In the world of SEO, ranking on Google often feels like a race where the finish line keeps moving. You write great content, you optimize your technical SEO, and your page speed is lightning fast. Yet, you are stuck on position #4, while a competitor with an uglier website sits comfortably at #1.
Why?
The answer is almost always backlinks.
They have “votes of confidence” from other websites that you don’t have. But here is the good news: you don’t have to guess where they got those votes. You can simply look.
This process is called Competitor Backlink Analysis. It is the art of reverse-engineering your competitor’s success, finding the “gaps” in your own strategy, and systematically poaching their link sources.
In this comprehensive guide, we are going to walk you through exactly what competitor backlink analysis is, why the backlink gap is the most important metric in 2025, and how to use tools like Ahrefs and Majestic to execute this strategy.
Part 1: What is Competitor Backlink Analysis?
At its core, competitor backlink analysis is the process of investigating the websites that are linking to your competitors.
It answers three critical questions:
- Who is linking to them?
- Why are they linking to them? (Is it a guest post? A directory? A news mention?)
- How can you get them to link to you instead (or as well)?
In the old days of SEO, people built links blindly. They would submit their site to thousands of directories hoping something would stick. Today, that strategy gets you penalized. Modern SEO is about precision.
By analyzing your competitors, you stop shooting in the dark. You are essentially letting your competitors do the hard work of finding link prospects for you. If a website links to a business similar to yours, they have already proven they are interested in your niche. You just need to present yourself as a better option.
Part 2: The “Backlink Gap” – Your Secret Weapon
The most powerful concept you will learn today is Backlink Gap Analysis.
If you look at the Ahrefs data for successful SEO campaigns, “Backlink Gap” is often the highest-volume search term for a reason. It is the quickest way to find “low-hanging fruit.”
How the Gap Works
Imagine a Venn diagram with three circles:
- Circle A: Links pointing to Competitor 1
- Circle B: Links pointing to Competitor 2
- Circle C: Links pointing to YOU.
The “Gap” is the intersection between Competitor 1 and Competitor 2, excluding you.
If a specific blog links to both of your top competitors but ignores you, that is a massive red flag—and a massive opportunity. It means that the website is not biased toward one specific company; they are linking to players in the industry.
If you are not on that list, you are invisible to them. Closing this gap is often the fastest way to boost your Domain Authority (DA).
Part 3: Competitor Backlink Analysis Using Ahrefs & Majestic
You cannot do this manually. The web is too big. To find these gaps, you need industry-standard intelligence tools. The two heavyweights in this arena are Ahrefs and Majestic.
Here is the step-by-step workflow for using both.
Method A: The Ahrefs Strategy (Link Intersect)
Ahrefs is arguably the most popular tool for this because of its massive link database and user-friendly interface.
Step 1: Identify Your True Competitors Don’t just guess. Go to Google and search for your main keyword (e.g., “App development company Jaipur”). The top 3 organic results are your targets. Copy their URLs.
Step 2: Open the “Link Intersect” Tool Inside Ahrefs, navigate to Site Explorer > Link Intersect.
- In the top section (“Show me who is linking to these targets”), paste the URLs of your top 3 competitors.
- In the bottom section (“But doesn’t link to”), paste your website URL.
Step 3: Analyze the Results Hit “Show Link Opportunities.” Ahrefs will generate a list of domains.
- Look for the column that says “Intersects“.
- If you see a number like “3”, it means that specific website links to ALL 3 of your competitors, but not you.
Step 4: Filter for Quality Not all links are good links. Filter the list by DR (Domain Rating). Focus on sites with a DR of 30+. Ignore anything with a DR below 5 or sites that look spammy.
Method B: The Majestic Strategy (Clique Hunter)
Majestic is a specialized tool that focuses almost exclusively on backlink metrics. Their terminology is slightly different but highly effective.
Step 1: Use the “Clique Hunter” Majestic has a feature specifically designed for gap analysis called Clique Hunter. It visualizes groups of sites (cliques) that link to multiple domains within a niche.
Step 2: Visual Analysis Enter your competitors. Majestic will show you a graph.
- You are looking for the “nodes” that connect to everyone else but have no line connecting to you.
Step 3: Check Trust Flow (TF) Majestic ranks sites by “Trust Flow” and “Citation Flow.”
- Trust Flow represents the quality of the link.
