Competitors' Backlinks: The Guide to Surpassing Them

You may have experienced this scenario before. Your business is doing the work. The site is clean, the offers are clear, the customers are satisfied. Yet, on Google, the same names keep appearing in front of you, query after query.

In many SMEs, the focus is first on content, redesign, speed, product sheets, service pages. This is logical. But the delay often comes from a less visible lever. Competitors' backlinks.

When a competitor progresses, their link profile rarely tells a story of chance. It reveals who is talking about them, which content attracts citations, which media have picked them up, which reputable directories support them, and which partnerships truly strengthen their authority. When analyzed well, these backlinks are not meant for mindless copying. They serve to understand where value is created, where it is not, and where your linking budget may be wasted.

For an SME, this is a matter of profitability. A relevant link can strengthen your positioning on the queries that matter. A bad link can waste your time, budget, and attention. The difference lies in sorting, prioritization, and the ability to connect SEO to a real commercial impact, and then to visibility in AI response engines.

Why Your Competitors' Backlinks Are a Goldmine

Backlinks are public recommendations. Not recommendations in the vague marketing sense. Concrete, visible, auditable signals. When one site links to another, it often indicates that there is an editorial relationship, a partnership, an expert citation, a useful resource, or a recognized presence in a sector.

That’s why competitors' backlinks are worth more than just a simple list of URLs. They show what has already been validated by your market. You are not starting from scratch. You are starting from evidence.

In France, dominant sites on Google acquire an average of 15 new referring domains per month, and for SMEs, 70% of companies ranked in the top 10 on high-volume keywords have obtained at least 90% of their backlinks from domains with an authority greater than 40, according to EcomSEO Academy's competitors' backlinks analysis. This finding changes the discussion. The question is no longer “should we do linking?”. The question becomes “which links really strengthen your position on profitable queries?”.

What a Good Link Profile Reveals

When I examine the profile of a solid competitor, I look less for raw volume than for repeated patterns. Generally, you find:

• Pages that naturally attract links. Guides, comparisons, industry studies, practical resources.
• Recurring sources. Niche blogs, industry media, local partners, resource pages.
• Credible anchors and contexts. The link is integrated into coherent content, not placed artificially.
• A rhythm of progression. The competitor does not gain links by chance. They maintain a system.

Practical rule: a competitor backlink is not a target just because it exists. It becomes a target if it reveals a reproducible logic.

Why It’s Also Economic Intelligence

A competitor's backlink profile often tells you more than a classic SEO audit. It shows where your rivals invest their time. It exposes their media relationships. It highlights the content that serves as link magnets. It can even reveal market segments that you are still unaware of.

For an SME leader, this is valuable because each observed link answers a simple business question. Who holds authority in my market? Who is already recommending my competitors? And most importantly, why them instead of us?

The common mistake is wanting to duplicate everything you see. This is a poor approach. A raw goldmine is worthless without sorting. Value comes when you distinguish links that enhance useful visibility from those that merely inflate a dashboard.

Identifying Your True SEO Competitors

Your commercial competitor is not always your main adversary in search results. This is a point that many SMEs miss. You can sell exactly the same thing as a local player while losing your positions to a specialized blog, a comparator, a trade directory, or an industry media outlet.

If you only analyze companies that look like you, you miss part of the game. In SEO, your true competitors are the domains that capture the same search intents as you.

Two Categories to Separate

I always recommend building two distinct lists.

• Commercial competitors
  These are businesses that sell an offer close to yours, in your area or segment.

• Semantic competitors
  These are sites that rank for your key queries, even if they don’t sell exactly the same thing.

• Visibility intermediaries
  Comparators, specialized directories, media, expert blogs. They do not necessarily close sales, but they capture the audience and often scoop up links.

At the regional level in France, 65% of keywords shared between direct competitors correspond to high-authority backlinks, and sites that analyze their semantic competitors rank an average of 500 keywords in the top 50 of Google thanks to a Trust Flow exceeding 20 points, according to this analysis by Keyword.com on competitors' backlinks.

How to Properly Identify Them

The simplest method is to start from your business queries. Not from your “inspiring” keywords. Your real queries. Those that correspond to your products, services, categories, and customer problems.

