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Competitor backlink analysis is my favourite link building strategy of all time.
I have been using it for the last 10 years and it’s the only link building method that has stood the test of time.
With a simple competitor backlink analysis you can:
- Uncover their link building strategies
- Find their most important backlinks
- See how many backlinks you need to build
And then use them in your own strategy to outrank them.
Here is how to do it…
What Will I Learn?
What Is Competitor Backlink Analysis?
Competitor backlinking is an SEO technique where you routinely analyse the backlinks of competing sites to see what types of links they have, how many, and the quality of links.
This is called competitor backlink analysis, and it helps you reverse engineer their link building strategy and use it for your own site. This will help your SEO and get you more traffic from Google.
Through this link profile analysis, you can get access to your competitor’s website performance from their number of external links and link metrics to their overall online authority – including page authority & domain authority.
A competitor backlink analysis helps you build (or improve) your strategy – the right way and allows you to:
- Uncover competitors link building strategies: During this process, you’ll review your competitor’s websites and performances to find out what they are doing differently and, eventually, you’ll come out with a bunch of new strategies to implement in your website.
- Find competitors most important backlinks: Identify which backlinks (Edu backlinks? Gov backlinks? Others?) help others to rank well in your niche. I recommend you to look at the number and the quality of sites linking to your competitor.
- Identify how you can replicate your competitors’ backlinks: By analyzing the backlink profile that makes your competitors rank, you’ll identify which backlinks are worth replicating and how to find backlink opportunities in the same sites.
Pretty cool, right?
Bellow, I’ll explain how to conduct this analysis to get great and fast results!
The Competitor Backlink Analysis Method
If you go to Google right now and search for your target keyword.
You’ll get on the first results page…
…The top 5x ranking sites that have all one important thing in common:
The idea of competitor backlink analysis is to-
- Look at each of these site’s link profiles
- Filter out the “junk”
- Replicate the best backlinks for your own site
Why waste time and money figuring out what works?
There’s already a proven link building blueprint out there waiting for you.
But to pull it off, you need a backlink analysis tool and you can get access to some incredible data without spending any money.
Top 3 Best Backlink Checkers You Shoud Be Using
Before we do anything else we need to find all of the backlinks that are pointing to our competitor’s site.
Doing that is easy because we can take advantage of a number of tools that allow us to download all of our competitor’s backlink portfolio easily.
The 3x best backlink analysis tools on the market right now are:
- Ahrefs (read my full Ahrefs review)
- SEMRush (read my full SEMRush review)
- SEO Spyglass (read my full SEO Powersuite review)
They will return high numbers of links for every competitor website that you run through them. This is important because the more quality links you find, the more you can replicate!
Let’s take a closer look…
1. Ahrefs
Ahrefs was the best tool on this list to find insight into competitors’ backlink profiles.
But in my more recent best backlink checker case study, they got absolutely blown away.
You can view all of your competitor’s backlinks (including their anchor text) in one dashboard thanks to Ahrefs Site Explorer.
You can then export them in a CSV file to form the foundation of your strategy.
Bonus: Ahrefs also allows you to monitor backlinks and set up backlink alerts so you can keep track of your competitor’s new backlinks!
2. SEMRush
The free SEMRush trial gives you access to a powerful tool with a very easy to use interface and relevant data sources that you can trust.
It’s certainly the best Ahrefs alternative out there to execute a backlink profile analysis.
But don’t be fooled by the high number of links it shows for my site.
SEMRush counts every link from a domain, but Ahrefs groups them together!
Either way, they give you a ton of data.
SEMRush has a freemium version of their tool that allows you to perform 10 data searches each day and you can also take advantage of a 100% free 14 day trial I set up for my readers.
Bonus: SEMrush offers the most comprehensive backlink audit you can find on the market.
See how Semrush stands against Ahrefs in my Ahrefs vs Semrush ultimate comparison.
3. SEO SpyGlass
SEO SpyGlass is the best desktop based backlink checker tool.
Although the link count is less than the last two tools…
It still gives you a significant number to work with:
However, their database is ever-growing with currently stands at 1.6x trillion links so it’s always going to find more than a handful for you.
SEO SpyGlass comes in two versions:
- Free: you can access data for 1,000x backlinks (but can’t export them)
- Paid: you can access data for unlimited backlinks and export them
But it doesn’t have an expensive monthly subscription like other tools.
Don’t worry, I understand these tools can be expensive if you’re starting out so feel free to take a look at my free seo tools list.
