How to Run a Competitor's Backlink Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide
Published: 2023-11-25 13:27:41

**Do you want to outrank your competitors on Google? **

Link gap analysis - commonly known as competitor backlink gap analysis - can recognize any websites and pages connected to your competitor's sites but not yours. Therefore, utilizing it can help your site gain an edge.

Links are necessary if you want higher rankings since with links, you can make good progress. However, the challenge here is getting quality links, as they are challenging to earn. 

By utilizing intelligence and data, we can pinpoint sources that provide us with relevant and quality links to acquire. [Link building](https://digitalseoland.com/link-building-services-india/) is regarded as the ideal SEO investment as it can give your website a great push in terms of DA and Ranking . 

Several competitor backlink analysis tools nowadays can help you conduct your audit and show you results quickly. In addition, accumulating backlinks can help increase organic keyword rankings. Nonetheless, the question remains: what exactly are those competitor backlinks?

With this comprehensive guide, you can learn how to analyze your competitor's backlinks and obtain an edge in SERPs. Understand everything from link velocity & metrics to anchor text & link types, and gain insights into your competitors' strategies.
Discover Your Competitor's Backlinking Secrets & Outrank Them!

**The Importance of Competitor Backlink Analysis**

Backlink analysis helps you understand the backlinking strategies of your competitors so that you can improve your own. In addition, it provides a good insight into acquiring more links and ensuring they are of the highest quality.

This will ensure better visibility for your website and a better return on investment in SEO efforts. Here are some reasons why you should check competitor analysis:

**Gaining insights into competitors' strategies- **Through an analysis of backlinks from your competitors, you can locate potential sources for your backlinks and gain insights into the highest quality sources out there. 

This allows you to target these sources for better results effectively.

**Identifying new backlink sources-** It's essential to analyze the quality of your competitors' backlinks and assess which ones bring in more traffic and provide more value. Evaluating their links will help you understand what strategies work best in your industry. 

Knowing your rival's assets and flaws will help you decide which areas to focus on for link building. This will ensure that your efforts are practical and can get you the desired results.

**Enhancing your backlink profile-** Constructing a link-building strategy requires utilizing your strengths and improving weaknesses. With this in mind, you can create an effective plan to reach your desired goal. 


**Staying ahead in the competition-** Keeping an eye on your competitors' backlink activity is one way of maintaining an edge over them. 

**Essential Competitor Backlink Analysis Tools**

Here are a list of best competitor backlink analysis tool that can help your business rank better:

**Ahrefs-** Ahrefs is an SEO powerhouse with a reputation as one of the most reliable tools for online marketers and website owners. The tool has several key features that make it ideal for competitor backlink analysis. Some of the critical features are stated below:


The tool provides incredibly detailed and valuable data on the quality of backlinks, such as Domain and URL Ratings. This can help you better understand your competitors' backlinks and identify potential sources for your link-building strategy.


Ahrefs is widely known for possessing the most extensive backlink database available online. 


Ahrefs presents a top-notch tool to evaluate the backlink profiles of different websites and identify the areas where your link-building efforts should be concentrated.


With this functionality, you can pinpoint backlinks shared by your competitors, giving you valuable insight into the web pages linking to multiple industry rivals.

**How to use Ahrefs for competitor analysis?**

Ahrefs offers a fantastic competitor backlink analysis capability that makes it easier to take advantage of fresh possibilities.
The tool offers an invaluable resource for marketers to gain insight into their competitors' link-building plans with its historical backlink storage. Through this, it is possible to track the changes made over time and analyze their techniques. 

This might be a priceless tool for improving the search engine rankings of your website. Here are steps to use Ahrefs:
Identify your competitors: To begin, determine who your primary rivals are in the market or specialized area you're pursuing.


Enter your competitor's domain: After locating your rivals, use Ahrefs' Site Explorer tool to enter their domain name.

**Examine organic search terms: **Click the "Organic Keywords" tab to find out which terms are bringing organic visitors to the websites of your rivals. You may get a sense of the keywords they are targeting and ranking for from this.


**Examine backlinks:** Select the "Backlinks" option to examine the backlink profile of your rivals. Try to find any prospects for link-building for your own website by keeping an eye out for high-quality websites that are linking to them.


