How to Do a Competitor Backlink Analysis: Find Link Opportunities

Want to know where your competitors are getting backlinks?

A competitor backlink analysis helps you find the websites linking to your competitors, the pages receiving those links, and the reasons those links were earned.

For this research, you can use tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, and other backlink research platforms. You can also compare several competitors to find websites that repeatedly link to businesses in your industry.

However, competitor backlink analysis is not about copying every backlink your competitors have.

Instead, the real value comes from understanding why they earned those links, which opportunities are relevant to your website, and what you can offer that would give another website a genuine reason to link to you.

Quick Answer

Competitor backlink analysis is the process of studying the backlinks, referring domains, linking pages, anchor text, and link-building patterns of competing websites.

In practice, a simple process looks like this:

1. Identify your real SEO competitors.
2. Analyze their backlink profiles.
3. Find websites that link to multiple competitors.
4. Compare their backlink profiles with yours.
5. Identify backlink gaps.
6. Open the actual linking pages.
7. Understand why your competitor received the link.
8. Check whether the opportunity is relevant to your website.
9. Create or identify something useful that could earn a similar link.
10. Add qualified prospects to your outreach list.

For example, tools such as Ahrefs Link Intersect and Semrush Backlink Gap can speed up this research. Ahrefs currently lets you compare multiple competitor URLs in Link Intersect, while Semrush’s Backlink Gap supports comparisons with competing websites.

The goal is not to copy your competitor’s entire backlink profile.

Instead, you want to find relevant websites, understand successful link patterns, and turn useful gaps into realistic link-building opportunities.

What Is Competitor Backlink Analysis?

Competitor backlink analysis is the process of researching the backlinks pointing to websites that compete with yours.

During the analysis, you can examine things such as:

• Referring domains
• Individual backlinks
• Linking pages
• Target pages
• Anchor text
• Link attributes
• Most-linked content
• Common referring domains
• Competitor-only links
• Link-building patterns

For example, imagine you run a website about SaaS SEO.

Your competitors may have backlinks from:

• SaaS publications
• SEO blogs
• Marketing websites
• Business publications
• Resource pages
• Industry websites
• Research articles

If several relevant websites link to your competitors but not to you, those websites may become potential prospects.

However, a competitor backlink is not automatically a good opportunity.

Before adding one to your list, check the website, linking page, context, relevance, audience, and reason for the link.

If you are new to backlinks, start with our guide on What Is a Backlink?.

Why Analyze Competitor Backlinks?

Competitor backlink research can show you how other websites in your industry earn links.

Rather than starting with thousands of random websites, you can begin with websites that already link to businesses similar to yours.

As a result, competitor backlink analysis can help you:

• Find relevant referring domains
• Discover websites that link to multiple competitors
• Identify backlink gaps
• Find pages that attract competitor backlinks
• Discover useful content ideas
• Find relevant resource pages
• Find industry publications
• Identify potential guest contribution opportunities
• Discover linkable assets
• Understand competitor link-building patterns
• Build a more focused outreach list

Most importantly, this approach can improve relevance.

If a website already links to several businesses in your industry, that tells you the website is at least familiar with the topic.

Still, it does not guarantee that the website will link to you. Instead, it gives you a reason to investigate the opportunity.

Competitor Backlinks vs. Competitor Backlink Analysis

These terms sound similar, but they mean different things.

Competitor Backlinks

Competitor backlinks are the individual links pointing to a competitor’s website.

For example:

A marketing website links to a competitor’s SEO guide.

That link is a competitor backlink.

Competitor Backlink Analysis

Competitor backlink analysis is the process of studying those links to understand:

• Who is linking?
• Why are they linking?
• Which competitor pages attract links?
• Which websites link to multiple competitors?
• Which opportunities are missing from your website?
• What patterns appear across several competitors?

In simple terms:

The backlink is the data. The analysis is what you do with that data.

How to Do a Competitor Backlink Analysis

A useful competitor backlink analysis does not need to be complicated.

Instead, follow these steps to turn competitor backlink data into useful link-building research.

Step 1: Identify Your Real SEO Competitors

Start with the right competitors.

Your business competitors and SEO competitors are not always the same.

