How to Find and Analyze Competitor Backlinks

Competition should not scare you. In fact it often pays to actively seek it out, as competition can help you improve. This is especially true in the world of SEO.

Instead of thinking about what your competitors are not doing and then running full speed in that direction, spend some time focusing on what are they doinge. After all, browsing competitor backlinks portfolio might just reveal the missing link for your SEO success.

There’s no greater inspiration than taking a peek into your competitor’s backlink portfolio and finding new patterns and strategies for success. 

So if you’re ready for some serious industrial eSEOpionage, you’ve come to the right place.

What are competitor backlinks and why do they matter?

Competitor backlinks are links from external websites that lead to your competitors’ websites. These backlinks are crucial assets in the world of SEO that can help elevate your content for better placement on SERP.

Backlinks work like a digital neural network between relevant sites, giving each a “thumbs up” that indicates authority to search algorithms and boosts its online presence. Competitor backlinks carry even more weight, with the power to boost your website in a specific niche and directly outrank your competitors.

By dissecting your competitors’ link acquisition strategy, you can gain a significant tactical advantage. Yes, you’ll probably find the usual suspects there, but you might also uncover some rare gems. 

Armed with this information, you can then seize new opportunities.

How to evaluate competitor backlinks

It’s important to remember that not all backlinks are created equal. After all, some competitors might be taking shortcuts and paying for links from shady or opportunistic websites. 

This is why it’s essential to know how to identify quality links. In this section, we’ll share the characteristics of a great link, so you can pursue backlinks that are worth your time and effort. And luckily for us, Ahrefs has also made things easier with its new “best link” feature.

Quality

What determines link quality? If you chase only vanity metrics, you’ll miss the bigger picture. he quality of a backlink depends on several key factors:

• Organic traffic stability: If a site’s traffic trends resemble a rollercoaster, it might be best to avoid that link and skip the ride.
• Relevant keywords and pages: Ensure that the keywords and top pages aren’t spammy or out of place.
• Traffic sources: A site might look like it has flourishing traffic, but a closer look might reveal that it’s mostly from regions you’re not targeting, which may not align with your target audience. 

Placement

Location, location, location… it is not just about real estate; the saying applies to backlinks as well. So if you thought placing links at random across your article was a valid approach, you are sadly mistaken. 

Backlinks that are closer to the top of the article hold more importance than those placed at the bottom. Why? Because visitors are more likely to click them.

Of course, this means a balanced approach is essential. Through my history as an SEO professional, I’ve seen some really bad practices, like shameless casino links in the intro paragraph. 

The trick is to always find a middle ground for your backlinking strategy that isn’t so transparent, such as placing it naturally in the second or third paragraph. Just remember that saving the best for last does not work in SEO.

Relevance

Domain relevancy is the alpha and omega of backlink quality. When evaluating a potential prospect, ask yourself if the link would appear natural in your content. If you find yourself adding too much explanation to justify the anchor text, it’s likely a sign to skip that particular prospect. 

While experimenting with different topics and angles is fine, if the connection looks forced, then Google will likely take notice—and not in a good way. 

How to conduct a competitor backlink analysis

Even if you think you know every detail of your competitor’s strategy, there’s always something new to discover. You saw them at their best, you saw them at their spammiest, but there might still be a new avenue you never thought existed.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Identify your main keywords and competitors

It’s essential to start with the basics: identifying your main competitors. There are two types to consider: domain-level and page-level competitors.

Maybe there’s a new kid on the block that’s managed to rank their content fast with less than five backlinks. How should you investigate? 

First, you should see which keywords are working for them and whether they’re attracting traffic or clicks.

To do this, analyze their organic keywords and divide them into several categories:

• Keywords they rank for that you don’t: These are likely lower-volume, lower-difficulty keywords with strong traffic potential.
• Keywords with low difficulty where they rank highly: Check how many domains are linking to the top-ranking pages for these keywords.
• Keywords with high difficulty and high volume: See whether pursuing these in the long term is feasible. 

2. Analyze domain-level competitors

Domain-level competitors are websites that operate in the the same niche as yours and compete with your domain for top keywords. In other words, this is your online archnemesis.