**Examine high-performing content:** Check out your competitor's website's top pages using the "Top Pages" tool to discover which ones are generating the most organic traffic. Consider these pages' content, organization, and format as a starting point for developing your own high-performing content.


**Monitor rankings:** Ahrefs enables you to monitor the evolution of keyword ranks. The Rank Tracker tool allows you to add competitor's target keywords and track their ranks over time. This will assist you in comprehending their SEO approach and locating opportunities for development.


**Examine sponsored search campaigns: **Utilize Ahrefs' "Paid Search" tool to learn more about the paid advertising campaigns of your rivals, including the keywords they are bidding on, their ad copy, and their landing sites.


**Track mentions and brand awareness:** Ahrefs' Content Explorer tool will assist you in keeping tabs on online mentions of your competitors' brands. This can help you understand their brand awareness and web presence.


**Compare domains:** Use the "Domain Comparison" function to assess how well your website stacks up against those of your rivals. Your strengths and shortcomings will become clearer as a result, and you can then decide where to make improvements.


**Keep current:** Frequently check the website of a rival utilizing Ahrefs' notifications feature. Set up alerts to be informed anytime a rival publishes new material, ranks for new keywords, or earns or loses backlinks.

**2. SEMrush- ** 

SEMrush is a powerful digital marketing platform  widely used to analyze your competitors' backlinks. With its vast array of backlink analysis features, this tool is an apt choice for optimizing your website's backlinks. These include:
SEMrush helps you to keep an eye on your competitors' backlink profiles. You gain insights into the number and quality of backlinks and identify their sources. This enables you to stay ahead of your competition in the long run.


SEMrush can give you the advantage of discovering new growth opportunities by showing which backlinks your competitors are using. It provides an insight into how to gain an edge over the competition.


SEMrush's link quality score is incredibly helpful in understanding the value of the backlinks pointing to your website. Using this data, you can better prioritize your link-building strategies, concentrating on getting more links with a higher value.


SEMrush offers loads of information about your rivals. It can show you their organic traffic, PPC campaigns, and detailed social media visibility. This data can be invaluable to your competitive strategy.

**How to use SEMRush for competitor analysis?**

[Semrush's Backlink Analytics tool](https://www.semrush.com/lp/keyword-gap/en/?kw=semrush%20keyword%20gap&cmp=IN_SRCH_Brand_Semrush_EN&label=brand_semrush&Network=g&Device=c&utm_content=638535277111&kwid=kwd-420249962862&cmpid=13694421969&agpid=119351853970&BU=Brand_Semrush&extid=&adpos=&gclid=CjwKCAjwge2iBhBBEiwAfXDBR23lLqTzWf0lnu0TXr3HKGHkdpVbF6f3g77fyG0WIDk9OF01zU5PXBoCGUsQAvD_BwE) enables you to monitor your opponents' backlink profiles in more detail. With this resource, you can better understand the situation and make informed decisions.

You can get an in-depth report on any competitor's backlink profile with a click of a button. Just input the competitor's website URL and hit analyze to receive information such as Authority Score, number of referring domains, and existing backlinks.

SEMrush helps you to understand your competitors' backlink analysis results with the help of informative reports and visualizations. It's a quick and easy way to get comprehensive insights and optimize your strategies.

**3.  Moz's Link Explorer-** 

Moz is an industry-leading software provider for digital marketing solutions. With their broad range of tools, you can optimize your website and track your competitors' backlinks. This can significantly help with improving your online presence.  Here are some key features of the [Moz Link Explorer tool](https://moz.com/link-explorer):

Moz has created an index of links by crawling and indexing them. This helps to discover new resources and websites quickly.


The well-known search engine optimization tool, Moz, utilizes its algorithm to evaluate the quality of backlinks. Every external link is then rated for its "Link Authority."


Dotbot, an advanced crawler, is based on a machine-learning model. It begins with the most valuable links to comprehend how Google rankings work and compute metrics such as Page Authority and Domain Authority.


Moz Link Explorer provides you with a detailed overview of your backlinks, most valuable pages, linking domains, and anchor text - all so you can create superior links and remain competitive online.

