How to Run a Competitor Backlink Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide

Performing a competitor backlink analysis is one of the most effective ways to improve your own SEO strategy by understanding where your competitors are getting their links and how you can acquire similar (or better) ones. Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting a thorough competitor backlink analysis:

1. Identify Your Competitors

First, determine who your true SEO competitors are – these may not always be your direct business competitors. There are two main types of competitors to consider:

• Domain-level competitors: Websites competing across many keywords in your industry

• Page-level competitors: Pages ranking for specific keywords you’re targeting, even if their overall site isn’t a direct competitor

Tools to identify competitors:

• Use Google search for your target keywords and note the top-ranking sites

• SEO tools like Ahrefs’ “Organic Competitors” report or Moz’s “Competitor Analysis”

• SpyFu’s RivalFlow AI can quickly show who’s outranking you

2. Gather Backlink Data

Once you’ve identified competitors, use SEO tools to analyze their backlink profiles:

Free tools:

• Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker (top 100 backlinks)

• Moz Link Explorer (10 free queries/month)

• OpenLinkProfiler (focuses on recent 90-day links)

Paid tools (more comprehensive):

• Ahrefs Site Explorer (full backlink profiles)

• Semrush Backlink Analytics 1

• Moz Pro

• Majestic (for Trust Flow/Citation Flow metrics)

3. Analyze Competitor Backlinks

Key aspects to examine:

Backlink quality:

• Domain Authority/Rating (DA/DR) – higher is better

• Traffic of linking domains

• Trust Flow vs. Citation Flow ratio (Majestic metric)

Backlink types:

• Dofollow vs. nofollow links (natural profile has 70-80% dofollow)

• Link types (guest posts, directories, news mentions, etc.)

Anchor text distribution:

• Natural profiles mix branded (40%), naked URLs (40%), and keyword anchors (20%)

Link sources:

• Identify patterns in where links come from (industry directories, news sites, blogs)

• Look for sites linking to multiple competitors – these are prime targets

4. Find Link Opportunities

Use these techniques to find replicable links:

Link Intersect Analysis:

• Use tools like Moz’s Link Intersect or Ahrefs’ Link Intersect to find sites linking to competitors but not you 410

Specific opportunity types:

• Directory links (easy to replicate)

• Listicles mentioning competitors (pitch for inclusion)

• Podcasts/interviews featuring competitors

• Guest post opportunities

• HARO (Help a Reporter Out) links

• Broken link building (find dead pages linking to competitors)

5. Implement Your Link Building Strategy

Based on your analysis:

1. Prioritize high-quality opportunities (high DA/DR, relevant, good traffic)

2. Create better content than competitors to earn links (Skyscraper Technique)

3. Reach out to linking sites with personalized pitches

4. Monitor new competitor backlinks for fresh opportunities

5. Track your progress against competitors

Advanced Tips

• Use templates/spreadsheets to organize your analysis (Ardent Growth provides one)

• Analyze backlink growth trends – steady growth is better than spikes

• Consider regionality of links if targeting specific locations

• Track brand mentions that could be turned into links

By systematically analyzing competitor backlinks and implementing these strategies, you can build a stronger backlink profile and improve your search rankings. Remember that quality matters more than quantity – focus on earning links from authoritative, relevant sites in your industry.