Competitor External Link Analysis

What is Competitor Backlink Analysis?

Competitor backlink analysis is a strategic SEO method that analyzes competitors' backlink profiles to identify new Link Acquisition opportunities. This analysis helps discover valuable link sources that are relevant and accessible for your own website.

Why is Competitor Backlink Analysis Important?

Step-by-Step Guide

001. Competitor Identification

The first phase includes the systematic identification of relevant competitors:

Direct Competitors:

• Companies with similar products/services
• Market leaders in your industry
• Companies with comparable target audience

Indirect Competitors:

• Companies with similar keywords
• Content marketing competitors
• Companies with similar domain authority

002. Tool Selection and Setup

003. Analyze Backlink Profiles

Important Metrics for Analysis:

1. Domain Authority (DA)
   • Assessment of domain strength
   • Target: DA 30+ for relevant links
2. Page Power (PA)
   • Assessment of page strength
   • Focus on high-quality pages
3. Trust Flow (TF)
   • Trustworthiness of the domain
   • More important than Citation Flow
4. Anchor Text Distribution
   • Analysis of link texts
   • Avoiding over-optimization

004. Categorize Link Sources

Quality Links:

• Guest posts on relevant blogs
• Mentions in specialist articles
• Interviews and expert tips

Tool Pages:

• Industry directories
• Tool lists and resource collections
• FAQ pages with relevant links

Partnerships:

• Cooperations with other companies
• Cross-promotion activities
• Joint projects and studies

005. Develop Outreach Strategy

Personalization is the key:

1. Research Target Page
   • Analyze current content
   • Identify editor/responsible person
   • Find personal connection points
2. Create Email Templates
   • Different templates for different link sources
   • A/B testing of templates
   • Plan follow-up sequences
3. Define Value Proposition
   • What do I offer the target page?
   • Why should they link to me?
   • What value does the link bring?

006. Monitoring and Optimization

Important KPIs for Monitoring:

• Response Rate: Percentage of responses to outreach emails
• Link Success Rate: Ratio of requests to received links
• Link Quality: DA/PA of received backlinks
• Anchor Text Distribution: Natural distribution of link texts

Best Practices for Competitor Backlink Analysis

001. Focus on Relevance

• Only analyze competitors with similar target audience
• Prioritize industry-specific link sources
• Check thematic relevance of link sources

002. Quality over Quantity

• Evaluate DA/PA of link sources
• Exclude spam links and link farms
• Prefer editorial links

003. Use Current Data

• Regular updates of backlink profiles
• Identify lost links
• Discover new link opportunities

004. Strive for Diversification

• Use different types of link sources
• Natural anchor text distribution
• Geographic diversification

Avoid Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Focus Only on DA

• Low DA can still be valuable
• Relevance is more important than pure numbers

Mistake 2: Copy-Paste Outreach

• Generic emails have low response rate
• Personalization is essential

Mistake 3: Ignore Link History

• Check link development over time
• Identify link losses

Tools and Resources

Premium Tools

Ahrefs:

• Most comprehensive backlink database
• Lost Links feature
• Competitor Gap Analysis
• Prices: from $99/month

SEMrush:

• Backlink Audit Tool
• Competitor Analysis
• Link Building Tool
• Prices: from $119/month

Free Alternatives

Google Search Console:

• Analyze own backlinks
• Link data from Google
• Available for free

Ubersuggest:

• Limited backlink data
• Competitor Analysis
• Free version available

ROI and Success Measurement

Average Success Rates:

• Response Rate: 5-15%
• Link Success Rate: 2-8%
• Quality Links: 1-3%

ROI Factors:

• Time savings through pre-filtered sources
• Higher success rate through proven strategies
• Better link quality through competitor insights

Related Topics

• Link Quality
• Link Acquisition Strategies
• Link Outreach
• Backlink Metrics
• Competitive Analysis