The Best Backlink Analysis Tools Compared
Honestly, you can’t make a wrong decision here. Each tool is going to provide you with more than enough backlink data to keep you busy.
And remember, if you are on a budget you can use the free trials to grab as much data as possible for your campaign.
| Ahrefs | SEMRush | SEO Spyglass | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99/Month | $99.95/Month | $31.49/Month |
| Trial Available? | No. | Yes. 14 Day Trial & Freemium Model. | Yes. Freemium Model. |
| # Links Found | 69,600 | 1,600,000 | 35,500 |
But don’t do anything just yet!
First I want to show you precisely how we are going to use this data to grow our own search traffic!
The Best Way To Steal Your Competitors Best Backlinks
Using the tools above I’m going to show you exactly how to steal your competitor’s links.
This is the proven repeatable method I’ve been using for years.
Better still:
Here’s what you need to do…
Step #1 – Find Your Competitors Ranking URL’s
Your starting point is to get a list of the top #5 ranking URLs for your target keyword.
Select the keyword you want to target.
Then do a search in Google and make a list of the first 5x organic search results:
Your final list of URL’s should look something like this:
- https://backlinko.com/ecommerce-seo
- https://ahrefs.com/blog/ecommerce-seo/
- https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ecommerce-seo/
- https://neilpatel.com/blog/seo-for-ecommerce-websites/
- https://www.shopify.com/blog/ecommerce-seo-beginners-guide
Step #2 – Download My Free Backlink Analysis Tool
Head to this page to download my free competitor backlink analysis spreadsheet.
This is the intelligent sheet I have developed over the years for this specific task – you are going to love it!
Just paste the 5 links from step #1 above into column A on the first sheet-
Step #3 – Find Your Competitor’s Backlink Data
Click on the “Click Here” links to automatically open the right report you need.
Export the data as a .CSV file.
You can export as much data as the tool will allow.
The more, the better!
Once exported, let’s put it into the tool…
Step #4 – Load The Data
Head over to tab #2 – Data in the sheet to Import each of the files you just exported.
The quickest way is to:
- Open one of the files from step #2
- Delete the first row of data
- Highlight all of the remaining data and copy it
- Then paste it into Tab #2 of the google sheet
- Repeat the process adding each report you exported in step #3 to tab #2
This is how you should do it:
Once you have loaded all the data you are ready for…
Step #5 – Competitor Backlink Analysis
Head to Tab #3 – Plan Of Attack.
You’ll see a table of links.
These are the best competitors backlinks for you to target.
The tool has already:
- Filtered out harmful spammy links
- Removed weak links you should ignore
- Prioritised which links you should focus on first
That means in just a small amount of time you can put together a near-perfect link building strategy for your site.
(There’s that “keep it simple” motto in action again.)
That means it’s time to put your balaclava on and…
Step #6 – Steal Those Links!
You have all of the actionable data you need to get started.
What you’re looking for in your Plan Of Attack tab is:
For example…
…If the link came from a blog comment, you’ll just need to write your own:
…if it was a forum post or a blog post, join the discussion and include links in relevant places:
…if it was a guest post, you’ll need to pitch your own for publication:
Take a look at each link and reverse engineer the process to figure out how to do it.
Just work through the Plan Of Attack tab and replicate each link – it really is that easy!
Wrapping It Up
Stealing your competitors backlink strategies is one of the most effective ways to boost rankings and increase your traffic – including organic traffic & referral traffic.
It can save you:
- Time – so you can focus on other aspects of your SEO strategy such as content marketing and keyword research.
- Money – you’ll save in link building tools.
- Effort – you’ll get a bunch of backlink opportunies in just a few minutes.
By giving you an easy-to-follow blueprint that is proven to rank for your keyword.
To quickly recap:
- Find the 5x top ranking sites for your keyword
- Run them through your powerful new (free) backlink analysis tool
- Steal those links
- Watch how Google reacts
- Rinse and repeat
This is the only link building strategy that has stood the test of time and it’s the first link building strategy I have applied on all of my sites for the last 10 years.
If you have any questions/thoughts about this strategy or if you need any SEO tips, please leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to help!
Just remember… Before starting building links, make sure you have read the full link building checklist that explains all the link building process.
Or, if you want to outsource it, check out my review of the top link building services.
Next I want to introduce you to resource page link building.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Page title
- Anchor text
- Internal linking
- Website's speed
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What Are Your Thoughts?