A company may sell a similar product to you but rank for completely different searches.

For backlink research, you want websites that compete for similar:

• Keywords
• Topics
• Search results
• Audiences
• Products or services

For example, if your website focuses on SaaS link building, your SEO competitors may include websites covering:

• SaaS SEO
• Link building
• SEO agencies
• Digital PR
• Content marketing
• Backlink strategies

How to Find SEO Competitors

Start with websites you already know.

Next, search Google for your main keywords and look at websites that regularly appear in the results.

You can also use SEO tools to identify competitors based on overlapping keywords or backlink relationships.

For instance, Semrush has a Backlinks Competitors report that can help identify websites sharing referring domains with your site.

Most importantly, choose competitors that are actually relevant to your search market.

Step 2: Choose 3–5 Strong Competitors

You do not need dozens of competitors.

Instead, start with three to five websites that are genuinely relevant.

For example:

• Competitor A
• Competitor B
• Competitor C
• Competitor D
• Competitor E

Why use multiple competitors?

One competitor may have a backlink because of a unique partnership or a specific piece of content.

However, if three or four competitors have links from the same website, that pattern becomes much more interesting.

For this reason, backlink gap analysis becomes more useful when you compare several competitors.

Step 3: Analyze Each Competitor’s Backlink Profile

Enter each competitor into your backlink research tool.

Then look at:

• Total backlinks
• Referring domains
• Top referring domains
• Top linked pages
• Anchor text
• Link attributes
• New backlinks
• Lost backlinks
• Most-linked content

Do not focus only on the total number of backlinks.

For example:

Competitor A

• 10,000 backlinks
• 600 referring domains

Competitor B

• 4,000 backlinks
• 750 referring domains

Although Competitor B has fewer backlinks, it has more referring domains.

Therefore, backlink counts alone do not give you the full picture.

Always look at where the links are coming from.

What Is a Referring Domain?

A referring domain is a unique website that links to your website or a competitor’s website.

For example:

• example.com links 10 times
• sample.com links 5 times
• marketing.com links 2 times

That gives you:

17 backlinks

However, you have only:

3 referring domains

This difference matters when comparing backlink profiles.

Therefore, when analyzing competitors, look at both:

• Backlinks
• Referring domains

Step 4: Find Competitor Link Gaps

A backlink gap is a website that links to one or more of your competitors but does not link to your website.

For example:

Referring Website	Your Site	Competitor A	Competitor B
Example.com	❌	✅	✅
Marketing.com	❌	✅	❌
SEOResources.com	❌	✅	✅
IndustryBlog.com	✅	✅	❌

The first and third websites are especially interesting because they link to multiple competitors.

Because of that, these websites deserve further investigation.

They already link to businesses in your space, so there may be a relevant reason to consider your website as well.

However, remember:

A link gap is a research opportunity, not a guaranteed backlink.

You still need to check whether the website and page are relevant.

What Is Link Intersect?

Link Intersect is a competitor backlink research method that identifies websites or pages linking to your competitors but not to your website.

Ahrefs provides Link Intersect as part of its competitive analysis tools. You can compare your website with multiple competitors and choose between referring domains and referring pages.

The basic idea is simple:

Find websites that link to competitors but not to you.

Instead of asking:

“Which websites link to my competitors?”

you can ask:

“Which relevant websites repeatedly link to competitors but not to me?”

That question makes the research more actionable.

How to Use Ahrefs Link Intersect

If you use Ahrefs, the process is straightforward.

1. Open Link Intersect

First, go to the Competitive Analysis section and open Link Intersect.

2. Enter Your Website

Next, add your domain or the specific URL you want to compare.

Ahrefs also allows you to use an exact URL when you want to analyze backlinks to a particular page.

3. Add Competitors

After that, add the competitor domains or URLs you want to compare.

Ahrefs supports multiple competitors in Link Intersect.

4. Choose Referring Domains or Referring Pages

This choice depends on what you want to find.

Referring domains are useful when you want to find websites that link to competitors.

On the other hand, referring pages are useful when you want to see the exact pages containing those links.

For example, if several competitors appear in different “best SEO tools” articles, referring-page analysis can help you find those specific articles.

