How to Steal Backlinks from your Competitors and Increase Organic Traffic?

Your competitors are ranking above you. That’s frustrating. But here’s the good news: they’ve already done the hard work of finding sites willing to link to content in your niche. You don’t need to start from scratch. You need to reverse-engineer what’s already working.

Stealing backlinks isn’t shady. It’s smart competitive analysis. You identify where competitors get links, then convince those same sites to link to you instead or in addition. No black hat tactics. Just strategic outreach based on proven opportunities.

I’ve used this approach to build backlink profiles for dozens of sites. It works because you’re not guessing. You’re targeting websites that have already demonstrated willingness to link to content like yours.

This guide walks you through the exact process, step by step, with specific tools and templates you can use today.

Why Competitor Backlink Analysis Works

Building backlinks from scratch is hard. You’re cold-emailing websites, hoping they care about your content. The success rate is low. Maybe 2-3% for generic outreach.

Competitor backlink analysis changes the game. You’re targeting sites that have already linked to similar content. They’ve shown interest in your topic. The link request isn’t random. It’s relevant.

This approach works for three reasons:

• Proof of concept. If a site linked to your competitor, they link to sites in your niche. That’s established. You’re not asking them to do something new.
• Relevance alignment. The linking site’s audience clearly cares about your topic. Otherwise, why would they have linked to your competitor?
• Known contact patterns. Many sites that accept guest posts or link requests have established processes. Your competitor found those processes. Now you benefit from their research.

The success rate for targeted competitor backlink outreach typically runs 8-15%. That’s 4-5x higher than generic outreach. Better efficiency means faster results with less effort.

Step 1: Identify Your Real SEO Competitors

Your business competitors and SEO competitors aren’t always the same. You might compete for customers with a huge national brand. But in search results, you’re competing with whoever ranks for your target keywords.

Find Keywords You Want to Rank For

Start with a list of 10-20 keywords that matter to your business. These should be:

• Directly related to what you sell or offer
• Terms your potential customers actually search
• Reasonably achievable (don’t target “best credit cards” if you’re a new site)

Use Semrush or Ahrefs to expand your initial list. Look at keyword difficulty scores. Focus on terms where you have a realistic chance.

Search Those Keywords and Note Who Ranks

For each keyword, run a Google search. Document the top 10 results. After searching 10-20 keywords, you’ll notice patterns. The same sites appear repeatedly.

These repeat offenders are your real SEO competitors. They’re actively targeting the same keywords and winning. Their backlink strategies are what you need to analyze.

Create a spreadsheet with columns for:

• Competitor URL
• Times they appeared in top 10
• Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA)
• Estimated organic traffic

Narrow to 5-8 Primary Competitors

You don’t need to analyze every site that ranks. Focus on 5-8 competitors that:

1. Rank consistently for your target keywords
2. Have similar or slightly higher domain authority than you
3. Appear to run active link building campaigns (not just brand mentions)

Targeting sites with DR 90+ when you’re at DR 30 isn’t practical. Their link profiles come from authority and brand recognition you can’t replicate yet. Focus on competitors within striking distance.

Step 2: Extract Competitor Backlink Data

Now you need to see exactly where your competitors get their links. This requires a backlink analysis tool.

Tool Options for Backlink Analysis

Semrush Backlink Analytics is my primary recommendation. It provides:

• Complete referring domain lists
• Anchor text distribution
• New and lost link tracking
• Backlink gap analysis (comparing multiple competitors)

Ahrefs Site Explorer is equally powerful. Many SEOs prefer it. The data is comprehensive and regularly updated.

Moz Link Explorer offers a free tier with limited data. Good for testing the process before investing in paid tools.

For serious competitor analysis, you need paid tools. Free tools provide incomplete data. Missing 60% of your competitor’s backlinks defeats the purpose.

Export Referring Domains

In your chosen tool, enter a competitor’s domain. Navigate to the referring domains section. Export the full list as CSV.

You want these data points for each linking domain:

• Referring domain URL
• Domain Rating/Authority
• Number of links to competitor
• Anchor text used
• Target URL on competitor’s site
• Link type (dofollow/nofollow)

Repeat this export for each of your 5-8 competitors. You’ll end up with several thousand referring domains to analyze.

Use Backlink Gap Analysis

Most tools offer backlink gap analysis. This shows domains linking to competitors that don’t link to you.