1,022 Responses
I know these all tricks. Share if you have other trick.
Maybe you should teach us some tricks 🙂
Great info to someone new to the SEO world trying to get a jump start on my competitors in real estate.
No worrys 🙂
Only 2 issues I see with this are: 1) Comp has tons of PBN links which are the meat of their ranking success2) Hopefully the top 10 sites are algo proofed, in lower comp niches this could potentially kill you.
Hi,I agree with point 1, but this does tell you if you need them to rank – when replicating links use your common sense. If the page is in korean with 3,000 outbound links, avoid ^^
Matt, how do you know that these links have not been disavowed by the webmaster because they were considered Spam from the last Penguin update or the sites they came from were hit by Panda… They will still show up on link finding tools. This would be a risk on a long term basis. Doing what competitors did worked for me or 7 years, but Google is now fighting links with a vengeance and I paid the price in the last 8 months.
You could apply that logic to every link you build.Plus, you only scrape the links of people who are ranking right now, eg not penalised by Penguin
Amzing tacticThanks
Yoink!
Great idea, only thing is each of these backlink check sites only let you put in 2-3 web URLs and only let you see 5 backlinks per site searched. They all want you to join and pay about $80 per month. 🙁
You get what you pay for =/
Discovered this article on The Next Web. Excellent tips for SEO. I’ve just launched my first web hosting business and your tips have come in very handy.
No worrys hope it has helped you out 🙂
This is so awesome. Thank you a lot.
No worrys 🙂
Hi,http://www.rankcracker.co.uk/download-rankcracker/
Thanks for your reply Matthew. I have the login details and can log in, that’s not the problem. When I log in all I see is a way to update my contact details, and at some point in trying to get to the program, I came across a different page with some strange news headlines (?) or something… but at no point did my computer download any program nor could I see a way to start using a program. I’m pretty computer savvy, and none of the signs are pointing to ‘go’ so far!
Hi Matt,Thanks for your great posts, I love discovering really in-depth articles – they are few and far between!I’ve been following this process and am up to analysing the backlinks and have tried unsuccessfully several times to download your rankcracker, but every time I put in my details, it doesn’t download – nothing happens!I’ve been able to login to http://www.rankcracker.co.uk/ but it keeps telling me “Sorry, it appears that you do not have access to this content.”I’ve signed up for it, I’ve “clicked heer”, I’ve done everything but I keep going in circles. Can you help please?
Your login details are emailed to you (check spam)
Thanks 🙂
Always Extremely Valuable Information from you Matthew! You are doing great job!
Nice post ,i also use SEM rush ,how do you rate semrush with Ahref ?
They aren’t comparable tools
Well work out how they got the link, perhaps their is a paid advertising option they used, perhaps they just sent an email to the site owner etc
Yes i have many question and i will ask later. But here is my one question, that if i able to find the one of competitors backlinks website, then what to do if there is no option of comment over there or no option of guest posting. Then what should i do??
Thans for this
No worrys Alan!
Thumb up.. You have done a great job. i took 2 hour to understand and to deep study of your post. Now i am confident that i can make a list of my competitor backlink.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks you sooooo much Matthew for giving us a great list to analysis competitors backlink. Really helped me a lot. I am gonna start following your tips aright away.
No worrys – good luck 🙂
Hi, Matthew I wanna ask a question that can i know the content of competitors which who publish on any article, blog, press etc. when content is not indexed anywhere. Can we get it?
So you want to find content online that has not been indexed in Google, so you can re-use it?Try your local library and a scanner.
There is one more site called ranksignals, in ahrefs i think you cant check more than five websites,it will ask you to signup fo further checking.
Thanks for the share ^^
Yes your advice works, it takes time but i’m now on page 1 for my chosen keyword from page 10, to 4, to 1 im ranked result 10 on page 1 and still working on this.Great tip matty
Glad it helped, feel free to submit a testimonial at https://searchlogistics.com/submit-your-testimonial/
Dead chuffed I found this page! Thank you so much for the clear cut approach you took. Can’t wait to get started now I know what I am doing!
Glad it helped you out!