5. Run the Report

Finally, run the report and review the websites or pages appearing in the intersection.

Ahrefs also provides filters and export options for this type of research.

Important: Do Not Filter Only by DR

Do not filter your list only by DR.

A high-DR website can still be completely irrelevant to your audience.

Instead, use SEO metrics as research signals. Then review the actual website and page.

How to Use Semrush Backlink Gap

Semrush uses the term Backlink Gap for a similar competitor comparison.

The tool can compare your website with competing websites and identify referring domains that link to competitors but not to your site.

Basic Workflow

The process can be broken down into these steps:

1. Open Backlink Gap.
2. Enter your domain.
3. Add relevant competitors.
4. Run the comparison.
5. Review the referring domains.
6. Find domains that link to competitors but not you.
7. Open the actual backlinks.
8. Qualify the opportunities.
9. Add useful prospects to your outreach list.

In addition, Semrush provides filters and export options for this type of research.

What About Moz Link Intersect?

You may see the phrase “Moz Link Intersect” in older SEO discussions.

The broader idea is not tied to one brand.

In general, a link intersect analysis means finding websites that link to competing websites but not to your own.

Different SEO tools use different names for similar workflows, including:

• Ahrefs: Link Intersect
• Semrush: Backlink Gap
• Other tools: backlink gap, link intersection, competitor link analysis

Ultimately, the method matters more than the name.

The goal is to find relevant websites that already link to businesses in your market.

Step 5: Review the Actual Backlinks

Finding a backlink gap is only the beginning.

Suppose your tool tells you:

Example.com links to Competitor A and Competitor B.

Do not immediately add Example.com to your outreach list.

Instead, open the actual backlink and review it.

Which Page Contains the Link?

First, check whether the backlink appears on:

• A blog post
• A resource page
• A directory
• An interview
• A product page
• A research article
• A guest article

Which Page Receives the Link?

Next, check whether the competitor receives the link on:

• Homepage
• Blog post
• Research
• Tool
• Product page
• Service page

Why Does the Link Exist?

Most importantly, ask why the competitor received the link.

Maybe the competitor:

• Published original research
• Created a free tool
• Contributed expert information
• Was interviewed
• Wrote an article for the publication
• Was listed as a resource
• Was mentioned as an example

The reason behind the link tells you much more than the link itself.

Step 6: Analyze the Linking Page

Do not judge a backlink opportunity from the domain name alone.

Instead, open the exact page where the backlink appears.

Check:

• Topic
• Search intent
• Audience
• Content quality
• Link placement
• Surrounding text
• Other links
• Page relevance
• Destination page

For example, imagine you find a DR 70 website linking to your competitor.

At first, that may look interesting.

However, you then discover that the backlink appears on a page about wedding photography while your website sells SEO software.

In that case, the domain metric may look impressive, but the actual opportunity is not relevant.

Therefore, page-level relevance matters.

For more information, see our guide to Relevant Backlinks.

Step 7: Find Out Why the Competitor Earned the Link

This is where competitor backlink analysis becomes useful.

For every promising backlink, ask:

Why did this website link to my competitor?

There are several common reasons.

The Competitor Published Original Research

Maybe the competitor created a study that publishers use as a source.

In that situation, your opportunity is to create your own useful research.

Do not copy their data. Instead, find a different question, dataset, audience, or angle.

The Competitor Created a Useful Tool

Maybe they built a calculator, generator, checker, or another free tool.

In this case, find a related problem that is not being solved well and create something useful of your own.

The Competitor Was Included on a Resource Page

Perhaps a website created a list of useful resources and included your competitor.

If so, check whether you have a resource that genuinely belongs on the page.

The Competitor Contributed an Expert Quote

Maybe the competitor was featured in an industry article.

In that case, build relationships with relevant publications and provide useful expertise when they need it.

The Competitor Published a Guest Article

Perhaps the competitor contributed an article to an industry publication.

If the publication accepts relevant expert contributions, pitch a useful topic that fits its audience.

However, do not pitch an article simply because you want the same backlink.

The Competitor Was Mentioned as an Example

Maybe the publisher used the competitor as an example in an article.

First, understand why they were selected.