Steps for analyzing domain-level competitors: 

1. Assess total number of competitor backlinks, as well as the number of referring domains. 
2. Locate pages on the competitor’s website that have the most links and look for any keyword patterns.
3. Determine which anchor text is used the most.
4. Analyze link acquisition trends over time to identify potential spikes, indicating a link-building campaign over those periods. 
5. Figure out which strategies they’re using to obtain links. Do they rely on guest posting, PR campaigns, or content marketing?
6. Use the Semrush backlink gap or keyword gap tools.
7. Monitor both new and lost backlinks. 
8. Use Ahrefs to locate the best links and see whether the content is fresh or if the links were just added. 

Choose the “best links only.” You can configure your best links filter easily:

Adjust everything to your li(n)king and you’re good to go.

3. Analyze page-level competitors

Analyzing page-level competitors for backlinks requires a more detail-oriented approach. You’ll look at specific pages that are performing well, rather than entire domains. This can help you understand why certain pages rank well and how you can replicate—or improve upon—their strategies.

When analyzing page-level competitors, don’t just look at what’s working; you should understand WHY it’s working. What makes these pages magnetic to both audiences and search engines? 

By reverse-engineering their content magic, you’ll learn how to create compelling content that outshines their page (and the rest of your competition). It’s vital to understand the nuance and intent behind such content. Then, you can tweak your content to better match that user intent. Then, ask yourself: what kind of links are best suited for my new-and-improved content? 

Once you’ve optimized your content to match user intent, add any elements you may have overlooked and try contacting these domains for a link. If they agreed to link to your competitor, they might do the same for you.

4. Analyze competitor keywords

Head to Ahrefs and type your target keyword into “Keyword Explorer.” Once you’ve checked the overall metrics, scroll down to the SERP overview. Here, you’ll gain insight into your chances of securing top positions. 

How many domains link the page currently in the top spot? What’s the word count? Which related keywords are they targeting? 

Then analyze these competitor backlinks. Look for repeating patterns or perhaps discover some valuable, unicorn-level domains that are worth reaching out to.

5. Create a list of top-referring sites

Once you’ve identified high-quality backlinks to your competitors’ sites, prioritize them as potential business partners. 

Building genuine connections with these influential websites increases your chances of securing valuable backlinks, which can significantly boost your website’s authority and visibility.

Shortlist your contacts and think about your ideal outreach strategy. If you find any broken links on your competitors’ sites, that can be a good place to start; you’re effectively offering to help by replacing those 404 links with your own high-quality content.

6. Regularly refresh your research

Always keep an eye on the backlink profiles of your rivals to achieve and maintain your competitive advantage. 

Your research should include non-direct competitors to see if there are any additional avenues that are worth exploring.

These steps all sound fairly time-consuming, right? If an adventure in industrial eSEOpionage doesn’t sound very appealing, you can outsource link building to save time and money… and then sit back and enjoy seeing your performance trend upwards.

How to replicate and improve on competitor linking strategies

Your competitor research has yielded an incredible amount of information. Now it’s time to turn those findings into a successful link-building strategy. Here’s how to do just that.

Create content that passively one-ups competitors 

If a piece of content ranks in the top five positions for a certain search term, it’s likely offering something valuable to searchers. Identify the visual elements, internal link structure, UX, and other factors, then replicate and enhance these features in your own content.

Deliver unmatched depth, value, and insight to your audience with content that not only matches their intent but acts as a natural link magnet. We’re talking about stat pages, detailed guides, reviews, and comparisons that go beyond what your competitors provide in their content.

By producing superior content, you’ll naturally attract the sought-after backlinks that establish your online authority. 

Reach out to sites that link to multiple competitors

Since many competitors have the same link in their backlink portfolio, it’s likely relevant to your niche and you should consider securing it as well.

Making a strong pitch that highlights the strengths of your content will greatly improve your chances of obtaining these sought-after backlinks. They will also likely be open to your link-building offer because of their established relationships in your niche.

Write guest posts for sites that link to competitors

Guest posts are still one of the most effective ways to elevate a brand’s online presence. While the approach may have a bad reputation, this is only from people taking shortcuts and offering weak, AI-written content as a means to place an anchor. 

