Efficiency
Rather than guessing which sites might link to you, you focus efforts on targets with proven link behavior. This saves time and improves conversion rates.
The Power of Competitor Analysis
Higher response rates for competitor-informed outreach
Of competitor links can typically be replicated
Time savings vs. prospecting from scratch
Step 1: Identify Your True SEO Competitors
Your SEO competitors are not always the same as your business competitors. SEO competitors are sites ranking for the keywords you want to rank for, regardless of whether they compete with you for customers.
Finding SEO Competitors
Method 1: Search-Based Discovery
- Search your primary target keywords
- Note which domains appear in the top 10 consistently
- Look for sites ranking for multiple keywords you target
Method 2: Tool-Based Discovery
- Ahrefs: Use Competing Domains report to find sites with keyword overlap
- SEMrush: Use Organic Competitors report for similar analysis
- Moz: Check Link Explorer for competing domains
Pro Tip: Analyze Multiple Competitors
Do not just analyze one competitor. Study 5-10 competitors to get a comprehensive view of link opportunities in your space. Sites that link to multiple competitors are particularly valuable targets.
Categorizing Competitors
Step 2: Extract and Export Backlink Data
Once you have identified competitors, extract their backlink data using SEO tools. Here is how to do it with popular platforms:
Using Ahrefs
- Enter competitor domain in Site Explorer
- Go to Backlinks report
- Filter by: One link per domain, Dofollow (initially)
- Sort by Domain Rating to prioritize high-authority links
- Export to CSV for analysis
Using SEMrush
- Enter competitor domain in Backlink Analytics
- Review the Backlinks tab
- Use filters to segment by type, authority, etc.
- Export relevant links for analysis
Using Moz Link Explorer
- Enter competitor domain
- Navigate to Inbound Links
- Sort by Domain Authority
- Export top links for analysis
Step 3: Link Gap Analysis
Link gap analysis identifies domains linking to your competitors but not to you. These represent your highest-priority opportunities.
Running Link Gap Analysis
In Ahrefs
- Use Link Intersect tool
- Enter your domain and 2-5 competitor domains
- Filter to show domains linking to competitors but not you
- Export for further analysis
In SEMrush
- Use Backlink Gap tool
- Enter your domain vs. competitors
- Review domains linking to competitors only
- Filter by authority and relevance
Prioritization Tip
Domains linking to multiple competitors are gold. If 3 of your 5 competitors have links from a domain but you do not, that site is clearly willing to link to content in your space and should be prioritized.
Step 4: Categorize and Analyze Link Sources
Not all competitor links are equally replicable. Categorize links to understand which opportunities apply to your strategy.
Link Categories
Highly Replicable
- Resource pages that list industry sites
- Guest post opportunities
- Business directories
- Industry associations
- Roundup posts
Moderately Replicable
- Editorial mentions
- Product reviews
- Interview features
- Expert quotes
- Blogger outreach results
Difficult to Replicate
- Partnership/sponsorship links
- Personal relationships
- News coverage of unique events
- Alumni/employee connections
- Proprietary tool citations
What to Look for in Each Link
- Context: Why did they link? What was the reason?
- Page type: Is it a resource page, blog post, or other?
- Anchor text: What words are linked?
- Link placement: Editorial vs. sidebar vs. footer
- Recency: When was the link created?
Step 5: Create Your Outreach Target List
Transform your analysis into an actionable outreach list with these steps:
Prioritization Criteria
Execute Your Competitor Link Strategy
Found guest posting opportunities in your competitor analysis? Outreachist helps you secure placements on many of the same publications where your competitors have already built links.
Find Publication MatchesStep 6: Develop Replication Strategies
Different link types require different approaches to replicate:
Resource Page Links
- Identify why competitor is listed
- Ensure you have equivalent content or tool
- Reach out to suggest your resource for inclusion
Guest Post Links
- Note the publications accepting guest content
- Review the competitor's post topics and angles
- Pitch unique topics to the same publications
Directory Links
- Identify directories where competitors are listed
- Submit your site to relevant directories
- Ensure NAP consistency across listings
Editorial/PR Links
- Understand what made the competitor newsworthy
- Develop your own newsworthy angles
- Build relationships with the same journalists
Common Competitor Backlink Patterns
Look for these patterns in competitor profiles:
Pattern: The Content Cluster
Competitors often have specific content pieces that earn disproportionate links. Identify their link magnets and create your own version or something better.
Action: Create competing content that addresses the same need but with unique value.
Pattern: The Relationship Network
Multiple links from a cluster of sites often indicate relationships or partnerships. These may be harder to replicate but reveal important industry connections.
Action: Research the connection and explore whether you can build similar relationships.
Pattern: The Recurring Opportunity
Some competitors consistently appear in annual roundups, event coverage, or recurring features. These predictable opportunities can be targeted proactively.
Action: Identify timing and reach out before the next occurrence.
Tracking and Measuring Results
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Copying Bad Links
Not all competitor links are worth replicating. Some may be from PBNs, low-quality directories, or spam. Only pursue quality links.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Context
Understanding why a link exists is as important as knowing it exists. A link from a personal connection cannot be replicated the same way as a guest post.
Mistake 3: Only Copying, Never Innovating
Competitor analysis should inform but not limit your strategy. The best results come from combining competitor insights with original approaches.
Mistake 4: Analyzing Once, Never Updating
Competitor profiles change constantly. Set up regular monitoring or quarterly reviews to catch new opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- Identify SEO competitors, not just business competitors: Focus on who ranks for your target keywords.
- Use link gap analysis: Prioritize domains linking to competitors but not to you.
- Categorize by replicability: Not all competitor links can or should be replicated.
- Understand context: Why the link exists determines how you can earn a similar one.
- Combine with original strategies: Use competitor insights as one input, not your entire strategy.
Conclusion
Competitor backlink analysis is essential for efficient link building. By understanding where your competitors earn links, you focus your efforts on proven opportunities rather than guessing which sites might link to you.
Start by identifying 5-10 true SEO competitors. Export their backlink data, run link gap analysis to find domains linking to them but not you, and categorize opportunities by replicability. Create a prioritized outreach list and develop specific strategies for each link type.
Remember that competitor analysis is a starting point, not the entire strategy. The most successful link builders use competitor insights to inform their approach while also pursuing original opportunities their competitors have not discovered yet.
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