Ultimate Guide to Competitor Backlink Analysis

Key Takeaways:

• Why It Matters: Top-ranking pages have 3.8x more backlinks than lower-ranking ones. Backlink analysis can help you rank higher.
• Benefits:
  • Identify sites linking to competitors but not you.
  • Understand which content attracts backlinks.
  • Build relationships with industry influencers.
• How to Do It (4 Steps):
  1. Identify competitors.
  2. Gather backlink data using tools like Ahrefs or Semrush.
  3. Assess link quality (relevance, authority, placement).
  4. Spot opportunities like broken links or content gaps.

Tools Comparison:

Pro Tip: Use multiple tools for a complete backlink profile.

Competitor backlink analysis is a must for improving search rankings and finding high-quality link-building opportunities.

How to Do a Basic Backlink Analysis on Your Competitors

Backlink Analysis Fundamentals

Understanding backlink metrics and tools is key to analyzing competitors effectively. Here's a breakdown of the essentials.

Main Backlink Metrics

Backlink metrics help evaluate a site's link profile and its potential impact on search rankings. Some of the most important ones include:

• Domain Authority (DA): This metric predicts a website's ability to rank on a scale of 1–100. Moving from a DA of 20 to 30 is much easier than jumping from 70 to 80 .
• Referring Domains: The total number of unique websites linking to a page is often the strongest factor influencing search rankings .
• Link Attributes: The balance between dofollow and nofollow links plays a crucial role. As Paul Ronto, CMO of RunRepeat, explains:

"The difference between a Dofollow and a Nofollow link is that a Dofollow link passes PageRank signals (some refer to this as SEO or link juice), and a Nofollow link doesn't."

Best Backlink Analysis Tools

Several tools can help you dive into backlink analysis, each with its own strengths. Here's a quick comparison:

To illustrate their capabilities, an analysis of backlinko.com shows different results. Semrush identified 71.5K referring domains and 2.1M backlinks, while Ahrefs reported 49K referring domains and 419K backlinks . This highlights the importance of using multiple tools for a fuller picture of your competitors' backlink profiles.

"Every website should be looking to build high-quality Dofollow links." - Natalia Wulfe, CMO of Effective Spend

For additional resources, the Top SEO Marketing Directory offers a curated list of SEO tools and services, including specialized backlink analysis options. This can help you find tools that suit your goals and budget.

sbb-itb-5be333f

4 Steps to Analyze Competitor Backlinks

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

Start by figuring out who your main competitors are. These can be broken down into two types:

• Domain-level competitors: Websites competing for your main keywords across their entire site.
• Page-level competitors: Specific pages that rank well for certain terms.

To narrow this down, analyze organic keywords in these categories:

• Keywords your competitors rank for, but you don’t.
• High-ranking keywords that are easier to target.
• High-volume keywords where competition is tougher.

"There's no greater inspiration than taking a peek into your competitor's backlink portfolio and finding new patterns and strategies for success." – Stanislava Smiljanic, Off-Page SEO Manager at Skale

Step 2: Gather Competitor Backlink Data

Once you've identified your competitors, gather their backlink data. Using multiple tools gives you a broader view. For instance, a mini-case study compared results from two popular tools:

"Having massive amounts of data is one thing, but turning that into actionables is another thing. That is where Ahrefs excels. As a direct result of using Ahrefs, our website grew by 220% in 6 months." – Chris Diprose, Manager at Voodoo Neon

Step 3: Assess Backlink Quality

Now that you have the data, it's time to evaluate each link’s quality. Here’s what to look for:

• Relevance: Does the linking site relate to your industry?
• Authority: How strong and reputable is the linking domain?
• Placement: Where does the link appear within the content?
• Context: Is the surrounding content high-quality and relevant?

Watch out for red flags like exact match anchor text patterns, links from low-quality directories, or spammy guest posting networks. Once you’ve sorted the good from the bad, you can start identifying new opportunities.

Step 4: Spot Link Opportunities

Turn your analysis into actionable steps:

• Track Competitor Activity: Monitor competitors' link-building efforts and digital PR campaigns to find new chances.
• Content Gap Analysis: See what types of content attract links for your competitors, then create something even better.
• Fix Broken Links: Identify broken links on competitor sites and suggest your content as a replacement.
• Brand Mention Insights: Analyze how competitors’ brands are mentioned online to uncover potential linking opportunities.

Expert Backlink Analysis Methods

Once you've got the basics down, it's time to take your backlink strategy to the next level. These advanced techniques can help you refine your approach and uncover new opportunities for building high-quality links.

Finding High-Value Link Sources

Digging into competitor backlinks is a smart way to identify strong link opportunities. Here's what to look for:

• Domain metrics like Domain Rating or Authority Score
• Websites that are closely tied to your industry
• The potential for organic traffic from these domains
• Sites linking to your competitors but not to you

These factors help you zero in on the links that can make the biggest impact.

"Link-worthy content is content that's so valuable that outside websites and publishers are inclined to link to it." - Keys&Copy

Building Relationships with Website Owners

Building links often starts with building relationships. Genuine connections with site owners and editors can open the door to earning links.

Some ways to build these relationships include:

• Engaging in online communities and on social media
• Commenting thoughtfully on their content
• Networking at industry events to meet face-to-face
• Providing value upfront before asking for a link

"One thing I think we as an industry need to move away from is this idea of link building and move towards more of an idea of link earning. How are you creating content and then promoting that content in ways people want to link to and share it?" - Ruth Burr Reedy, Moz

Crafting Content That Earns Links

Creating content that's worth linking to is one of the most effective ways to earn backlinks. Research shows that websites ranking in the top 10 often have over 1,000 backlinks from unique domains .

Focus on creating content that solves specific problems or offers fresh insights . Adding research, expert quotes, and strong visuals can boost your content's authority and shareability .

"The key to any link building strategy is to focus on providing genuine value. Your content needs to be link-worthy – something that other sites would want to reference and share with their audience to enhance the user experience." - Julia McCoy

Conclusion

Main Points Review

Analyzing competitor backlinks can give your search rankings a serious boost. Research shows that top-ranking pages have 3.8 times more backlinks than those in positions 2–10 and gain 5–14.5% more do-follow backlinks every month .

To succeed, focus on these key areas:

• Understand backlink metrics and assess link quality.
• Use specialized tools to gather detailed competitor data.
• Prioritize high-authority domains in your niche.
• Create content that naturally earns quality backlinks.

Action Steps

Put these insights into practice with the following steps:

These actions, combined with the right tools, can transform your backlink strategy.

More Help and Tools

Here are some tools to make backlink analysis easier:

• Ahrefs: Offers plans starting at $29/month for detailed backlink insights .
• Moz Link Explorer: Praised for its intuitive interface and fast results .
• Ubersuggest: Includes a variety of backlink analysis features .

For a broader selection of SEO tools and services, check out the Top SEO Marketing Directory at marketingseodirectory.com.

Related Blog Posts

• Link Building Services: How to Evaluate Providers
• 10 Best Tools for Real-Time SEO Monitoring
• How Real-Time SEO Monitoring Improves Rankings
• Automated Keyword Research for B2B SEO