Then, if your business or resource provides another useful example, there may be an editorial opportunity.

Step 8: Find Your Competitors’ Most-Linked Pages

Do not analyze only competitor domains.

Instead, look at the pages that attract the most backlinks.

This can reveal what types of content earn references.

For example:

Content Type	Referring Domains	Possible Reason
Original research	High	Data citations
Free tool	High	Useful resource
Industry statistics	High	Frequently referenced
Detailed guide	Medium	Educational value
Case study	Medium	Original information

The exact numbers will vary by website.

Even so, the important part is finding patterns.

If several competitors have strong backlinks to original research, that may tell you that research performs well in your industry.

Likewise, if several competitors attract links with tools, investigate whether your audience has a similar problem you could solve.

Why You Should Not Copy Every Competitor Backlink

This is one of the most important rules in competitor backlink research.

A competitor’s backlink profile may contain:

• Irrelevant links
• Old links
• Low-quality links
• Links from unrelated pages
• Links based on personal relationships
• Links you cannot realistically reproduce
• Links to content you do not have
• Links that are no longer active

So, do not use this approach:

Competitor has link → I need the same link.

Instead, use this approach:

Competitor has link → Why did they earn it? → Is the reason relevant to me? → Can I create genuine value for the same audience?

That small change makes competitor research much more useful.

Competitor Backlink Analysis Example

Let’s imagine you run:

SaaSLinkExample.com

Your competitors are:

• Competitor A
• Competitor B
• Competitor C

You run a backlink-gap analysis and discover:

Website	Competitor A	Competitor B	Competitor C	Your Site
SaaSBlog.com	✅	✅	✅	❌
MarketingSite.com	✅	❌	✅	❌
RandomDirectory.com	✅	❌	❌	❌
SEOResources.com	✅	✅	❌	❌

At first glance, SaaSBlog.com looks like an interesting prospect because it links to all three competitors.

Next, you open the website and find an article:

“Best SaaS SEO Resources”

Your competitors are included because they each have useful SEO resources.

Now ask:

Do I have a resource that genuinely belongs in this article?

If yes, you may have a potential outreach opportunity.

If no, don’t ask for the link yet.

Instead, create or improve something useful first.

That is the difference between finding a backlink gap and using a backlink gap properly.

From Competitor Backlink to Real Link Opportunity

Let’s take the example one step further.

Suppose Competitor A has a backlink from:

SaaSBlog.com/best-saas-seo-resources/

You investigate the page and find that Competitor A is listed because it has a detailed SaaS SEO research report.

Then you check your own website.

You do not have anything similar.

Bad Approach

You email the publisher:

Hi, please add our website to your article.

There is no strong reason for them to do it.

Better Approach

Instead, you create a useful research report that answers a related question.

After that, you contact the publisher and explain what the research covers and why it may be useful to their readers.

The competitor backlink helped you discover the type of asset that earned the link.

You did not simply copy the backlink.

Competitor Backlink Analysis for Guest Posting

Competitor backlink research can also reveal websites that publish articles from industry experts.

Suppose you find:

MarketingSite.com → Competitor A

The backlink appears inside an article written by your competitor.

That tells you the publication has accepted content from someone in your industry.

However, don’t immediately send:

“My competitor has a guest post here. Can I get one too?”

Instead:

1. Read the publication.
2. Understand its audience.
3. Check its content standards.
4. Look at the topics it publishes.
5. Find topics that would be useful to its readers.
6. Prepare a strong idea.
7. Contact the appropriate person.

The goal should be to contribute something useful.

Therefore, the backlink should be part of the editorial value, not the only reason for the article.

Competitor Backlink Analysis for Resource Pages

Resource pages are another useful pattern.

Suppose several competitors are listed on:

“Best SEO Resources for Beginners”

Investigate:

• Why are they listed?
• What types of resources are included?
• Is the page still maintained?
• Does the website accept suggestions?
• Does your resource fit the topic?

If your guide genuinely helps that audience, you can suggest it.

On the other hand, if it does not add anything useful, move on.

Competitor Backlink Analysis for Digital PR

Competitor backlinks can also reveal PR opportunities.

