What is Competitor Link Analysis?
One of the tactics that's easy to implement when working with link building is to take a look at your competitors' link profiles. Here you can often find inspiration for your own link building campaigns.
You've probably heard this advice a million times before if you've read anything about link building previously. However, it's not enough to just look at your competitor's link profile, you also need to know where to look.
Expert Tip
As you become better at link building, you'll spend less time on competitor analysis. After a couple of years, you become much more creative and start seeing opportunities everywhere, without having to copy others.
Competitor Gap Analysis
Gap Analysis Results:
Find Your Real Competitors
Before you can analyze competitors' links, you need to identify who your real competitors are. It's not always the most obvious candidates that provide the best insights.
SEO Competitors
High PrioritySites ranking for your target keywords
How to Find:
- • Google search for target keywords
- • SEMrush competitor research
- • Ahrefs competing domains
Use Case:
Find link opportunities in your niche
Business Competitors
Medium PriorityDirect business competitors in your market
How to Find:
- • Industry knowledge
- • Customer feedback
- • Market research
Use Case:
Understand competitive landscape
Content Competitors
High PrioritySites creating similar content topics
How to Find:
- • Content gap analysis
- • Social media monitoring
- • Google News
Use Case:
Content marketing and PR opportunities
Link Competitors
Medium PrioritySites with similar link profiles
How to Find:
- • Backlink intersect tools
- • Similar domain analysis
Use Case:
Advanced link prospecting
Advanced Competitor Discovery Techniques:
Systematic Approach:
- 1. Search for your primary keywords in Google
- 2. Note the top 10 results for each search
- 3. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to see who competes for your keywords
- 4. Identify 5-10 sites that consistently rank high
- 5. Cross-reference with business competitors
Tool-Based Discovery:
- • Ahrefs: Competing domains report
- • SEMrush: Competitive research toolkit
- • SimilarWeb: Similar sites feature
- • SpyFu: Competitor intelligence
- • Google Alerts: Monitor competitor mentions
Best Tools for Link Analysis
To conduct effective competitor analyses, you need the right tools. Here are the best options on the market with detailed comparisons:
Ahrefs
Most comprehensive backlink database with best-in-class competitor analysis features
✓ Pros:
- • Largest link database (16+ trillion links)
- • Accurate metrics
- • Historical data
- • Content gap analysis
- • Live backlinks
⚠ Cons:
- • Expensive ($99-999/month)
- • Can be overwhelming for beginners
- • Steep learning curve
Key Stats:
Unique Features:
SEMrush
All-in-one SEO platform with strong competitor research capabilities
✓ Pros:
- • Many integrated features
- • Good competitor research
- • Gap analysis tools
- • SERP features tracking
- • Social media tracking
⚠ Cons:
- • Smaller link database than Ahrefs
- • Interface can be cluttered
- • Limited historical data
Key Stats:
Unique Features:
Moz Link Explorer
User-friendly tool with excellent free version for smaller analyses
✓ Pros:
- • Good free version
- • Excellent spam score
- • User-friendly interface
- • Domain Authority metric
- • Quality focus
⚠ Cons:
- • Limited data in free version
- • Smaller database
- • Slower updates
- • Less comprehensive
Key Stats:
Unique Features:
Majestic
Specialized in link intelligence with unique trust metrics
✓ Pros:
- • Trust Flow metrics
- • Citation Flow
- • Topical Trust Flow
- • Historical link data
- • Bulk analysis
⚠ Cons:
- • Only links, no keyword data
- • Complex interface
- • Dated design
- • Limited content features
Key Stats:
Unique Features:
SpyFu
Affordable competitor analysis with PPC and SEO data
✓ Pros:
- • Affordable pricing
- • PPC competitor data
- • Long historical data
- • Competitor tracking
- • Easy reporting
⚠ Cons:
- • Smaller link database
- • US-focused data
- • Basic link analysis
- • Limited international data
Key Stats:
Unique Features:
Ubersuggest
Neil Patel's affordable SEO tool with basic competitor analysis
✓ Pros:
- • Very affordable
- • Simple interface
- • Content ideas
- • Beginner-friendly
- • Chrome extension
⚠ Cons:
- • Limited link data
- • Basic features
- • Smaller database
- • Less accurate metrics
Key Stats:
Unique Features:
Our Recommendations
For Beginners:
Start with Moz Link Explorer (free version) to learn the basics, then upgrade to Ubersuggest for budget-friendly analysis.
For Professionals:
Invest in Ahrefs - it has the largest and most accurate backlink database with the best competitor analysis features.
For Agencies:
SEMrush for all-in-one functionality, or Ahrefs + Majestic for specialized link intelligence and trust metrics.
Step-by-Step Analysis Guide
1Data Collection
- • Enter competitor's URL in your analysis tool
- • Export their complete backlink profile
- • Note total backlinks and referring domains
- • Check domain authority/rating scores
- • Review link growth over time
- • Identify top linking domains
Pro Tip: Export data to Excel/CSV for advanced filtering and analysis. Set up automated monitoring for ongoing competitor tracking.
