Want to Outrank Your Competition? Here’s How to Find Their Backlinks
If you’re tired of seeing your competitors outrank you on Google, you’re not alone. Business owners everywhere are constantly battling for top spots on search engines, and the truth is—your competitors didn’t land there by accident. They got there because they have something you might not yet have: powerful backlinks.
So the million-dollar question is: How to find backlinks of competitors?
That’s exactly what we’re diving into. But we won’t just skim the surface like most SEO blogs. We’re talking real strategies, unique insights, underused tools, and tips that’ll give you a genuine edge. If you want to climb Google’s ladder and leave your competitors in the digital dust, buckle up. Let’s talk backlinks—and how to steal your competitors’ thunder.
Why Backlinks Still Rule SEO
Let’s clear the air: Backlinks still matter—a lot. According to a study by Backlinko, the #1 result on Google has an average of 3.8x more backlinks than positions 2 to 10 combined. Another report by Ahrefs shows that 91% of all web pages never get any organic traffic from Google, mostly because they lack backlinks.
So, if you want to beat your competition, reverse-engineering their backlink profiles isn’t just smart—it’s necessary.
The Basics: What Is a Backlink Profile?
A backlink profile is essentially a record of all the websites that link to a particular domain. Think of each link as a vote of confidence. The more high-quality votes you get, the better your chances of ranking.
But here’s the kicker—not all backlinks are created equal. That’s why finding your competitors’ backlinks is only step one. Step two is analyzing which ones are worth your time.
How to Find Your Competitors’ Backlinks (Step-by-Step)
Let’s get into the good stuff.
1. Use Tools, but Go Beyond the Basics
Everyone knows about tools like:
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
- Moz
- Ubersuggest
These tools are great for pulling backlink profiles. Just pop in a competitor’s domain, and you’ll get a list of all their referring domains, anchor texts, and link types.
But here’s what most websites won’t tell you:
Don’t stop at the overview. Use these extra filters:
- “One link per domain” to find unique linking partners.
- Filter by traffic to identify backlinks from websites that actually send referral traffic.
- Sort by DR (Domain Rating) or DA (Domain Authority) to find high-authority backlinks.
- Check for “DoFollow” links only—these are the links that carry real SEO juice.
In Ahrefs, set the filter to “Linked domains” > “New” in the last 30 days. This helps you track new backlinks your competitors are building right now—and beat them to similar opportunities.
2. Use Google Alerts and Mention Tracking
This one’s overlooked but pure gold.
Set Google Alerts for your competitors’ brand names. When they’re mentioned online, there’s a good chance they’ll be linked. And if they’re not? Opportunity!
You can reach out to the site owner and suggest they link to your brand instead, especially if your content is more comprehensive.
For more advanced tracking, use tools like:
- BrandMentions
- Mention.com
- BuzzSumo
These help you catch backlinks (and unlinked brand mentions) in real time.
3. Spy on Guest Posts
Your competitors are probably writing guest posts on industry blogs to build authority. How do you find out where?
Try this search on Google:
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“[competitor name]” + “guest post by”
Or:
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“[competitor name]” + “contributor at”
This pulls up blogs your competitor contributes to. Now, you can pitch those same websites with better, more targeted content.
4. Find “Link Roundup” Opportunities They’re Using
A link roundup is a curated list of valuable resources, often published weekly or monthly. If your competitor is featured in one, chances are you can be too.
Use search strings like:
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“keyword” + “weekly roundup”
“keyword” + “best of the web”
“keyword” + “top blog posts”
Tools like BuzzSumo and Curata can help you dig deeper.
Look at where your competitors are featured. Then, reach out with your own article or resource that adds even more value.
5. Use Click Typhoon’s Buy Niche Edits Service
Here’s where the shortcut comes in.
Let’s say you find your competitors’ backlinks but don’t have the time to manually replicate or outdo all of them. That’s where Click Typhoon’s Buy Niche Edits service saves the day.
We help business owners like you land contextual backlinks from relevant, aged content that already has authority—exactly what Google loves. You get backlinks without having to write a single guest post or send a dozen outreach emails.
It’s fast, efficient, and scalable. And yes—it can outrank your competitors when used strategically.
Bonus Tip: Look for “Broken Link Building” Opportunities
Your competitors’ websites and the sites they link to aren’t perfect. Links break. Pages go offline. That’s your chance.
Use Check My Links (Chrome Extension) or Screaming Frog to identify broken backlinks on competitor websites or sites that used to link to them.
Then, create a similar (or better) piece of content and reach out to suggest replacing the dead link with yours. It’s a win-win.
Bonus Tip: Analyze Anchor Text Distribution
Here’s something you won’t find in most SEO guides: analyzing anchor text trends.
Too many exact match anchors (e.g., “best plumber in NYC”) can get flagged by Google. If your competitor is ranking well with a natural-looking anchor profile, study it. Mimic their ratios of branded, generic, and keyword-rich anchor texts.
Ahrefs and SEMrush can help you export anchor text data. Don’t just copy—learn their patterns and improve upon them.
What You Should Be Doing Right Now
Let’s recap.
- Backlinks are still the #1 ranking factor—don’t ignore them.
- Use advanced filters in tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush.
- Track new backlinks and brand mentions in real time.
- Steal guest post ideas, link roundups, and broken link opportunities.
- Analyze competitor anchor text ratios.
- Get a backlink boost with Click Typhoon’s Buy Niche Edits service.
Ready to Outrank Your Competition?
Your competitors are building backlinks whether you are or not. The only difference is that you now have the inside scoop on how to find theirs and beat them at their own game.
Click Typhoon is here to help business owners like you get ahead. With our Buy Niche Edits service, you can build strong, white-hat backlinks that push your rankings higher without the hassle.
- Don’t waste another week letting your competition take traffic that could be yours.
- Invest in backlinks that drive results.
- Use the strategies above to find your competitors’ links.
- Let us help you build better ones.
- Visit Click Typhoon and take the next step in dominating your niche.
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How to Do Competitor Backlink Analysis