Suppose a competitor receives links from several publications because of:

• Original research
• An industry survey
• A new report
• Expert commentary
• A data study

Do not simply try to copy the exact campaign.

Instead, look at the underlying reason.

Maybe publishers want original data.

In that case, create original data.

Maybe they want expert commentary.

Then build relationships with relevant publications and contribute useful expertise.

Perhaps they want industry statistics.

If so, publish reliable statistics with a clear methodology.

The backlink shows you what attracted attention.

How to Score Competitor Backlink Opportunities

You can use a simple internal scoring system to prioritize your research.

Score each factor from 0 to 2.

Factor	0 Points	1 Point	2 Points
Website relevance	Unrelated	Somewhat related	Highly relevant
Page relevance	Unrelated	Partly relevant	Highly relevant
Audience fit	Poor	Some fit	Strong fit
Content quality	Poor	Average	Strong
Link context	Forced	Could fit	Natural
Reason for link	Unclear	Somewhat clear	Strong reason
Opportunity fit	Weak	Possible	Strong

How to Use the Score

11–14: Strong prospect to investigate

7–10: Review carefully

0–6: Usually low priority

This is not a Google ranking formula.

Instead, it is simply an internal system for organizing research.

The score should never replace manual review.

Competitor Backlink Outreach Example

Once you have found a relevant opportunity, your outreach should be specific to that opportunity.

Example

Subject: Resource for your SEO guide

Hi [Name],

I was reading your guide on [topic] and noticed you referenced [competitor/resource] when discussing [specific topic].

We recently published a resource covering [specific topic]. It includes [specific useful element], which may be useful for readers who want more detail on this part.

If you think it fits the page, feel free to take a look:

[Your URL]

Thanks,
Daniyal

Why This Outreach Is Better

It:

• Mentions the actual page
• Shows that you researched the website
• Explains what your resource offers
• Gives the publisher a reason to consider it
• Does not demand a backlink
• Keeps the message short

Even then, you should personalize the message based on the actual opportunity.

Do not send the exact same email to every prospect.

How to Build a Competitor Backlink Research Spreadsheet

Once you analyze several competitors, a spreadsheet makes the process much easier.

Useful columns include:

Column	What to Record
Referring domain	Website linking to competitor
Linking page	Exact page containing the link
Competitor	Which competitor receives the link
Target page	Competitor page receiving the link
Anchor text	Clickable link text
Link type	Follow, nofollow, sponsored, UGC, or unknown
Relevance	Low, medium, high
Link reason	Why the competitor earned the link
Opportunity type	Resource, guest post, PR, mention, etc.
Your relevant page	Your page that could fit
Outreach status	Not contacted, contacted, replied, acquired
Notes	Important details

This separates research from outreach.

It also prevents you from contacting the same website multiple times.

How to Turn Competitor Backlinks Into Outreach Prospects

After your research, do not contact every website.

First, filter your list.

Keep Prospects Where

• The website is relevant.
• The linking page is relevant.
• The audience matches.
• The competitor’s link has a clear reason.
• Your website has something useful to offer.
• The opportunity is realistic.
• The link could make sense for readers.

Remove or Deprioritize Prospects Where

• The website is unrelated.
• The page is irrelevant.
• The link is unrelated or forced.
• The website has poor content quality.
• There is no genuine reason for your link.
• You would need to manipulate the placement.
• The only reason you want the link is because your competitor has it.

As a result, this filtering step can save a lot of time.

Competitor Backlink Analysis vs. Link Building

These are related but different activities.

Competitor Backlink Analysis

Research

You study what competitors are doing.

Link Building

Execution

You create, promote, or earn links to your own website.

Competitor research can inform your strategy, but research alone does not build a backlink.

You still need:

• Useful content
• A relevant opportunity
• A valid reason for the link
• Outreach or promotion
• Good execution

For the broader process, see our guide on How to Build Backlinks.

What Makes a Competitor Backlink Opportunity Valuable?

A competitor backlink becomes more interesting when several signals line up.

1. Website Relevance

The website covers a topic connected to your business.

2. Page Relevance

The actual linking page is related to the subject.

3. Audience Fit

The site’s readers are relevant to your business.

4. Clear Reason

You understand why the competitor received the link.