**How to use Moz's Link Explorer for competitor analysis?**

Signing up with Moz provides access to Link Explorer. To use Link Explorer, a tool from Moz, you must have an account with the service. Here are the steps to use Moz Link Explorer:
Begin by typing the domain or URL of one of your competitors into Moz's Link Explorer's search bar.


When the results are shown, navigate to the "Inbound Links" section to check how many backlinks your rival has in total.


Examine indicators like Domain Authority (DA), Page Authority (PA), and Spam Score to determine the authority and quality of their backlinks.


Check the "Linking Domains" column to see how many different websites link to your rival. You may get a sense of their general appeal and popularity from this information.


Look through the "Top Pages" section to find out which pages on the website of your rival have the most backlinks. Understanding their content approach can help you concentrate on producing similar, high-performing content.


Check the "Just-Discovered" area, which displays links that your competition has lately obtained, for any prospective link chances. This may provide you an advantage when looking for fresh content from which to create your own backlinks.


Check out the "Anchor Text" page to see what keywords or phrases they are focusing on in their link-building campaigns to obtain a better grasp of their link-building approach.


Lastly, remember to use Moz's Link Explorer to compare your own backlink profile to that of your competitors.
Enter the web address of the website or page you wish to get link information for!

**Comparing tools and selecting the best one for your needs**

Establishing a solid [link-building technique](https://digitalseoland.com/blog/off-page-seo-techniques/) is an essential factor for website optimization. Backlinks can help elevate your search engine rankings, create a trustworthy reputation and drive more visitors to your site.

Several backlink analysis tools in the market can give you the best results for your business. However, doing your own market research before getting a competitor backlink analysis tool is vital.

It is best to consider a link-building strategy after creating unique content on your website. This will provide the necessary foundation for building successful links later on.

How to Check Competitor Backlinks: A Step-by-Step Guide
Regular backlink audits can help you understand the amount and quality of backlinks currently on your website. 

This knowledge can improve your SEO and visibility in search engine rankings. Having solid and authoritative backlinks from top-level domains is crucial for the success of any SEO strategy. 

If you neglect this essential step, your rankings will suffer, and your website will not perform well in search results. To ensure the success of your analysis, here are some features you should look out for:

**Identify your top competitors-** The Organic Research Competitors report provides a complete list of established companies and new entrants. To measure how competitive one domain is compared to another, there is a parameter called the Competition level. 

This enables you to get an idea of how much competition exists between the two domains. The competition level between you and your rivals is determined by two glaring factors - the number of ranked key phrases they possess and how many overlap yours.

**Choose a backlink analysis tool- **various backlink analysis tools exist in the market. However, depending on the type of business, choosing the one that suits your requirements is necessary. 

Please do thorough market research on some of the best backlink analysis tools we have provided above and select the one you need.
Analyze competitors' backlink profiles- Now that you better understand your backlink situation, it's time to start looking for areas to improve. A great place to start is by assessing the most successful pages and identifying how to replicate their success. 

Identify the types of content that generate the most links from high-value sources to create additional content of this kind. Keep your eyes peeled for chances to create content other websites might link to. You can contact them so they know your linkable assets and link back to you. 

Regarding do-follow and no-follow links, knowing the exact amount of each is essential. Do-follow links are beneficial for your backlink profile as they pass on link juice, while no-follow links don't do that.

**Find content gaps and link-** Conducting a content gap analysis is an essential strategy if you want to improve the content of your website. You can make sure that your website performs better than the competition and precisely matches with your business objectives by carefully evaluating and optimizing the material that is already there. By using an analytical approach, you can spot holes in your present content strategy and deliberately plug them for the most impact. 

For instance, consider the case of an SEO agency that has a large number of blog posts on cutting-edge SEO strategies. However, you see that users are leaving your pages far too frequently and hastily. A short study of the content gaps may help to clarify the issue by analyzing how interesting your content is.

Whatever the cause, you must locate and fill any content gaps immediately. The Backlink Gap tool and the Overview report in the Backlink Analytics tool are two practical options for analyzing your backlink profiles. They allow you to measure the performance of 5 different domains simultaneously. 