2Data Filtering & Segmentation
- • Sort by Domain Rating/Authority (highest first)
- • Filter only dofollow links
- • Focus on links from relevant countries/languages
- • Remove footer/sidebar links
- • Exclude reciprocal links (mutual linking)
- • Filter by traffic levels (1000+ monthly visits)
Advanced Filters:
- • Link type (editorial vs. directory)
- • Anchor text patterns
- • Page type (homepage vs. internal)
- • Link position (content vs. sidebar)
Quality Thresholds:
- • DR/DA: 30+ minimum
- • Traffic: 1,000+ monthly
- • Spam Score: <5
- • Age: 1+ years old
3Quality Evaluation
- • Check each site's traffic and engagement
- • Evaluate content quality on linking page
- • Control for spam signals
- • Review link context (relevant anchor text?)
- • Assess editorial vs. paid placement
- • Verify site legitimacy and trustworthiness
Quality Checklist: Does the linking site have real traffic? Is the content relevant? Is the link editorially placed? Does the site look professional and trustworthy?
4Categorize Opportunities
Direct Copy Opportunities:
- • Business directories
- • Industry associations
- • Local listings
- • Partner/supplier pages
- • News mentions
Inspiration Categories:
- • Guest posting sites
- • Resource pages
- • Niche publications
- • Industry blogs
- • Content partnerships
5Prioritization & Action Planning
Score each opportunity based on:
High Priority (Score 8-10):
- • DR 60+ with high traffic
- • Perfect relevance match
- • Easy to replicate
- • Editorial placement
Medium Priority (Score 5-7):
- • DR 30-60 with decent traffic
- • Good relevance
- • Requires outreach effort
- • May need content creation
Low Priority (Score 1-4):
- • DR <30 or low traffic
- • Questionable relevance
- • Difficult to obtain
- • Potential quality issues
Link Quality Evaluation Framework
Not all links are equally valuable. Here are the most important factors to evaluate with detailed criteria for each:
Domain Authority
High Impact50+ DA from established sites with consistent traffic
Target: 50-90
New domains with low authority and no traffic history
How to Check:
Use Ahrefs DR, Moz DA, or Majestic TF
Red Flags:
- • Sudden DA spikes
- • Low DA with high spam score
- • Domains registered recently
Traffic & Engagement
High ImpactSites with real organic traffic and user engagement
Target: 1,000+ monthly visits
Dead sites without visitors or engagement metrics
How to Check:
SimilarWeb, Ahrefs organic traffic estimates
Red Flags:
- • Zero traffic
- • Only paid traffic
- • High bounce rate
Topical Relevance
Very High ImpactThematically related to your area with relevant content
Target: Highly relevant niche
Irrelevant or off-topic sites with no content connection
How to Check:
Manual review of content and categories
Red Flags:
- • Completely unrelated topics
- • Adult content
- • Foreign language mismatch
Geographic Relevance
Medium ImpactLocal/regional sites matching your target geography
Target: Target country/language
Foreign sites in other languages or irrelevant locations
How to Check:
Whois data, site language, TLD extension
Red Flags:
- • Wrong country focus
- • Different language
- • Unrelated location
Content Quality
High ImpactOriginal, valuable content with regular updates
Target: High-quality editorial content
Thin, copied, or spam content with no editorial standards
How to Check:
Manual content review, publication frequency
Red Flags:
- • Duplicate content
- • Keyword stuffing
- • Auto-generated content
Link Context
Very High ImpactEditorial links within relevant content context
Target: In-content editorial links
Footer, sidebar, or unnatural link placement
How to Check:
Manual inspection of linking page
Red Flags:
- • Footer links
- • Sidebar widgets
- • Link lists
- • Unnatural anchor text
Quality Scoring System
Get Inspired Correctly
Critical Point
You need to be careful about just copying your competitors' links. Once you could do that, as even bad links didn't harm your website. Nowadays, you need to be more stringent.
However, you can use it to understand why they are ranked as they are, and this is actually primarily what you use competitor link analyses for as you become more experienced.
Links You CAN Copy Directly:
- ✓ Industry directories - Relevant business directories
- ✓ Local listings - Google Business, Yelp, local websites
- ✓ Media coverage - Press releases, news articles
- ✓ Partner pages - Suppliers, collaboration partners
- ✓ Industry associations - Trade unions, interest organizations
- ✓ Event pages - Conferences, trade shows, sponsorships
- ✓ Resource listings - Tool directories, educational resources
- ✓ Local government - Municipal websites, chamber of commerce
Use for Inspiration (Not Direct Copying):
- • Guest posting sites - Find relevant blogs that accept guest posts
- • Resource pages - Sites that link to useful resources
- • Niche websites - Specialized sites in your industry
- • Content partnerships - Sites open to collaborations
- • Industry publications - Trade magazines and news sites
- • Influencer sites - Bloggers and thought leaders
- • Educational institutions - Universities and research centers
- • Conference websites - Event organizers and speakers
Strategic Inspiration Framework:
Pattern Recognition:
- • What types of content get links?
- • Which link building tactics work?
- • What anchor text patterns are safe?
- • Which sites are link-friendly?
