How to Perform a Competitor Backlink Analysis (Fast & Easy Way)

You’ve poured your heart into creating incredible content, but your competitors still dominate the search results. 

The secret weapon you’re likely missing? 

Their backlink profile.

Neil Patel often states that “link building is the hardest part of SEO, but it’s the most effective.” 

This is because backlinks are a primary currency of trust in the eyes of Google. 

Consider this: according to a comprehensive study by Ahrefs, which analyzed over 1 billion pages, the number one factor correlating with higher organic traffic is simply the number of websites linking to a page [1]. 

The data doesn’t lie. Semrush’s research further confirms that backlinks are a top three ranking factor, with pages having a large number of referring domains dominating the first page of search results [2]. 

Ignoring this is like entering a race with your engine off.

But how do you bridge the gap? 

The answer lies in a competitor backlink analysis. 

This process allows you to reverse-engineer the strategies that are working for your rivals, uncovering the very opportunities they used to climb the ranks. 

As Neil Patel succinctly puts it, “Competitive backlink analysis is one of the fastest ways to accelerate your own link building” [3]. 

You can effectively skip years of trial and error by leveraging their proven successes.

This guide will show you the fast and easy way to perform a competitor backlink analysis. 

We’ll walk you through how to use these powerful tools to steal your competitors’ best links, identify low-hanging fruit, and build a backlink profile that propels your site to the top of the SERPs. 

Let’s dive in.

What You’ll Need Before You Start:

1. A Competitor List: Identify 2-3 main competitors who consistently rank for keywords you want to rank for.
   
2. A Backlink Analysis Tool: We’ll use Ahrefs for our examples, as it’s an industry leader. Other excellent options include Semrush, Moz Pro, and Majestic. Most offer free limited versions or trials.

The 5-Step Fast & Easy Competitor Backlink Analysis

1. Identify Your True Competitors

First, know who you’re up against. Your competitors aren’t just other businesses in your niche; they are the websites currently occupying the top spots in Google search results for your target keywords, and conducting analysis on your competitor’s backlink profile might be the key.

• Action: Go to Google and search for your most important keyword. See who ranks on page one. These are your primary competitors for this analysis.

Example: If you sell organic dog food, your competitors aren’t just the big brands you know. They are the websites (blogs, e-commerce stores, review sites) that show up when you search for “best organic dog food” or “grain-free puppy food.”

2. Analyze Their Backlink Profile

Now, dive into their backlink data using your chosen tool.

• Action:
  • Open your backlink tool (e.g., Ahrefs’ Site Explorer).
  • Enter your competitor’s domain (e.g., competitorsite.com).
  • Navigate to the Backlinks report. This shows you every unique website linking to them.

What to look at first:

• Domain Rating (DR): A score (0-100) that shows the overall strength of a website’s backlink profile. Your competitor’s DR gives you a quick benchmark.
• Number of Referring Domains: This is the most important metric. It’s the number of unique websites linking to them. One site with 100 links is less powerful than 100 sites with one link each.

3. Find the “Low-Hanging Fruit” (The Golden Nuggets)

This is the core of the analysis. You’re looking for link opportunities that are relevant and might be easy to acquire. Filter the backlink report to find them.

• Action: Apply these filters in your tool:
  • Filter by Dofollow Links: (Most tools show this by default). These are the links that pass SEO value.
  • Sort by “One Link”: Find websites that link to your competitor but don’t link to every other site in the world. These are more targeted opportunities.
  • Look for Low-Authority/New Blogs: Use the “Domain Rating” filter to show sites with a lower DR (e.g., DR 10-30). These bloggers are often more receptive to outreach.
  • Identify Resource Pages: Look for links where the anchor text is “resources,” “helpful links,” or “recommended tools.” These are often pages dedicated to linking out to useful sites.

Example: In Ahrefs, you find a link to your competitor from bestdogblogs.com on their “Resources” page. The blog has a DR of 25. This is a perfect, achievable opportunity. You can approach them to include your site as well.

4. Analyze the Content That Earns Links (The “Why”)

Understand why a website decided to link to your competitor. This tells you what type of content is effective for earning links in your industry.

• Action: In the backlink report, click on the “Anchors and Target” or “Linked Pages” report. This shows you the specific pages on your competitor’s site that have the most backlinks.
  • Are they getting links for their blog posts, product pages, or tools?
  • What is the common theme? Ultimate guides? Original research? Infographics?

Example: You notice your top competitor’s most-linked-to page is a blog post titled “The Ultimate Guide to Canine Nutrition.” It has 300 referring domains. This immediately tells you that comprehensive, pillar-style content is a powerful link-earning asset in your niche. You should create one.

5. Replicate and Create a Better Opportunity

Don’t just copy. Use your findings to create a superior strategy.

• Action:
  1. Replicate the Target: For the low-hanging fruit you found (e.g., the blog that linked to your competitor), create a page on your site that is similar but better. Is it a resource page? Make your resources page more comprehensive.
  2. Replicate the Content Type: If “Ultimate Guides” work for them, create the definitive ultimate guide on the topic.
  3. Outreach: Politely reach out to the websites you identified. Don’t just ask for a link. Provide value.
     • “Hi [Name], I saw you linked to [Competitor] on your fantastic resources page. I thought you might also be interested in my [Your Better Resource/Guide] which includes [Unique Value]…”

Key Takeaways for a Fast Analysis:

• Focus on Referring Domains, not total links.
• Filter for “one link” and lower-DR sites to find the easiest wins.
• Analyze the content that earns links, not just the links themselves.
• Your goal is not to copy, but to understand the linking landscape and find your angle in.

By systematically working through these steps, you transform from guessing what might work to knowing what does work, allowing you to build a powerful, targeted backlink profile that drives your rankings up.

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Source URLs Cited:

1. Ahrefs Study on Ranking Factors: https://ahrefs.com/blog/search-engine-ranking-factors/
2. Semrush Ranking Factors Study: https://www.semrush.com/blog/ranking-factors/
3. Neil Patel on Competitive Backlink Analysis: https://neilpatel.com/blog/competitive-backlink-analysis/