In Semrush, the Backlink Gap tool is particularly useful. Enter your domain plus up to four competitors. The tool shows:

• Domains linking to multiple competitors but not you (high-priority targets)
• Domains linking to one competitor (moderate priority)
• Domains linking only to you (your current advantages)

Export the gap analysis. These are your primary targets. If a site links to three of your competitors, they’re clearly open to linking within your niche.

Step 3: Qualify and Prioritize Link Opportunities

Not every backlink is worth pursuing. Some competitors get links from spam sites. Others get links from irrelevant directories. You need to filter for quality.

Quality Indicators to Check

• Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA). Target sites with DR 30 or higher. Links from DR 10 sites rarely move the needle.
• Organic traffic. Use Semrush or Ahrefs to check if the site gets actual visitors. A DR 50 site with zero traffic might be a Private Blog Network (PBN). Avoid.
• Relevance. Does the site’s content relate to your niche? A cooking blog linking to your marketing software doesn’t help much.
• Link context. Check how they linked to your competitor. Was it editorial (in content) or in a sidebar/footer? Editorial links carry more weight.
• Recent activity. Is the site still active? Check their most recent post. A site that hasn’t published in two years is unlikely to respond.

Create a Scoring System

Build a simple scoring matrix:

Factor	Score Range
DR 50+	3 points
DR 30-49	2 points
DR 15-29	1 point
Relevant niche	3 points
Active (posted last 3 months)	2 points
Editorial link to competitor	2 points
Links to multiple competitors	3 points

Sites scoring 8+ are high priority. Sites scoring 5-7 are worth pursuing. Below 5, probably skip unless you need volume.

Categorize by Link Type

Different link sources require different approaches. Categorize your qualified prospects:

• Guest post opportunities. Sites where competitor’s author byline appears. They accept contributor content.
• Resource page links. Sites with dedicated resource pages listing helpful tools or content in your niche.
• Editorial mentions. Sites that mentioned competitor within blog posts. The hardest to replicate but most valuable.
• Directory/list inclusions. Curated lists of tools, services, or resources where competitor appears.
• Broken link opportunities. Links that now 404 on the competitor’s site. The linking site needs a replacement.

Each category has a different outreach strategy. Organize your spreadsheet accordingly.

Step 4: Develop Content That Earns Links

Before outreach, you need something worth linking to. If your content is weaker than your competitor’s, why would anyone switch their link?

Analyze What Got Linked

Look at the specific pages on your competitor’s site that earned links. Common link magnets include:

• Original research and data
• Comprehensive guides
• Free tools and calculators
• Infographics and visual content
• Controversial or contrarian takes
• Industry surveys and reports

Identify patterns in your competitor’s linked content. What format works? What topics attract links? What makes their content linkable?

Create Superior Alternatives

For each link target category, you need content that’s genuinely better than what your competitor offers. This isn’t about minor improvements. You need to be obviously superior.

The Skyscraper Approach.

Find competitor content that earned links. Create something:

• More comprehensive (cover more subtopics)
• More current (update outdated statistics)
• Better designed (clearer formatting, better visuals)
• More actionable (specific steps, templates, examples)

If their guide has 2,000 words, yours needs 4,000 with more depth. If their infographic has 10 data points, yours needs 25. If their tool does one thing, yours does three.

Original Research Works Best.

Nothing attracts links like original data. Survey your industry. Analyze public datasets. Run experiments. Publish findings.

Competitors can’t easily replicate original research. Journalists and bloggers need fresh data to cite. This is the highest-value content investment you can make.

Free Tools Generate Passive Links.

Calculators, generators, analyzers, and checkers earn links continuously. They provide utility. People share and link to useful tools naturally.

If you can build a simple tool that solves a common problem in your niche, do it. Tools earn links for years with minimal ongoing effort.

Match Content to Link Opportunities

Different prospects need different content:

• Guest post opportunities: Prepare topic pitches tailored to each site’s audience
• Resource pages: Create a resource that genuinely belongs on their list
• Editorial mentions: Develop content newsworthy or insightful enough to reference
• List inclusions: Ensure your product/service deserves a spot

Don’t pitch your homepage. Pitch specific, valuable content assets that earn their place.

Step 5: Execute Outreach Campaigns

With qualified targets and link-worthy content, you’re ready for outreach. This is where most people fail. They send generic templates that get ignored.