5. Your Own Value

You have something useful to offer.

6. Natural Placement

The link could fit naturally within the content.

7. Realistic Outreach

There is a reasonable way to contact the publisher or website owner.

Overall, this is why relevance should come before metrics.

A high-authority website that has no connection to your topic is not automatically a better prospect.

Is Competitor Backlink Analysis Safe for SEO?

Yes. Researching competitor backlinks is an SEO research activity.

The important part is what you do with the information.

Studying competitor links can help you understand:

• Industry relationships
• Content that earns references
• Relevant publications
• Resource pages
• Linkable assets
• Outreach opportunities

However, the resulting link-building activity should still follow search-engine guidelines.

Google’s spam policies cover practices such as buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges, automated link creation, and other forms of link spam.

Therefore, use competitor research to find genuine opportunities, not to create large numbers of artificial links.

Common Competitor Backlink Analysis Mistakes

1. Choosing the Wrong Competitors

If your competitors are not relevant to your search market, their backlink data will not be very useful.

2. Looking Only at Backlink Counts

Total backlinks do not explain why those links exist.

Instead, look at referring domains, linking pages, and context.

3. Using Only DR or DA

Metrics can help you filter data.

However, they should not decide whether a backlink is relevant.

4. Copying Every Competitor Link

Competitor backlinks are research clues, not a shopping list.

5. Ignoring the Linking Page

Always check where the backlink actually appears.

6. Ignoring Why the Link Exists

The reason behind the link often reveals the real opportunity.

7. Treating Every Link Gap as an Opportunity

A gap only means your competitor has a link that you do not.

It does not mean you should pursue it.

8. Using Generic Outreach

A competitor backlink does not automatically give you a good outreach angle.

Understand the opportunity first.

9. Forgetting Your Own Content

If you do not have something useful to offer, outreach is unlikely to work well.

Improve the destination page first.

10. Chasing Links at Any Cost

Competitor research should help you find relevant opportunities.

It should not push you toward manipulative link building.

How Many Competitor Backlinks Should You Analyze?

There is no fixed number.

You do not need to analyze every backlink a competitor has.

Instead, start with:

• 3–5 relevant competitors
• Their main referring domains
• Their most-linked pages
• Common links across competitors
• High-relevance opportunities
• Repeated link patterns

For a small website, even 20–50 carefully reviewed prospects can be more useful than thousands of unfiltered backlinks.

In other words, the goal is quality of research, not the size of the spreadsheet.

A Simple Competitor Backlink Analysis Workflow

If you want a repeatable process, use this:

Step 1: Find 3–5 Real SEO Competitors

Choose competitors that target similar searches and audiences.

Step 2: Collect Backlink Data

Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or another reliable backlink research platform.

Step 3: Review Referring Domains

Find websites that link to your competitors.

Step 4: Find Common Links

Use Link Intersect, Backlink Gap, or a similar comparison method.

Step 5: Check the Actual Pages

Open the linking pages and review the context.

Step 6: Identify the Reason

Understand why each competitor earned the link.

Step 7: Filter for Relevance

Remove websites and pages that do not make sense for your audience.

Step 8: Find Your Own Angle

Decide what useful resource, contribution, research, tool, or content you could offer.

Step 9: Build Your Prospect List

Record only qualified opportunities.

Step 10: Start Relevant Outreach

Contact the right person with a useful and specific reason.

Step 11: Track the Outcome

Record replies, placements, acquired links, and referral traffic where relevant.

With this process, competitor backlink analysis becomes a repeatable SEO workflow.

Competitor Backlink Analysis Checklist

Before adding a competitor backlink to your prospect list, ask:

• Is the website relevant?
• Is the linking page relevant?
• Is the audience relevant?
• Do multiple competitors have links from this website?
• Why did the competitor receive the link?
• Does my website have something useful to offer?
• Would the link help readers?
• Is the placement natural?
• Can I realistically contact the publisher?
• Have I reviewed the actual page instead of relying only on metrics?

If you can answer these questions, your prospect list will be much more useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Competitor Backlink Analysis?

Competitor backlink analysis is the process of studying the backlinks, referring domains, linking pages, anchor text, and link-building patterns of competing websites to discover useful SEO insights and potential link opportunities.