- Citation Flow represents the quantity.
- You want links from sites where the Trust Flow is high. If a site has high Citation Flow but very low Trust Flow, it is likely a spam farm. Avoid it.
Part 4: Categorizing the Opportunities
Once you have your list of “Gap” URLs, you need to categorize them. You cannot send the same email to everyone. Generally, you will find four types of backlinks:
1. General Directories
These are business listing sites (e.g., JustDial, Sulekha, Clutch, GoodFirms).
- Difficulty: Very Easy.
- Action: Usually, you just need to create an account and submit your profile. Ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) is consistent.
2. Resource Pages
These are blog posts titled “Top 10 Tools for…” or “Best Resources for…”
- Difficulty: Medium.
- Action: You need to email the webmaster and suggest your tool/service as an addition to the list.
3. Guest Posts
You will see that your competitors have written articles for other blogs.
- Difficulty: Hard.
- Action: You cannot just ask for a link here. You must pitch a new article idea to that blog owner.
4. Media Mentions / PR
If your competitor was interviewed by a news site or quoted in an article.
- Difficulty: Very Hard.
- Action: This requires building a relationship with that journalist for future stories.
Part 5: How to Steal the Links (The Outreach)
You have the data. You know who to contact. Now, how do you actually get the link? This is where most people fail. They send generic emails that get deleted.
Here is a 3-step framework for outreach that actually works.
Step 1: Find the Right Person
Do not email support@website.com. Use LinkedIn or tools like Hunter.io to find the Editor, Content Manager, or Marketing Head. You need a human, not a bot.
Step 2: The “Value-First” Pitch
Do not beg. Webmasters do not care about your ranking; they care about their content.
Bad Pitch:
“Hi, I see you linked to my competitor. Can you link to me too?”
Good Pitch:
“Hi [Name],
I was researching [Topic] and found your excellent guide on [Article Name]. I noticed you linked to [Competitor’s Article] in the section about app costs.
That article is a bit outdated (from 2023). We actually just published a 2025 Price Guide that includes new tax regulations and updated developer rates.
It might add more value to your readers who are looking for current numbers. Here is the link if you want to check it out.
No pressure at all! Best, Utkarsh”
Step 3: Follow Up
People are busy. If they don’t reply in 3 days, send a polite follow-up. “Just bumping this to the top of your inbox.” 50% of backlinks are won in the follow-up.
Part 6: Analyzing “Toxic” Competitor Links
While analyzing your competitors, you will see some shady stuff.
- Links from gambling sites.
- Links from “link farms” (sites that exist only to sell links).
- Links with over-optimized anchor text (e.g., 500 links all saying “Best SEO Company”).
Do not copy these.
Google’s Penguin algorithm hunts for unnatural link patterns. If you copy your competitor’s spammy links, you might both get penalized. Your goal is to copy their best links, not their worst ones.
Use the metrics (DR in Ahrefs, Trust Flow in Majestic) to act as your shield. If a site has a DR of 4, skip it. It’s not worth the risk.
Part 7: Monitoring and Maintenance
Competitor backlink analysis is not a one-time task. It is a habit.
Your competitors are building new links every month. If you stop watching, a new gap will open up. We recommend running a Backlink Gap Analysis once every quarter (90 days).
What to track:
- New Referring Domains: Who linked to them this month?
- Lost Links: Did they lose a big link? (Maybe you can swoop in and claim that spot).
- Anchor Text Distribution: Are they changing their keywords? This gives you a hint about their future strategy.
Conclusion: Turn Data into Dominance
Ranking on the first page of Google is rarely an accident. It is the result of strategic engineering.
By performing a Competitor Backlink Analysis, you stop hoping for traffic and start taking it. You use the data from Ahrefs and Majestic to see exactly where the authority in your niche is flowing, and you divert that stream to your own website.
It takes time. It takes outreach. But the ROI is higher than almost any paid ad campaign.
Does this sound too technical?
We understand. Digging through thousands of backlink rows, filtering for Trust Flow, and sending outreach emails is a full-time job.
At Codezion Softwares, we don’t just build websites; we grow them. Our digital marketing team specializes in Backlink Gap Analysis. We have the enterprise tools (Ahrefs, Majestic, Semrush) and the expertise to execute this strategy for you.
Stop letting your competitors enjoy the traffic that belongs to you.