How to Analyze Your Competitors' Backlinks and Steal Their Best Links

Here is a secret that experienced SEOs know: you do not have to start from scratch when building backlinks. Your competitors have already done the hard work. They have spent months (or years) finding link opportunities, testing outreach strategies, and building relationships with publishers.

All you have to do is study what they have done and replicate the best parts.

I am going to walk you through the exact process I use to analyze competitor backlinks, find the gaps in my own profile, and build a pipeline of high-value link opportunities.

Why Competitor Analysis Is the Smartest Starting Point

Most people approach link building by brainstorming ideas from scratch. They Google "how to get backlinks" and try every tactic they read about. That is incredibly inefficient.

Competitor backlink analysis flips the script. Instead of guessing, you are working with proven data. If a site linked to your competitor, there is a real chance they will link to you too — especially if your content is better.

Here is why this approach works so well:

• Validated opportunities — These are real sites that actually link out in your niche
• Saves months of trial and error — You skip the guessing phase entirely
• Reveals their strategy — You can see whether they rely on guest posts, directories, press mentions, or something else
• Highlights gaps — You find sites that link to them but not to you, which are your easiest wins

What You Need Before You Start

Before you pull any data, you need to identify your true SEO competitors. These are not always the same as your business competitors.

Your SEO competitors are the sites that rank for the keywords you want to rank for. A local bakery might compete with a national food blog in search results, even though they are completely different businesses.

How to Find Your SEO Competitors

1. Search your top 10 target keywords in Google
2. Note which domains appear repeatedly in the top 10
3. Pick 3-5 competitors that consistently outrank you

Tools You Will Need

You do not need all of these. Pick one paid tool and supplement with Google Search Console for your own data.

Step 1: Pull Competitor Backlink Profiles

Start by exporting the full backlink profile for each competitor. In Ahrefs, go to Site Explorer, enter the competitor domain, and navigate to the Backlinks report.

Key Metrics to Focus On

• Referring domains — Unique sites linking to them (more important than total links)
• Domain Rating of linking sites — Are they getting links from strong or weak sites?
• Dofollow vs. nofollow ratio — What percentage passes link equity?
• Link growth trend — Are they actively building or coasting on old links?

Filter the Noise

Raw backlink exports contain a lot of junk. Filter out:

• Links from sites with DR below 10 (usually low quality)
• Sitewide footer or sidebar links (inflated count, low value)
• Links from obviously irrelevant sites
• Broken or redirected links

You want a clean list of genuine, editorial links from relevant sites.

Step 2: Categorize Their Link Sources

Now organize the links by type. This reveals their strategy and tells you which tactics are actually working in your niche.

Most competitors rely heavily on 2-3 link types. Identify which ones dominate their profile, and focus your efforts there first.

Step 3: Find the Link Gap

This is where it gets really valuable. A link gap analysis shows you sites that link to your competitors but not to you. These are your warmest prospects because they already link out in your niche.

How to Run a Link Gap Analysis

In Ahrefs, use the Link Intersect tool. Enter your domain and up to 3 competitors. The tool shows domains that link to one or more competitors but not to you.

Sort by the number of competitors they link to. A site that links to all 3 of your competitors but not you is a strong prospect — they clearly link in your space and you are the missing piece.

Prioritize Your Gap List

Not every gap is worth pursuing. Prioritize by:

• Domain authority — Higher DA means more link value
• Relevance — Is the site actually related to your niche?
• Link type — Is it a guest post (you can pitch) or a brand mention (harder to replicate)?
• Recency — A link placed last month is more actionable than one from 5 years ago

Step 4: Reverse-Engineer Their Best Links

For your top prospects, dig into exactly how the link was earned. Visit the linking page and study:

• What type of content earned the link? — Was it a tool, a guide, a study, an infographic?
• Where is the link placed? — In the body content, a resource list, an author bio?
• What anchor text was used? — Branded, descriptive, or keyword-rich?
• Is there a relationship? — Does the competitor seem to have a partnership with this site?

This tells you what you need to create or offer to earn a similar link.

Outreach Approach

When you reach out, do not say "I noticed you link to my competitor." Instead:

• If it is a resource page: "I have a resource on [topic] that would be a great addition to your page"
• If it is a guest post: "I would love to contribute an article on [related topic]"
• If it is a content link: "I just published a comprehensive guide on [topic] with updated data for 2026"

The key is providing value, not just asking for a link.

Step 5: Build a Prospecting Pipeline

Organization is what separates successful link builders from people who send a few emails and give up.

Create a Simple Spreadsheet With These Columns

• Website/URL — The prospect site
• Contact info — Editor email, contact form link
• Link type — Guest post, resource page, directory, etc.
• Domain authority — For prioritization
• Status — Not contacted, pitched, follow-up sent, link earned
• Notes — What angle to use, what content to reference

Prioritize by Effort vs. Value

Start with low-effort, high-value wins:

1. Directories they are listed in — Just submit your site. If your competitors are listed in a quality directory like BacklinkLog, you should be there too.
2. Resource pages — A quick, personalized email often works
3. Broken links — If a competitor link is broken, offer your content as a replacement
4. Guest posts — More effort but high-value, reusable relationships

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I have seen people do competitor analysis and still get poor results. Here is why:

• Copying their spammy links — If a competitor has links from low-quality directories or PBNs, do not replicate those. You want their good links, not their bad ones.
• Ignoring relevance — A DR 80 link from a cooking blog will not help your SaaS site. Relevance matters more than raw authority.
• Obsessing over quantity — Ten high-quality, relevant links will outperform 100 random ones every time.
• Skipping the analysis — Do not just blast emails to every site on the gap list. Study why they linked and tailor your pitch.
• Giving up too early — Link building is a numbers game. Expect a 5-10% success rate on outreach. That is normal.

The Bottom Line

Competitor backlink analysis is not about copying — it is about learning from what already works and doing it better. Your competitors have mapped the link landscape for you. Use that map.

Start with the easiest wins: directories they use, resource pages they appear on, and broken links you can replace. Then work your way up to guest posts and content-driven links. Track everything with BacklinkLog so you can see your profile grow over time.

The best part about this approach is that it compounds. Every link you earn today makes the next one easier to get. And once you have surpassed your competitors' profiles, they will be the ones studying your backlinks.