This is hands down the best article I’ve read on Link Building. I am a newbie in SEO and the general link building strategies prescribed by the “experts” seemed elusive to me.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks 🙂
This is one of the best articles that i`ve ever read! You posted some verry important information my friend. Thx for sharing. You just won a new fan. Me! 🙂
Hehe thanks 🙂
I give this post a 10/10 rating. It has taught me so many things I did not know of, thanks so much for sharing this post.This is a really great post
Thanks 🙂
Hi Matthew, just starting this task, awesome tutorial!! Just wondered, when I enter my domains into ahrefs to get the back links from my top 10 google results, shall I put the main domain that comes up in google or the subdomain that comes up too?The 1st result I get is a large department store but I am only interested in competing against their sub domain that comes up, but other competitors I want to compete site wide if that makes sense?Also when using paid ahrefs I extracted ‘back links’ and ‘external’ is this correct? I didn’t tick the ‘one link per domain’. Is this correct also?ThanksAnna
Hi,The exact URL that is ranking in the SERPS!
Hi Matt:Great post – thanks.In my space the competitors that outrank me are guys like Amazon, Ebay, etc. You get the idea – super big giants. I’m in e-commerce space, and its getting quite obvious that Google is pushing lot of love towards the big, big enterprises.How do you compete with that?
Hi,Make your pages better, drive social signals through after sales relationships, replicate backlinks and well… you should be selling on amazon & ebay anyway 🙂
Hi Matt and thanks for the great post.I have been busy doing what you have suggestedand, although for me it has been a lot of work, it seems to beworking out quite nicely.I will check back in and let you know my results.Thanks again!
Good luck with your ventures Jillian 🙂
Hi mat,as you said:“Sometimes it might be a blog comment, so you just need to post your own comment.Sometimes it’s a forum post so you just need to register and get involved in the discussion.”So, do you have any tips how to build safe backlink for blog comment and forum post after penguin 2.1 ?Best Regards
Well take a look at how your competition is doing it 🙂
Hi mat,as you said:”Sometimes it might be a blog comment, so you just need to post your own comment.Sometimes it’s a forum post so you just need to register and get involved in the discussion.”So, do you have any tips how to build safe backlink for blog comment and forum post after penguin 2.1 ?Best Regards
Yeah, just look at how your competitor has done it. Do that.
thanks for sharing, majestic is my favorite + link-assistant.comRegards
No worrys 🙂
Excellent Post.Thanks for posting. Will read your blog regularly
Thanks for reading!
Is Link Diagnosis still working… For a long time its not working in my Firefox browser. Thanks a ton.. Matthew you are our hero, who gives out your knowledge for the betterment of the entire seo Professionals and marketing community… 🙂
Seems to be ok here, give cache a clear!
Hi Matt, I just discovered your blog and it’s amazing! Your backlink checker roundup made me switch to Ahrefs. Good job!
Thanks Andrea 🙂
No worrys 🙂
I use excel for this but great little web tool!
I’ve been using Open Site Explorer up until now, but thanks to this article, I’m exploring Ahrefs and Majestic, and it’s already looking like an improvement! Thank you for taking an in-depth approach to this article, it’s helped fill in a lot of the blanks in my backlink analysis!
No worrys 🙂 I’ll be publishing a more indepth test of them all shortly!
No worrys 🙂
Amen! Great Post TY for this info- Really appreciate!!!
Hey Matt, awesome ideas. Just wondering. Would you recommend us paying the algo updates of SEO SpyGlass?
Hi,Yes that helps keep it all upto date 🙂
I seem not to get the dup remover working. It says it takes only ANSI text files when I add my notepad files.
For those with the same issue I used this non-download tool herehttp://textmechanic.com/Remove-Duplicate-Lines.html
Save them in ANSI format in notepad
Thanks Casper, I’ll give that a go
Haha thanks for the tip.
My thoughts are in the data I’ve already published rather than my opinion. data > opinion 🙂
Nice two footed tackle there Matt B (studs up!)I share your angst with the concept that cracking content will save the day and see you effortlessly sail past your competitors to take your deserved position at #1 in SERPS. And with the NEW SEO mantra of ‘links are dead’Clearly Matt has proved that quality content and promoting the shit out of it every day gets traffic.And if you take any interest in your own or your competitors links or if you read between the lines in Matt’s blog you will know that links are not dead and do work.Great method of assessing the amount of work you need to do in order to rank in SERPS but I would suggest just because your competitor build 5,000 blog comments you might consider a better use of your time/money in building fewer more powerful links.Matt, thoughts?
Because your page becomes the gateway drug, dofollow links.
Ooops *linking
very helpful and super post. Thanx my dear.
No worrys 🙂
Sorry mate I don’t understand your response to this question.Could you clarify?