Focus on creating high-quality content that aligns with the website’s target audience. This approach helps you acquire backlinks and positions you as an industry expert. 

If you’re not sure where to start, explore tips and tricks from leading link building agencies to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

Measure the results of your competitor’s backlink analysis

How do you measure the success of a competitor backlinks campaign? 

Primary KPIs include the number of live links you’ve secured thanks to competitor analysis. However, there are other factors to consider.

• Referral traffic: Use Google Analytics to monitor traffic from your new backlinks.
• Keyword rankings: Track your ranking consistently with tools like Ahrefs and Semrush, and pay attention to any notable changes.
• Organic search traffic: Use Google Analytics to analyze changes in organic traffic to see if there’s been an increase.
• Link growth: Link growth should trend steadily upward, without any sudden spikes. A stable, growing trend indicates success.
• Link velocity: Monitor how quickly you’re acquiring new backlinks and how it affects your presence online.
• Cost vs. benefit: Compare the costs of your backlink campaign, like content creation and outreach efforts, with the benefits gained, such as new customers and increased traffic.
• Conversion rates: Track conversions from referral traffic to see if the backlinks are driving meaningful business outcomes.

Outreach best practices

After using competitor analysis to find worthwhile link opportunities, it’s time to craft an effective outreach plan.

Offer to update outdated content

Many wonderful online resources become stale and obsolete over time. But that isn’t a bad thing, as it gives you an opportunity to offer something of value. And we all know that Google loves it when old content gets a facelift. 

Offering to update a website’s content can add a great deal of value while establishing your authority in the field. Fresh information, data and a unique viewpoint—with a bit of optimization for search intent—can be really useful. 

Your link would then become an extension of something that Google already values, so it’s a win–win deal. 

Find broken competitor links (and replace them)

Broken links, or digital dead ends, degrade the user experience and sabotage search engine rankings. These broken links also diminish the value of your competitors’ backlinks. 

Using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, you can identify these broken links on competitor sites. Focus on pages relevant to your niche and reach out to the webmaster and offer your high-quality content as a replacement.

This not only helps you build valuable backlinks, but also promotes your brand as an authoritative source in your field.

Research and personalize your outreach

Generic outreach typically ends up in the spam folder. To build genuine connections and compelling outreach emails, spend time researching and learning about potential partners. 

An open and direct approach works the best, but make sure to find common ground with the person you’re contacting. Compliment their work or content; everyone appreciates sincere praise. 

Tailor each email to their audience and demonstrate how your content can enhance what they already offer. 

By displaying sincere interest and offering real value, you can turn cold outreach into deep connections. 

Blogger outreach services can significantly boost your brand’s online presence, helping you connect with influential bloggers in your niche who can promote your products and services to a wider audience.

Showcase expertise and build relationships

Outreach is about more than just acquiring backlinks. Focus on building long-term relationships with webmasters and editors. 

Share valuable insights on industry trends or offer guest post ideas that align with their target audience. This approach will foster trust and collaboration and potentially lead to future link building opportunities.

Track your results and refine your strategy

Don’t expect immediate results. It requires time and effort to consistently build backlinks. 

Keep an eye on your outreach analytics, such as backlinks secured, response rates, and open rates. Evaluate which strategies are working best for you and modify your plan accordingly.

Or leave the analysis to us

Let Skale’s link building professionals manage every aspect of competitor analysis and outreach for you. Our specialists will identify your competitors and harness the power of their backlinks to give you an edge. 

How effective is this approach, you may ask? Take a look at our results with Happy Scribe. In November 2023, Happy Scribe reached a milestone of 70,000 signups, largely thanks to our link building efforts. By identifying top-ranking competitors that had more backlinks and determining the number of high-quality backlinks needed to compete, we helped them on their route to success.

We’re also super proud of our work with Piktochart. Piktochart ranked number two and surpassed billion-dollar SaaS giant Canva, for the lucrative keyword “presentation maker.” 

As you can see, we thrive on competition. If you want to be part of one of our success stories, reach out to us for a strategy call.