How Do I Find My Competitors’ Backlinks?

You can use a backlink research tool such as Ahrefs or Semrush.

Enter your competitor’s domain and review its backlinks, referring domains, linking pages, target URLs, and anchor text.

What Is a Backlink Gap?

A backlink gap is the difference between the websites linking to your competitors and the websites linking to your own site.

For example, a common backlink gap is a referring domain that links to one or more competitors but not to you.

What Is Link Intersect?

Link Intersect is a competitor research method that identifies websites or pages linking to your competitors but not to your website.

Ahrefs provides Link Intersect for this type of analysis.

What Is Semrush Backlink Gap?

Semrush Backlink Gap is a tool that compares backlink profiles and identifies referring domains that link to competitors but not to your website.

Semrush supports comparisons with competing websites as part of its Backlink Gap workflow.

Is Link Intersect the Same as Backlink Gap Analysis?

They are very similar concepts.

Both can help you identify websites linking to competitors but not to your site.

The main difference is usually the tool, interface, filters, and reporting features.

What Is Moz Link Intersect?

“Moz Link Intersect” is commonly used as a search term for the broader concept of comparing competitor backlink profiles to find shared or missing links.

Different SEO platforms use different names for similar workflows, such as Ahrefs Link Intersect and Semrush Backlink Gap.

How Many Competitors Should I Analyze?

Start with three to five strong SEO competitors.

Later, you can expand the research if you need more data.

Should I Copy My Competitor’s Backlinks?

No.

Use competitor backlinks as research data.

First, understand why the competitor earned each link. Then determine whether you can provide something genuinely useful to the same audience.

Are Competitor Backlinks Always Good Backlinks?

No.

A competitor may have irrelevant, low-quality, outdated, or otherwise unhelpful links.

Therefore, review the website, linking page, context, relevance, and reason for the link before treating it as an opportunity.

Should I Focus on DR or DA?

No single SEO metric should decide whether a backlink is valuable.

Use metrics as research signals. At the same time, evaluate relevance, audience, content quality, page context, and link placement.

Can Competitor Backlink Analysis Help With Guest Posting?

Yes.

If several competitors receive links from relevant publications through contributed articles, that can reveal websites that publish industry content.

However, approach those publications with useful topics and follow their editorial standards instead of asking for a backlink simply because a competitor has one.

Can Competitor Backlink Analysis Help With Content Strategy?

Yes.

Looking at your competitors’ most-linked pages can show which topics and content formats attract references.

For example, research, tools, statistics, guides, templates, and other useful resources may reveal patterns worth investigating.

How Do I Turn Competitor Backlinks Into Link-Building Opportunities?

First, identify the backlink.

Next, understand why the competitor earned it.

Then, check whether the website and page are relevant to your audience.

Finally, create or identify something genuinely useful that gives the publisher a reason to reference your website.

Final Thoughts

Competitor backlink analysis is not about building a huge list of websites and sending the same email to all of them.

Instead, it is a research process.

Start by finding the right competitors.

Then study their referring domains, backlinks, linking pages, target pages, and most-linked content.

Tools such as Ahrefs Link Intersect and Semrush Backlink Gap can help you find websites that link to competitors but not to you.

However, the most important part happens after the tool gives you the data.

Review the opportunity yourself.

Ask:

Why did this website link to my competitor?

Then ask:

Can I give this website a useful reason to link to me?

That is the difference between simply copying competitor backlinks and using competitor backlink analysis as a real SEO strategy.

If several relevant websites link to competitors because of original research, investigate the research.

Publications regularly cite their data, consider creating useful data of your own.

Resource pages repeatedly mention competitors, look for relevant resources you can contribute.

Industry websites publish expert contributions, build relationships and offer useful expertise.

Ultimately, use competitor backlinks to understand what works in your market, then build your own strategy around relevance, value, and genuine opportunities.

Research the competitor. Understand the reason. Find the gap. Create the value. Then earn the link.

For the broader link-building process, read our guide on How to Build Backlinks.

You can also use our guide on Relevant Backlinks when evaluating whether a competitor backlink is actually a good opportunity.