Broken links are hyperlinks that no longer connect to their intended destination. They can occur when a website or webpage is moved, deleted, or its URL is changed. Fixing broken links is crucial for maintaining a seamless user experience and ensuring that visitors can access the content they are seeking on a website. With the best backlink analysis tools, broken links, and content gaps can be located and fixed.

**Monitor competitors' backlink activities over time- **Although not required, we strongly urge you to conduct a competition study because it might show potential gaps in the content market. This will provide you with details about the following:


Any organization must understand where the majority of its backlinks come from.


Their content might create the most significant number of backlinks.

Quick Hacks for Finding Competitors' Backlinks
Examining your competition's backlinks is a highly effective method for creating a link-building strategy. Here are some quick hacks on how to find competitors' backlinks:

Use advanced search operators- It's critical to understand your competitors' strategies to stay ahead of the pack in your industry. A strong SEO strategy is necessary for high search engine ranks and comprises optimizing the target keywords. Compare your competitors' backlink profiles and theirs to understand who your top rivals are.

**Leverage social listening and uncover untapped backlink opportunities- **

Social listening is an invaluable tool that can greatly benefit your business. It is a process of keeping an eye on blogs, forums, social media sites, and other online resources to learn more about your competitors, market, or industry. By effectively monitoring social media conversations and online discussions, you can easily identify websites and blogs that are relevant to your industry or niche. This not only helps you stay connected with the latest trends and insights, but also uncovers untapped backlink opportunities that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. 

Imagine you stumble upon a blog post or article that mentions your brand, but to your disappointment, there's no link leading back to your website. However, by proactively reaching out to the author or website owner, you have the opportunity to kindly request a backlink. This not only enhances your website's authority and credibility but also boosts its overall visibility and online presence.  

**Spy on competitors' guest posting activities- ** You should start by pulling out your competitors backlink profile via Semrush, and Ahrefs. Using Spyfy, you can type in your website and click on the 'Competitors' tab to get a list of related websites. It'll then analyze the similarities between these sites and yours and show you the overlapping keywords.

**Network with industry influencers-** Start exploring industries and industry influencers. This will help you understand the market and will help you build connections for your business growth.
How to Use Competitor Backlink Analysis to Improve Your Link Building 

Are you looking for a better way to improve your link-building strategy? Increase your website's visibility and search engine ranking with the help of competitor backlink analysis! Learn [how to use Competitor backlink analysis](https://www.ardentgrowth.com/blog/advanced-competitor-backlink-analysis) as an incredible tool to give you an edge over your competition.

**Learn from competitors' strengths and weaknesses-** With this template, you can carefully analyze the link profiles of one or numerous competitors and gain insight into their strategies. 
This can help you stay ahead of the competition. To effectively evaluate your competition, ensure you include only those directly related to your target keyword.

Prioritize high-quality backlinks- Export Your Site's Backlink Profile Using Ahrefs or Moz. After exporting the backlink data, paste it into the client data tab. Then, carry out the same process for your website. 

Its easy-to-use interface, detailed insights, and advanced analytics tools let you quickly identify potential link opportunities and create a more powerful link-building plan.
Diversify your link-building tactics- To boost your website's ranking and visibility, varying link-building strategies is essential. 

This could include guest posts, content syndication, press releases, etc. Taking a multifaceted approach to link building can maximize the impact of your SEO efforts.

Create better content to attract more backlinks- Upon completing your competitor backlink analysis, it is essential to derive critical insights and develop a strategy from the findings. Doing so will ensure you understand how to maximize the potential of your website in terms of its visibility and ranking. 
When you look at the Competitor Backlink Analysis tab, one of the first things that stand out is how the data is filtered. This first highlights your competitors' shared links, providing a more comprehensive overview.

**Conclusion**


As we approach 2024, it is essential to do a competitor backlink analysis to increase your website's SEO ranking and visibility. Therefore, it is crucial for businesses nowadays to stay ahead of the competition. 

With the help of this article, you can easily and quickly figure out what your competitors are up to, evaluate your backlink profile, and capitalize on link-building opportunities to enhance it.

To optimize your link-building strategy and accomplish your online goals, it is essential to study and analyze the approaches used by your competitors. This information allows you to design a tailored plan to fit your specific needs and objectives.