What is competitor backlink analysis?

Competitor backlink analysis means examining the links pointing to a competitor's site to understand how they earned their authority. You look at which sites link to them, what kind of links those are, and which of those links you could realistically earn too. Done well, it turns a rival's link profile into a to-do list for your own.

What should I look at first in a competitor's backlinks?

Start with referring domains sorted by authority, not total link count. A referring domain is simply a unique website that links to them. The top 20 most authoritative domains tell you where their strength comes from. Then look at link type (editorial, resource page, guest post) to understand how each was earned. Finally, look at link gaps, meaning sites that link to several competitors but not to you.

What is a link gap analysis?

A link gap analysis compares the backlink profiles of several competitors to find domains that link to two or more of them but not to you. Those sites already link within your niche and clearly link to more than one player, which makes them some of the highest-probability link targets you can find.

What is competitive backlink analysis?

Competitive backlink analysis and competitor backlink analysis are the same practice under two names, and you'll see both used interchangeably. Either way it means comparing the link profiles of the sites you compete with in search, finding where their authority comes from, and identifying which of those sources you could realistically earn a link from as well. The word competitive is the more common phrasing in agency work, competitor in tool marketing.

How many competitors should I analyze?

Three to five is the sweet spot. One competitor shows you their tactics. Looking at several reveals the patterns: the sites, publications, and resource pages that link across your whole niche. Those recurring sources are where the real opportunities are, because a link there tends to be repeatable.

Strategy

How to analyze a competitor's backlink profile

Pulling a competitor's links is easy. Turning that raw list into a prioritized plan is the part that actually moves rankings. Here's the framework, covering link gaps, authority tiers, and the links worth your time.

Brad Williams·Updated Jul 2026·3 min read

Anyone can export a competitor's backlinks. The list is right there: thousands of rows, sortable, and close to free. The skill isn't getting the data. It's deciding which fifteen of those thousands of links are worth a week of your time. This guide is the framework I use to turn a raw link dump into a ranked action plan.

If you haven't pulled the list yet, start with how to find your competitors' backlinks, then come back here to make sense of it.

One note on wording before we start, because it trips people up when they search: competitive backlink analysis and competitor backlink analysis describe the same work. Agencies tend to say competitive, tool marketing tends to say competitor, and a few people say backlink competitive analysis. There's no difference in method, and everything below applies whichever term brought you here.

Step 1: Sort by referring domain authority, ignore the rest

The single most common mistake is reading the list top to bottom. Don't. Sort by the authority of the referring domain (a unique site linking to them) from high to low, and read only the top slice.

Why the top matters and the tail doesn't

A handful of links from respected, relevant sites carry more weight than thousands from forgotten directories. The long tail of a competitor's profile is mostly noise. Their top 20–30 referring domains are the story.

Step 2: Classify how each link was earned

Authority tells you which links matter. Link type tells you how you'd get one. Walk the top domains and tag each:

Editorial mention. A writer chose to link. This is the hardest to earn and the most valuable. It usually means the competitor did something link-worthy, like publishing original data, a strong tool, or a notable story.
Resource or "best of" list. A curated page. Very repeatable: if you fit the list, you can often get added too.
Guest post or contributed article. The competitor wrote the piece. Repeatable by definition, since you can pitch the same publication.
Directory or profile. Low effort and low value, but sometimes worth matching so you keep pace with rivals.

Editorial link worth reverse-engineering

AR 81 / 100

Step 3: Run a link gap for the highest-probability targets

This is where competitor analysis earns its name, and it is worth a guide of its own: see how to do a backlink gap analysis for the full step-by-step. Pull the backlinks for three to five competitors and look for referring domains that link to two or more of them but not to you. Those sites:

Already link within your niche (so they're relevant).
Already link to more than one player (so they're not exclusive).
Don't link to you yet (so there's something to win).

That intersection is the shortest, highest-probability list of link targets you'll ever build.

A link gap turns "who has the most links?" into a far more useful question: "which sites link to everyone in my niche except me?"

Step 4: Score and shortlist

For each candidate domain, ask three quick questions:

Relevance. Would a link from here make sense to a human? Authority from an unrelated site is worth little.
Attainability. Is there a realistic path, such as a list to join, an editor to pitch, or a mention to convert into a link?
Effort. Getting added to a resource page takes an afternoon. An editorial feature takes a whole campaign.

Rank by relevance × attainability, easiest first. Fifteen scored targets beat a spreadsheet of three thousand.

Spot link gaps without the spreadsheet gymnastics

See the links a competitor has that you don't. Enter their domain, then add your own to reveal your gap. Free, no account needed.

Open the free checker →

From analysis to action

Analysis without follow-through is just admiring the problem. Once you've got your scored shortlist, the next move is earning those links one by one, which is covered in how to replicate a competitor's best backlinks. And if you want to check your reasoning against your own profile first, run the same steps on your own inbound links.

Frequently asked questions

What is competitor backlink analysis?: Competitor backlink analysis means examining the links pointing to a competitor's site to understand how they earned their authority. You look at which sites link to them, what kind of links those are, and which of those links you could realistically earn too. Done well, it turns a rival's link profile into a to-do list for your own.
What should I look at first in a competitor's backlinks?: Start with referring domains sorted by authority, not total link count. A referring domain is simply a unique website that links to them. The top 20 most authoritative domains tell you where their strength comes from. Then look at link type (editorial, resource page, guest post) to understand how each was earned. Finally, look at link gaps, meaning sites that link to several competitors but not to you.
What is a link gap analysis?: A link gap analysis compares the backlink profiles of several competitors to find domains that link to two or more of them but not to you. Those sites already link within your niche and clearly link to more than one player, which makes them some of the highest-probability link targets you can find.
What is competitive backlink analysis?: Competitive backlink analysis and competitor backlink analysis are the same practice under two names, and you'll see both used interchangeably. Either way it means comparing the link profiles of the sites you compete with in search, finding where their authority comes from, and identifying which of those sources you could realistically earn a link from as well. The word competitive is the more common phrasing in agency work, competitor in tool marketing.
How many competitors should I analyze?: Three to five is the sweet spot. One competitor shows you their tactics. Looking at several reveals the patterns: the sites, publications, and resource pages that link across your whole niche. Those recurring sources are where the real opportunities are, because a link there tends to be repeatable.

Keep reading

How to find your competitors' backlinks

The step before this one, where you pull the raw link list.

How to replicate a competitor's best backlinks

The step after, where you actually earn the links you've prioritized.

Where to get backlinks that actually count

The link types worth targeting once you know the gaps.

Best competitor backlink tools, compared

Which tool makes link-gap analysis fastest.

Types of backlinks, with examples

Classify what you find while reading a profile.

Anchor text, explained

Read a rival's anchor mix without chasing ratios.

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