6 Ways to Analyze Competitor Backlinks for SEO Advantage

Diving into the competitive landscape of SEO, we gathered insights from Founders and SEO Experts to sharpen your backlink analysis skills. From utilizing the Link Intersect Tool in Ahrefs to conducting a backlink gap analysis, discover six specific strategies to turn competitor backlinks into your SEO advantage.

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Utilize Link Intersect Tool in Ahrefs

One specific technique I use for analyzing competitor backlinks is utilizing the “link intersect” feature available in Ahrefs. This tool allows me to see which websites are linking to multiple competitors but not to my client’s site. By identifying these common backlink sources, I can develop a targeted outreach strategy.

For example, while working with a local Irish business, I discovered that several high-authority local directories and industry-specific blogs were linking to my client’s competitors. We reached out to these sources with personalized content pitches that offered unique insights and value specifically tailored to their audience. This resulted in securing multiple high-quality backlinks, which significantly boosted our client’s domain authority.

Concrete data? Implementing this strategy led to a 25% increase in organic traffic within three months and improved the client’s ranking for several competitive local keywords. The link intersect tool provided actionable insights, allowing us to efficiently close the backlink gap with competitors and drive measurable SEO improvements.

Rhealyn Mugri, Founder, The Digital Projects

Identify Top-Performing Competitor Content

One powerful technique for analyzing competitor backlinks is to identify their top-performing content. Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to find which pages attract the most backlinks, then study the type of content, format, and sources of these links. 

This insight reveals what resonates with your target audience and helps craft similar or better content to attract high-quality backlinks, boosting your own SEO.

Yoyao Hsueh, Founder, Topical Maps

Reverse Engineer Competitor Backlink Profiles

When I want to rank an important internal page, I start by gathering the top three ranking competitor domains for that target keyword. I put their URLs into a backlink analysis tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to pull all the unique backlinks pointing to the corresponding page on each competitor’s site.

After de-duping the lists to remove any overlap, I’m left with a consolidated file of backlink data. However, I don’t treat all those backlinks equally. I prioritize going after the highest Domain Rating (DR) links first, as well as the most topically relevant links related to my niche or keyword targets. I typically ignore or deprioritize any links from sites with a DR below 20 unless they are extremely relevant and authority sites for my industry.

Essentially, I want to mirror and outmatch the strongest, most authoritative, and relevant backlink profiles of the current top rankers. By surgically acquiring a substantial percentage of their highest quality backlinks through outreach and link building, I can efficiently elevate my website’s authority signals to improve organic rankings.

For the homepage, I expand my analysis to look at the backlink profiles of the top five to ten competitors in the niche, not just the top three. Homepages tend to attract a larger overall link profile, so analyzing a bigger data set gives me more comprehensive insights to work with.

By acquiring a substantial percentage of the unique backlinks pointing to my top competitors, I can ‌elevate my website’s authority signals in the eyes of search engines. This targeted link building approach based on reverse engineering the competition consistently drives gains in organic rankings and traffic.

James Oliver, Founder, Oliver.com

Target High-Authority Sites for Backlinks

One way we analyze competitor backlinks is to use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify high-authority sites linking to them.

By understanding where your competitors are getting their strongest backlinks, you can target those same sources for your own link-building efforts.

This approach helps you gain valuable backlinks and improve your search engine rankings.

Chad DeBolt, Founder, Surchability

Reveal Strategic Partnership Opportunities

Examining competitor backlinks can reveal strategic partnership opportunities. Focus on high-authority sites linking to your competitors and explore ways to secure similar backlinks. Tools like Ahrefs or Moz can help identify these links. 

For example, if a competitor has a backlink from a popular fitness blog, consider pitching your unique content or expertise to the same blog, leveraging your SEO to climb the ranks.

Petteri Pucilowski, CEO, Search Engine Wizards

Conduct a Backlink Gap Analysis

One effective technique for analyzing competitor backlinks for SEO advantage is to use a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush to perform a Backlink Gap Analysis. First, identify your top competitors who rank well for your target keywords. Then, input your domain and your competitors’ domains into the Backlink Gap tool provided by these platforms. The tool will show you the websites that are linking to your competitors but not to you.

Focus on high-quality backlinks that are relevant to your niche, paying attention to authoritative sites with high domain ratings and contextual relevance. Finally, create a plan to reach out to these sites, crafting personalized outreach emails that highlight why linking to your content would be valuable for their audience.

By targeting these untapped but valuable backlink opportunities, you can improve your own site’s authority and potentially boost your search rankings.

Germano Ferreira, SEO Expert, Growlogics Media

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