Opportunity Mapping:
- • Gaps in competitor coverage
- • Underutilized link sources
- • Emerging platforms and opportunities
- • Seasonal link building patterns
Strategic Insights:
- • Content themes that attract links
- • Relationship building approaches
- • Timing and frequency patterns
- • Geographic focus areas
Avoid Common Pitfalls
Consider some of the following scenarios before deciding to copy your competitors' links:
Things You DON'T Know About Competitor Links:
- • You don't know which sites might be bad neighborhoods
- • You don't know which of their links transfer PageRank or anchor text value
- • You don't know if the websites are involved in link exchanges or other questionable methods
- • You don't know if it's your competitor who controls the website (PBN)
- • You don't know if they have special relationships or paid arrangements
- • You don't know the historical context of how links were acquired
Network Issues
Content Issues
Technical Issues
Link Pattern Issues
How to Spot Suspicious Links:
Technical Red Flags:
- • Low domain authority with many outbound links
- • Irrelevant content compared to link destination
- • Footer/sidebar links on many pages simultaneously
- • Exact match anchor text in unnatural quantities
- • Network patterns - same IP, registrar, or link structure
Content Red Flags:
- • Auto-generated content or spinning
- • Keyword stuffing and unnatural language
- • Duplicate content across multiple sites
- • Poor design and user experience
- • Excessive advertising and monetization
From Analysis to Action
You can use link analyses of your competitors to find relevant thematic websites where you can submit your link or write in and ask if you can get on their list.
Practical Action Plan:
- 1. Prioritize opportunities - Start with the easiest and most valuable links
- 2. Develop contact strategy - Personal outreach to relevant sites
- 3. Offer value - Come with suggestions on how you can collaborate
- 4. Track progress - Keep track of who you've contacted and responses
- 5. Follow up - Be persistent but not annoying
- 6. Scale successful tactics - Identify what works and do more of it
Outreach Templates & Strategies:
Directory Submissions:
Direct application with business information and relevant category selection.
Resource Page Inclusion:
"Hi [Name], I noticed you have a great resource page on [topic]. I thought you might be interested in [your resource] which provides [value]."
Partnership Opportunities:
Focus on mutual benefit and long-term relationship building rather than just asking for links.
Success Tracking Metrics:
Expected Results
A thorough competitor analysis can give you 20-50 new link opportunities and save you months of research. These are the types of links you should copy - but stay away from copying splog links and links from adult and warez websites.
Automation & Scaling
Automation Tools & Workflows:
Data Collection Automation:
- • Ahrefs API: Automated competitor monitoring
- • SEMrush API: Bulk competitor analysis
- • Zapier workflows: Alert systems for new links
- • Custom scripts: Python/R for data processing
Analysis Automation:
- • Excel/Google Sheets: Automated scoring formulas
- • Data Studio: Real-time competitor dashboards
- • Power BI: Advanced analytics and visualization
- • Custom tools: Internal scoring algorithms
Scaling Strategies:
Team Structure:
- • Data analysts
- • Link prospectors
- • Outreach specialists
- • Quality controllers
Process Optimization:
- • Standardized workflows
- • Quality checklists
- • Approval processes
- • Performance tracking
Technology Stack:
- • CRM for contact management
- • Project management tools
- • Communication platforms
- • Reporting dashboards
Real Case Studies
Case Study 1: SaaS Company
Challenge:
New B2B SaaS needed to compete against established players with DR 70+ domains.
Analysis Approach:
- • Identified 5 top competitors
- • Analyzed 10,000+ competitor backlinks
- • Filtered for SaaS-relevant opportunities
- • Prioritized by outreach difficulty
Results:
Case Study 2: E-commerce Brand
Challenge:
Fashion e-commerce site struggling to compete with major retailers for link acquisition.
Strategy:
- • Analyzed fashion blog ecosystems
- • Identified influencer partnership opportunities
- • Found resource page gaps
- • Mapped PR opportunity sources
Outcomes:
Case Study 3: What Not to Do
Mistake:
Agency blindly copied all competitor links without quality assessment.
Poor Decisions:
- • Copied 500+ links indiscriminately
- • Included obvious PBN networks
- • Ignored spam score warnings
- • No quality filtering applied
Consequences:
Advanced Techniques
Content Gap Analysis:
Identify content topics that competitors are ranking for but you're not, then find link opportunities around those topics.
Step 1: Identify Gaps
Use Ahrefs Content Gap or SEMrush Keyword Gap to find missing topics
Step 2: Create Superior Content
Develop better resources than competitors have
Step 3: Target Link Sources
Reach out to sites linking to competitor content
Link Intersect Analysis:
Find websites that link to multiple competitors but not to you - these represent your biggest opportunities.
Tools for Intersect Analysis:
- • Ahrefs Link Intersect
- • SEMrush Backlink Gap
- • Moz Link Intersect
- • Custom database queries
Opportunity Scoring:
Competitor Link Velocity Analysis:
Track when and how quickly competitors acquire links to identify successful campaigns and timing patterns.
Ready to Master Competitor Analysis?
This excerpt is taken from the full edition of the Link Building Guide, where you get even more strategies and tactics for effective link building and competitive analysis.
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