Find Contact Information

You need to reach the right person. Generic contact forms usually go nowhere.

• For blogs: Find the author or editor. Check the about page. Look for team pages. Use Hunter.io to find email patterns for the domain.
• For companies: Target the content marketing manager, SEO lead, or head of content. LinkedIn reveals job titles. Hunter.io or Voila Norbert find email addresses.
• For resource pages: Identify who maintains the page. Often it’s different from the main blog author.

Add contact info to your spreadsheet. Verified emails get better deliverability than guesses.

Craft Personalized Outreach

Generic templates get deleted. You need personalization that proves you actually visited their site.

Elements of effective outreach:

1. Personalized opening. Reference something specific about their site or recent content. Not just their name.
2. Clear value proposition. What do they get from linking to you? Better resource for their readers? More comprehensive coverage?
3. Specific ask. Don’t be vague about what you want. Link to your guide from their resource page. Include your tool in their list. Consider you for a guest contribution.
4. Proof of quality. Brief evidence that your content deserves the link. Mention unique data, comprehensiveness, or user engagement.
5. Easy next step. Don’t make them work. Include the link. Attach the content. Make saying yes easy.

Outreach Templates by Opportunity Type

For Guest Post Pitches:

For Resource Page Inclusion:

For Broken Link Building:

Send and Follow Up

Send your initial outreach. Most people won’t respond immediately. That’s normal.

Follow-up schedule:

• Day 0: Initial email
• Day 4: First follow-up (brief, reference original email)
• Day 10: Second follow-up (add new value or different angle)
• Day 21: Final follow-up (acknowledge they’re busy, leave door open)

After four touches with no response, move on. Some prospects aren’t interested. That’s fine. You have hundreds of targets.

Track everything in your spreadsheet. Note response dates, outcomes, and any relationship notes for future outreach.

Step 6: Alternative Link Acquisition Tactics

Direct outreach isn’t the only approach. Sometimes indirect tactics work better for certain link types.

Broken Link Building at Scale

Many competitors have old content with broken outbound links. Those linking sites want to fix broken links but lack alternatives.

Process:

1. Find your competitor’s most linked-to pages
2. Run those URLs through a broken link checker
3. Identify pages linking to your competitor that now 404
4. Create content that matches what the broken link originally referenced
5. Reach out to linkers offering your content as a replacement

This works because you’re solving a problem. The site owner has a broken user experience. You’re providing the fix.

Unlinked Brand Mentions

Sometimes sites mention your brand or content without linking. These are easy wins.

Set up Google Alerts for:

• Your brand name
• Your product names
• Your key personnel names
• Your unique content or research

When alerts trigger, check if the mention includes a link. If not, reach out and ask for one. You’re not requesting a new link. You’re asking them to complete an existing reference.

Success rate on unlinked mention outreach typically exceeds 40%. They’ve already deemed you mention-worthy.

Content Syndication and Republishing

Some sites accept republished content with attribution links. This works well for:

• Medium and LinkedIn publishing
• Industry-specific content aggregators
• Partner company blogs

Republishing isn’t duplicate content if done properly. Use canonical tags or wait until Google indexes your original first.

Digital PR and News Outreach

For original research or newsworthy content, pitch journalists and industry publications directly.

BuzzSumo helps identify journalists covering your topics. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connects you with writers seeking expert sources.

PR links from news sites carry significant authority. One link from a major publication can outweigh 20 links from small blogs.

Podcast Guest Appearances

Podcast hosts typically include guest website links in show notes. Podcasts in your niche reach your target audience.

Find podcasts where competitors have appeared. Those hosts clearly interview people in your space. Pitch yourself as a guest.

One podcast appearance often generates:

• Show notes link from the podcast site
• Social shares by the host
• Additional opportunities from listeners

Step 7: Track, Measure, and Optimize

Link building without measurement is guessing. You need to know what’s working.

Key Metrics to Track

Outreach metrics:

• Emails sent
• Responses received (response rate)
• Positive responses
• Links acquired (success rate)
• Links acquired by category

SEO metrics:

• New referring domains (monthly)
• Domain Rating/Authority changes
• Keyword ranking movements
• Organic traffic growth

Use Google Search Console to monitor backlink growth. Use Semrush or Ahrefs to track referring domains over time.