Then:

1. List your strategic queries
   Take your service pages, your categories, your strong sheets, your local expressions.

2. Look at the domains that frequently appear in the SERPs
   If a site appears on several important queries, it enters your competitive map.

3. Use Semrush or Ahrefs to expand the list
   Organic competitor reports show the domains that share the most keywords with you.

4. Isolate competitors by type
   E-commerce, media, blog, directory, marketplace, local player, institutional site.

A useful SEO competitor is not the one that annoys you. It’s the one that occupies the place you want to take.

The Trap of Bad Comparisons

A local SME often compares its site to a much more armed national player. This is not always relevant. The issue is not to envy the biggest link profile in the sector. The issue is to identify achievable models. If three similarly sized competitors regularly obtain links from the same types of sites, you already have an exploitable lead.

Conversely, ignoring the blogs, guides, and resource pages that rank for your queries is a costly mistake. These sites often become your best sources of indirect backlinks. They validate reference content, cite the right players, and redistribute authority in your niche.

The Toolbox for Spying on Backlinks

The right tool depends on the question you are asking. If you use the same platform for everything, you will see part of the picture, not the whole. In practice, analyzing competitors' backlinks works better when you assemble multiple views.

Which Tool for Which Use

Here’s how I distribute the roles.

Tool	When to Use It	What It Does Well	What to Watch Out For
Ahrefs	Explore a competitor's profile in detail	Referring domains, anchors, linked pages, new and lost links	Don’t confuse volume with value
Semrush	Benchmark and find gaps	Competitors, link gap, sort by authority score, comparative view	Filter well before acting
Majestic	Read the thematic quality of links	Trust-oriented and thematic proximity vision	Useful especially if you know what to look for
Google Search Console	Check your own profile	Verify what Google shows about your links	Limited view, not designed for competitive spying

What I Expect from Each Platform

Ahrefs is great for opening the hood. You look for the domains that come up with several competitors, the pages that attract the most links, and recent movements. This is particularly useful for spotting active campaigns, for example, when a competitor starts being cited on a series of industry blogs.

Semrush is very useful when you want to compare several players on the same grid. Sorting referring domains, the competitive view, and link gaps save time. If you want to structure a plan, it’s often the best starting point.

To frame your own profile before copying anything, a complete backlink audit helps distinguish real gaps from false problems.

A visual aid can help see how to articulate these tools :

Free and Freemium Tools

Not all SMEs need a complete stack from the start. You can already move forward with a simple approach :

• Google Search Console for your base
  It shows your most linked pages and your main referring domains.

• Google search for visible footprints
  Look for author biographies, “write for us” pages, press mentions, partner pages.

• Web extensions and spreadsheets It’s not sophisticated, but it’s enough to create a first list of prospects and note patterns.

Point of attention: a tool doesn’t decide anything. It speeds up sorting. The decision remains human, especially regarding business relevance.

What Works Poorly with Tools

The most common misuse is exporting hundreds of competitor backlinks and then launching a mass prospecting effort. This is where quality collapses. A tool shows you where links exist. It doesn’t tell you if those links are worth a contact, dedicated content, a relationship, or no effort at all.

The right use, on the other hand, consists of answering four questions. Is this link relevant to your market? Is it reproducible? Does it strengthen a business page or just a secondary blog page? And do you have something credible to offer to the site publishing it?

Analyzing and Prioritizing Backlink Opportunities

This is where most strategies are won or lost. A raw export of competitor backlinks has almost no operational value. You need to transform it into a short, prioritized, actionable list.

An effective method is to sort referring domains by Authority Score, with AS > 40 as a good target in France, and filter out nofollow or spam links, which can represent up to 60% of the backlinks in a profile, according to Semrush's guide on competitive keyword and backlink analysis. This simple filter already eliminates a large part of the noise.

Start by Removing What Doesn’t Deserve Action

The first sort is not glamorous. Yet it is profitable. Before looking for the best opportunities, remove the bad ones.

Prioritize removing :

• Irrelevant sites
  If the link exists on a domain that has no relation to your activity, it is not a priority.

• Manifestly weak pages
  Content farms, pages overloaded with links, directories without editorial lines.

