Can you really steal a competitor's backlinks?

Not literally. You can't remove a link from someone else's site. What people mean by "stealing" backlinks is earning a link from the same source that links to your competitor. If a resource page or publication links to them, you find the person who controls that page and give them a reason to link to you too.

How do you replicate a competitor's backlinks?

Pull their referring domains, filter to the links you could realistically earn (resource pages, guest posts, roundups, unlinked mentions), find the right contact for each, and pitch a specific reason to add or switch the link. Broken-link building and "link intersect" gaps are the highest-yield versions of this.

What is broken link building?

Broken link building is finding a page that links to a competitor's URL that no longer works, then offering your working page as the replacement. The site owner wins by fixing a dead link, and you win the link. It's one of the highest-conversion outreach tactics because you're solving a real problem for them.

Which competitor backlinks are not worth copying?

Skip low-quality directories, paid link networks, spammy blog comments, and links from sites unrelated to your niche. They add little authority and some carry risk. Focus your effort on editorial mentions, curated resource lists, and relevant guest posts. Those are the links that actually moved your competitor's rankings.

Strategy

How to replicate a competitor's best backlinks

"Stealing" a competitor's backlinks really means earning a link from the same source. Here's the repeatable process: which links to target, how to pitch them, and which ones to leave alone.

Brad Williams·Updated Jul 2026·3 min read

Let's be honest about the word "steal." You can't take a link off someone else's site. What people mean by stealing a competitor's backlinks is far more useful: earn a link from the same source that already links to them. If a site was willing to link to your competitor, it's often willing to link to you. You just have to give it a reason. Here's the repeatable process.

This guide assumes you've already built a shortlist. If not, run how to analyze a competitor's backlink profile first. Replication is only as good as the targets you feed it.

The only links worth replicating

Not every competitor link is a prize. Filter your shortlist to the ones that are both valuable and attainable:

Target these first

Resource pages, curated "best of" lists, roundups, guest-post outlets, and unlinked brand mentions. Each has a clear owner and a clear reason to add you. Leave directories, paid networks, and spammy comment links alone. They are neither the reason your competitor ranks nor worth your afternoon.

The four highest-yield plays

1. Resource-page matching

Your competitor is listed on a "best tools for X" or "helpful resources" page. If you belong on that list too, that's often a single friendly email away. Find the page owner, note why the list exists, and pitch yourself as a fitting addition, not a favor.

2. Broken-link building

The highest-conversion play there is. Find a page linking to a competitor URL that's now dead (404, moved, discontinued). Email the owner: "You've got a broken link to X on this page, and here's a working resource that covers the same thing." You're fixing their problem, and the link is the thank-you.

3. Unlinked mention conversion

Someone wrote about your competitor's space and mentioned you without linking. That's the easiest link on earth, because they already decided you were worth mentioning. A one-line ask usually does it.

4. Guest contributions

If a publication runs your competitor's contributed articles, it likely accepts pitches. Bring an angle they haven't covered rather than a rehash.

The best "stolen" link isn't stolen at all. It's the one where you gave an editor a reason to link that was slightly better than your competitor's.

The outreach that actually gets replies

Whatever the play, the pitch follows the same shape:

Right person. The page owner or editor, not a generic info@ inbox.
Specific reason. Reference the exact page and why you fit it. Templates that could go to anyone go to the trash.
Their win first. A better resource, a fixed link, a fresh angle: lead with what they get.
One clear ask. Add the link, swap the dead one, mention becomes a link. Not "let me know your thoughts."

Know when to stop

Diminishing returns are real

The first fifteen well-chosen, well-pitched links move the needle. Grinding through a competitor's 3,000-link tail does not. Replicate the sources that explain their authority, then get back to making things worth linking to.

Line up your replication targets in one view

See how we surface a competitor's most replicable links, resource pages, editorial mentions, and gaps. Run a free scan on any competitor, no account needed.

Open the free checker →

Replication is a loop, not a one-off: analyze, pitch the best sources, make something new worth citing, repeat. For the menu of sources worth pitching, see where to get backlinks that actually count.

Frequently asked questions

Can you really steal a competitor's backlinks?: Not literally. You can't remove a link from someone else's site. What people mean by "stealing" backlinks is earning a link from the same source that links to your competitor. If a resource page or publication links to them, you find the person who controls that page and give them a reason to link to you too.
How do you replicate a competitor's backlinks?: Pull their referring domains, filter to the links you could realistically earn (resource pages, guest posts, roundups, unlinked mentions), find the right contact for each, and pitch a specific reason to add or switch the link. Broken-link building and "link intersect" gaps are the highest-yield versions of this.
What is broken link building?: Broken link building is finding a page that links to a competitor's URL that no longer works, then offering your working page as the replacement. The site owner wins by fixing a dead link, and you win the link. It's one of the highest-conversion outreach tactics because you're solving a real problem for them.
Which competitor backlinks are not worth copying?: Skip low-quality directories, paid link networks, spammy blog comments, and links from sites unrelated to your niche. They add little authority and some carry risk. Focus your effort on editorial mentions, curated resource lists, and relevant guest posts. Those are the links that actually moved your competitor's rankings.

Keep reading

How to analyze a competitor's backlink profile

Build the prioritized target list this guide acts on.

Where to get backlinks that actually count

The link sources worth pitching, ranked by effort.

How to find your competitors' backlinks

The starting point. Pull the profile you'll mine.

How to get backlinks

The wider playbook this tactic belongs to.

Should you buy backlinks?

When paying beats earning, and when it does not.

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