What to Measure Weekly

Every week, review:

• How many outreach emails did you send?
• What was the response rate?
• Which templates/angles performed best?
• Which link opportunity types converted highest?

Adjust based on data. If guest post pitches convert at 15% but resource page requests convert at 5%, shift resources toward guest posting.

Monthly Link Profile Review

Monthly, conduct a deeper analysis:

• Total new referring domains acquired
• Quality of acquired links (average DR)
• Anchor text distribution (avoid over-optimization)
• Comparison to competitors’ link velocity

If competitors acquire 50 new referring domains monthly and you acquire 10, you need to scale up or find higher-efficiency tactics.

Quarterly Strategy Adjustments

Every quarter, reassess your competitor list. The SEO landscape changes. New competitors emerge. Old ones fade.

Re-run backlink gap analysis. New link opportunities appear as competitors build new links. Stay current on what’s acquiring links in your space.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I’ve seen these errors repeatedly. They kill link building campaigns.

Targeting Quantity Over Quality

100 links from DR 10 sites provide less value than 5 links from DR 50 sites. Probably cause harm. Google sees the pattern.

Focus on quality first. You need fewer high-quality links than you think. Ten solid editorial links beat a hundred directory submissions.

Generic Outreach Templates

“I found your post and thought you might like my content” gets deleted immediately. It screams mass email.

Personalization takes time. That’s the point. If anyone could do it easily, everyone would. The effort signals legitimacy.

Pitching Weak Content

Don’t pitch content that isn’t genuinely better than alternatives. Website owners see through it. You damage your brand.

If your content is mediocre, improve it before outreach. You’re asking for a favor (a link). Bring something valuable to the exchange.

Ignoring Relationships

Link building works better when you have relationships. A cold email from a stranger gets scrutinized. An email from someone you’ve engaged with gets considered.

Before outreach campaigns, spend time:

• Commenting on their content
• Sharing their posts on social media
• Engaging with their brand publicly

When your pitch arrives, you’re not a stranger. You’re a familiar name with a track record of genuine engagement.

Giving Up Too Early

Link building takes time. You won’t see results in week one. Probably not month one.

Consistent effort compounds. Month three works better than month one because you’ve built relationships, refined templates, and developed content assets.

Most competitors quit after three months of modest results. Those who persist for six to twelve months see significant gains.

Tools for Competitor Backlink Analysis

The right tools make this process efficient. Here’s what I use and recommend.

Essential Tools

• Semrush – Comprehensive SEO platform with excellent backlink analysis. Backlink gap feature is particularly valuable. Pricing starts around $120/month.
• Ahrefs – Many consider it the gold standard for backlink data. Site Explorer provides granular link details. Similar pricing to Semrush.
• Hunter.io – Email finder that works well for outreach. Provides email patterns and verification. Free tier available.

Helpful Additions

• BuzzSumo – Find content that earns links in your niche. Identify trending topics and linkable formats.
• Pitchbox or Respona – Outreach automation platforms. Manage campaigns at scale. Worth considering if you’re doing 100+ emails monthly.
• Moz Link Explorer – Free alternative for basic backlink analysis. Limited but useful for smaller budgets.
• Google Search Console – Free, essential, and often underutilized. Shows who links to you and monitors link growth.

Don’t Overload on Tools

Two or three tools handle 95% of needs. You need one solid backlink analysis platform, one email finder, and one place to track outreach. Everything else is optional.

Start with fewer tools. Add more when specific needs arise. Tool overload wastes money and creates complexity.

Getting Started This Week

Knowing the process isn’t enough. You need to start.

• Day 1-2: Identify 5-8 SEO competitors. Create your initial competitor list based on keyword rankings.
• Day 3-4: Export backlinks from all competitors. Run backlink gap analysis. Compile master prospect list.
• Day 5-6: Qualify and score prospects. Identify top 50 high-priority targets. Categorize by link opportunity type.
• Day 7: Begin outreach on highest-priority category. Send 10-15 personalized emails.

Week two continues with outreach expansion and first follow-ups. By month end, you should have sent 50-100 targeted emails and acquired your first competitor backlinks.

This isn’t fast. Building a competitive backlink profile takes months. But you’re working from proven opportunities rather than guessing. That efficiency advantage compounds over time.

Your competitors found these linking sites through trial and error. You’re benefiting from their research. Use it.

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