• Nofollow links with no clear business interest
  A nofollow can have visibility interest, but not if it doesn’t reach your audience or credibility.

• Dubious footprints
  Networks of overly homogeneous blogs, repetitive anchors, pages written solely to insert links.

This step avoids the classic trap of “reflex copying.” Just because a competitor obtained a link doesn’t mean you should obtain it.

What to Evaluate on Each Backlink

Next, you move from cleaning to evaluation. For each promising link, look at five things.

1. Domain authority
   Not as a trophy. As a starting filter.

2. Thematic relevance
   An average link in your niche often holds more value than a flattering but general link.

3. The targeted page at the competitor
   If the link points to a service page, a transactional guide, or a category, there is often a business intention behind it.

4. Type of link
   Editorial mention, guest article, trade directory, partnership, interview, resource.

5. The number of competitors already present
   The more a domain cites several players in your market, the higher the probability of opening is.

If three comparable competitors already have a link from the same site, you don’t just have an intuition. You have a lead.

A Simple Prioritization Model

The goal is not to build a gas factory. You need a readable score to decide quickly. Here’s a simple model you can adapt.

Backlink URL	Domain Authority (DR/DA)	Relevance (1-5)	Link Type (Blog, Directory...)	Priority Score
example-site-1.fr/article-invite	58	5	Blog	89
example-annuaire-metier.fr/fiche	44	4	Directory	72
example-media.fr/ressources	67	5	Media	91
example-forum.fr/sujet	29	2	Forum	34

To build your priority score, keep a simple logic. Give more weight to authority and relevance, then add a bonus if several competitors already obtain a link from this domain. You can also reduce the score if the site seems little editorial or if the page appears to be designed solely to place links.

Spotting False Positives

This is where your judgment makes the difference. Some competitor backlinks may seem attractive in the tool but are mediocre in reality.

Common examples:

• The big generalist site that is little relevant
  Nice metric, low business interest.

• The “pro” directory with no apparent useful traffic
  It exists, but it supports neither the brand nor the important pages.

• The guest post published on a blog drained of its substance
  The link is indexed, but the editorial environment is weak.

• The sitewide or semi-automated link
  Visible in volume, poor in value.

Reverse analysis is often more profitable than copying. Also look for what should not be reproduced. A competitor can rank despite certain links, not because of them.

Signs of a Solid Opportunity

A good prospect accumulates several signals :

• The site regularly addresses your topic
• The competitor link is inserted into credible content
• The landing page is close to a page you already own
• You can offer something better, clearer, or more useful
• The contact seems accessible

When these signals are gathered, prospecting is worth it. When they are not, move on. Discipline often wins more than ambition.

Create Your Action Plan to Obtain These Links

A prioritized list is useless if it stays in a spreadsheet. The transition to action must be simple, repeatable, and compatible with the reality of an SME. You neither have the time nor the interest to send hundreds of identical cold emails.

In France, the response rate to personalized guest post requests is 28%, with a ROI potentially reaching +200% in traffic, but 55% of prospecting failures come from a lack of relevance to the niche of the contacted site, according to this analysis of competitor backlink analysis tactics. The message is clear. Personalization alone is not enough. You first need the right target.

Three Tactics That Remain Effective

I recommend starting with simple tactics to execute.

Targeted Guest Post

If a competitor has published on a credible industry blog, look at what this site actually accepts. The right angle is not “I want a link.” The right angle is “I can provide useful content for your audience.”

Your email should show three things :

• You know the site
• Your topic complements what already exists
• You know which page on your site the link will make sense for

Broken Link Recovery

When a referring site points to a deleted resource, you have a natural opening. The quality of the approach depends on the relevance of the replacement. If you propose a mediocre page, the site won’t budge.

Unused Mention or Missing Resource

Sometimes, the simplest thing is to identify a niche article that cites several players, except you. If you have a more up-to-date, local, or specialized resource, you have a legitimate reason to request inclusion.

An Outreach Framework That Avoids Forgettable Emails

Your prospecting should resemble an editorial proposal, not an SEO beggar.

