How to Analyse Your Competitors' Backlink Profiles

Creating a successful SEO strategy is a complicated process that requires expertise in multiple areas of marketing. One of the first and most crucial steps in creating a strategy that works is the analysis of the websites that are in the positions you wish to be in.

The backlink profiles of these sites have helped them establish authority and climb Google's ranking, so doing something similar would likely increase your influence as well. In this article, we'll show you how and why you should use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to analyse your competitors and create a backlink strategy that will help your site perform better in 2025!

Why Analyse Backlink Profiles?

Though things change quickly in the SEO world, backlinks remain one of the most important factors in search engine rankings. Links act as votes of confidence from other websites, signalling to Google that your content produces value for the readers.

Analysing your competitors' backlink profiles allows you to:

Find high-quality websites from your niche that might be interested in investing in more sites that produce high-quality content, like yours.

Understand the format, style, and TOV most suitable for success in your niche.

Uncover potential link-building opportunities that will help strengthen your website's authority.

In-depth analysis will give you an edge over everyone aiming for the same position as you. Make sure you have the most thorough approach to your research, and you'll get the best results after you apply everything you've learnt.

Getting Started: Tools You Need

To do the work correctly, you'll need the right tools. When it comes to backlink analysis, you'll need Ahrefs and SEMrush. Both of these platforms have their strengths, but using both will give you the best understanding of your competitors' strategies.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs' Site Explorer is a favourite among SEO professionals. It allows you to dive deep into a competitor's backlink profile with metrics like:

Referring Domains: The number of unique domains linking to a competitor.

Domain Rating (DR): A measure of a domain's authority based on its backlink profile.

Anchor Text Distribution: The specific words or phrases used in links pointing to a site.

Ahrefs also highlights broken links, which can be excellent opportunities for your own outreach. For example, if a competitor has broken links pointing to their site, you could reach out to the linking websites with a suggestion to replace the link with one to your relevant content.

SEMrush

SEMrush offers a similarly powerful Backlink Analytics tool. Key features include:

Referring Domains and Backlinks: A breakdown of the websites linking to your competitor and the specific pages receiving those links.

Toxicity Scores: Indicators of potentially harmful backlinks.

Link-Building Opportunities: Recommendations for domains that might be willing to link to your site based on competitor data.

With both tools, you can export data for further analysis, allowing you to track trends, create reports, and develop a focused outreach strategy.

Steps to Analyse Competitors' Backlink Profiles

Identify Competitors: Start by identifying your top three competitors in your niche. These should be websites ranking well for your target keywords and consistently appearing in search results.

Use tools like Google Search or SEMrush's "Organic Research" feature to determine who's dominating your space.

Examine Referring Domains: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyse the websites linking to your competitors. Look for high-authority domains, as these are the most valuable backlinks. Consider reaching out to these websites with tailored pitches.

For example, if a popular blog in your industry links to a competitor's guide, you could create an updated or more comprehensive version and suggest it as a resource.

Analyse Anchor Text: Anchor text gives clues about the keywords your competitors are targeting. Check if they're using branded terms, exact match keywords, or generic phrases. Use this information to refine your own anchor text strategy to align with your goals.

Spot Content Opportunities: Note the types of content that attract the most backlinks for your competitors. Is it long-form guides, infographics, videos, or case studies? Use this insight to create similar or superior content tailored to your audience.

Look for Gaps: Identify links your competitors have that you don't. This is known as a "backlink gap," and it presents a clear opportunity for outreach. Tools like SEMrush's Backlink Gap Analyser can make this process easier.

Monitor New Links: Pay attention to new backlinks your competitors gain over time. This can provide real-time insights into emerging trends and potential opportunities for your own strategy.

Practical Tips for Effective Analysis

Conducting backlink analysis can seem overwhelming at first, but following these tips can simplify the process and improve results:

Focus on Quality Over Quantity: High-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant sites are far more impactful than many low-quality links. Always prioritise value over volume.

Track Progress Over Time: SEO is not a one-time effort. Regularly monitor your competitors' backlink profiles to spot new opportunities and refine your strategy.

Combine Tools: While Ahrefs and SEMrush are excellent individually, using both can provide a more nuanced view of your competitors' strategies.

Leverage Relationships: If certain domains link to multiple competitors, consider building relationships with those site owners. They're likely open to collaborations.

Create Link-Worthy Content: The most effective way to attract backlinks is by consistently producing high-quality, engaging content that others want to reference and share.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

We've all been at the beginning, when you aren't sure what you're doing and made mistakes you shouldn't have made. Here are a few obstacles you might run into and how to avoid them:

Analysing Too Many Competitors: Don't look at everyone ahead of you on the SERPs. Instead, focus on two or three direct competitors and dive deeper into their strategy.

Interpreting Data: You'll be working with a lot of data, which may be overwhelming if you don't know where to start. High-authority domains should be your priority, as well as sites with broken links that you can resolve immediately.

Outreach Hesitation: If you don't have much experience reaching out to new people, this part of the job may be a bit intimidating. To overcome this, prepare a professional pitch that explains your content's value and confidently approach potential partners.

Take the Challenge

OK, you have all the information you need to do your own research! So, what are you waiting for—a challenge? Here we go:

We're giving you a week to analyse the backlink profiles of three of your competitors. Make sure you're researching sites in your niche and focus on those with the most success. Here is a step-by-step description of what you'll need to do:

Find three competitors that dominate your niche or a keyword you wish to target.

Utilise tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyse their backlink profiles and get all the information you need.

Identify the three key insights most important for your site. These could be referring domains, successful content formats, or anchor text trends.

Develop a plan of action based on your findings. This could include changing your content format, writing new pieces, or reaching out to new high-authority domains.

Taking on this challenge will certainly allow you to better understand the benefits of competitor analysis and realise how backlink profiles matter more than you thought at first. You'll gain valuable hands-on experience in link-building and be prepared for more real-life action.

This exercise is only the beginning of your journey, but it can already help your site generate better results. Start your link-building campaign today and improve your rankings ASAP!