How to Conduct a Competitor Backlink Analysis

The Importance of Competitor Backlink Analysis

Search engines use backlinks as a ranking factor. Backlinks signal credibility. If your website as high quality and relevant backlinks, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. 

Competitor analysis helps you identify what is driving your competitors organic success and this is why its important:

• Identify where your competitors earn their quality backlinks
• Look for linking gaps where your site may be missing out 
• Identify competitor backlinks worth pursuing
• Observe trends in your competitors backlink profile to adjust your own strategy

How to Conduct Competitor Backlink Analysis

Now that you understand the importance of conducting a competitor backlink analysis, let's take a look at how to do it, so you can start working on your own backlink profile today:

Identify Competitors

The first step is to identify up to five online competitors that dominate the rankings for your targeted keywords. A simple Google search for your targeted keywords will show you what businesses consistently appear in the top ranking spots.

Analyse Competitor Backlink Profiles

With your competitors identified, you can now analyse their backlink profile. There are a number of tools, including Moz and Ahrefs, that will provide you with a comprehensive view of the types and sources of backlinks your competitors have acquired. When using an effective tool, you will receive a detailed list, including domain rating, along with the type of content that earned the links.

Competitor Backlink Quality

It's always important to bear in mind that not all backlinks are equal, so you want to focus on evaluating the quality of your competitors backlinks, focusing on important factors, such as:

• Referring site authority – domain authority or domain rating. The higher the authority, the more of an impact the link will have
• Relevance – the linking site should be related to your industry or topic
• Anchor text – review the anchor text, ensuring it is natural and relevant

Gaps and Opportunities

Compare your own backlink profile to your competitors, identifying insights. Some of the SEO tool provide a link gap analysis features, where you can identify what backlinks your competitors have that you are missing out on. This identifies opportunities for your own link building efforts.

Monitor Trends

Monitor your competitors backlink profiles regularly to identify their backlink growth over time. If they are gaining new backlinks at a rapid rate, it could show that they have an effective strategy that is worth investigating further. 

Conclusion

Competitor backlink analysis should be an ongoing effort. With consistent monitoring, you can adapt to capitalise on new opportunities, gaining a competitive edge. Are you ready to push your business forward online? Do you need help creating a customised backlink strategy for your website, or do you need help conducting a thorough competitor backlink analysis? Contact Genie Crawl today, we are here to help!