Here’s the framework I recommend :

1. Precise subject
   Not marketing. Not mysterious. Clear.

2. Contextual hook
   Mention of an article, a section, a specific angle of the site.

3. Concise proposal
   One topic, one resource, one improvement.

4. Logical link with their audience
   Why their readers benefit.

5. Simple call to action
   A short question, not a demonstration.

Field advice: if you cannot explain in one sentence why this site should talk about you, don’t send the email.

Organizing Execution Without Getting Distracted

The classic mistake is treating all prospects the same. Do the opposite.

• Group A
  Very relevant niche sites. Manual work, tailored message, best landing page.

• Group B
  Media, trade directories, resource pages. More standardized process, but still personalized.

• Group C
  Secondary opportunities. To be activated only if you have already exploited the best ones.

To frame the link acquisition part within a broader strategy, working on off-page SEO for SMEs helps connect linking, reputation, and overall authority.

A solid action plan relies on a few elements. A short list of domains, a good target page, a credible proposal, and then disciplined follow-up. No need to over-automate. The best links are still earned through relevance, not volume.

Measuring Impact and Integrating Your Strategy into GEO

Counting the obtained links is reassuring. It’s not enough. A competitors' backlinks campaign is only profitable if it improves your useful visibility and acquisition.

The most often forgotten point is simple. Analyses focus on technical metrics and forget business impact. The real question is the effect of a link on customer acquisition, as a backlink primarily serves to strengthen positioning, not just to generate direct traffic, as this article on agency backlink strategy reminds us.

What to Track Instead of Vanity Metrics

In the field, I mainly look at:

• The positions of targeted pages
  Not just the homepage. Service pages, categories, and content that support sales.

• Organic traffic to these pages
  If the page gains visibility after acquiring coherent links, you generally see a broader SEO effect.

• Assisted conversions
  Forms, requests, calls, sales, contacts. This is where the link becomes an asset.

• The quality of the domains that cite you
  A link doesn’t need to send a lot of visits to be useful. It can strengthen a credibility cluster.

Why This Also Matters for Visibility in AIs

GEO changes the way we think about authority. Response engines do not look at your page as an isolated page. They rely on trust signals, thematic coherence, and cited presence on the web.

A clean, relevant link profile aligned with your business fuels this credibility. It’s not just about obtaining dofollow links. It’s about being present in the right contexts, on the right sources, with the right landing pages. To clarify this point, the difference between dofollow backlinks and other types of links deserves to be understood in a business logic, not just technical.

A good backlink is not valuable because it raises a score. It is valuable because it strengthens your ability to be found, understood, and recommended.

For an SME, this is a sustainable advantage. You improve your classic SEO, but you also prepare your visibility in interfaces where customers are no longer just looking for links; they expect answers.

FAQ on Analyzing Competitors' Backlinks

Should I Copy All Competitors' Backlinks?

No. Copying without filtering is the fastest way to waste time. Keep only the links that combine authority, business relevance, credible editorial context, and business potential.

What Is the First Tool to Use If My Budget Is Limited?

Start with Google Search Console for your site, then use a trial period or a one-time export via Semrush or Ahrefs for your competitors. The initial goal is not to have all the data. It’s to identify useful patterns.

Can a Directory Still Be Interesting?

Yes, if it’s a credible trade, local, or sector directory. No, if it’s a generic directory without editorial requirements. The criterion is not the category “directory.” The criterion is the value of the source.

Are Nofollow Links Useless?

Not necessarily. They can have visibility, reputation, or discovery interest. However, in a competitive replication campaign, they should not monopolize your efforts.

How Many Competitors Should I Analyze?

A few well-chosen competitors are enough to reveal clear patterns. The important thing is the quality of the selection. Take comparable players and semantic competitors who already dominate your key queries.

Which Page of My Site Should I Prioritize?

The page that best connects the link to a business intention. A strong service page, a strategic category, a guide that supports a conversion. Avoid reflexively sending all links to the homepage.

How to Know If a Backlink Really Helped the Business?

Look at the evolution of the targeted page’s positioning, its organic traffic, and then the conversions it generates or assists. If you do not link linking to these indicators, you are driving blind.

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If you want to structure this approach without turning your team into a full-time SEO unit, Wispra helps SMEs work on their visibility in AI engines and better connect their authority signals, content, and web presence to a concrete recommendation objective.