Intro
If you want to know how to find competitors’ backlinks, you are asking one of the smartest questions in SEO. Your competitors’ link profiles are a map of what already works in your niche: every backlink they have is proof that a real website decided to link to content like yours. Around 95% of all web pages have no backlinks at all, according to Ahrefs — so the sites that do attract links are doing something right, and their backlink lists show you exactly what it is.
In this guide you will learn seven proven ways to find a competitor’s backlinks, from free tools you can use today to the paid platforms professionals rely on.
Why Your Competitors’ Backlinks Are Worth Finding
Backlinks are still one of the strongest ranking signals in Google’s algorithm. Backlinko’s analysis of 11.8 million search results found that the page in position one has on average 3.8 times more backlinks than the pages in positions two to ten. The same study found a correlation of 0.38 between the number of referring domains and rankings — the strongest of all the factors examined.
That means finding out who links to your competitors is not spying. It is market research. When you analyse a rival’s backlinks, you discover:
- Which websites in your niche actually give out links (your future outreach list)
- Which content formats earn links in your industry (guides, studies, tools, statistics)
- The anchor text patterns that help competitors rank for your target keywords
A competitor backlink analysis can easily uncover 50 to 200 qualified link prospects in a single afternoon, which would take weeks of manual prospecting to find.
Method 1: Use Ahrefs’ Free Backlink Checker (No Account Needed)
The fastest free way to see any competitor’s backlinks is the Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker. Paste in a competitor’s domain or URL and it shows the top 100 backlinks — the referring page, the anchor text and the target URL — with no account or sign-up required.
That top-100 view is genuinely useful (free checker limits re-verified September 2026). It shows you which pages of your competitor attract the most links, what anchor text those links use, and which types of sites link to them (blogs, directories, news sites). For a small competitor with a modest link profile, those 100 links may be most of what matters.
Method 2: Try Semrush’s Free Backlink Tool
Semrush also offers a free backlink checker that works on any domain without an account. It returns the site’s top backlinks with an Authority Score for each linking domain, plus totals and follow or nofollow tags. A free Semrush account goes further, giving you the full Backlink Analytics tool with 10 requests a day and 10 results per report — enough to study two or three competitors each day.
Semrush’s real strength for competitor research is its Backlink Gap tool, which puts your site next to several competitors and shows you who links to them but not to you.
Method 3: Use Moz Link Explorer’s Free Tier
Moz Link Explorer gives you 10 free queries a month with a free Community account. Each query returns a sample of up to 10 backlinks plus Domain Authority, Page Authority and Moz’s Spam Score for the linking domains. The Spam Score is worth checking: it flags the low-quality links in a competitor’s profile so you do not waste time chasing sites you would never want linking to you.
Method 4: Compare Against Rivals in Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools is free and — unlike Google Search Console — lets you compare your backlink profile against up to two competitors. Google’s Links report is accurate for your own site, but it cannot be run on a competitor.
Method 5: Run the Full Analysis in Ahrefs Site Explorer (Paid)
When you are ready to go beyond free snapshots, Ahrefs Site Explorer is the industry standard for competitor backlink research. Enter a competitor’s domain, click Backlink profile → Referring domains, and you get every linking site sorted by Domain Rating. You can then:
- See the exact pages and anchors for every link
- Filter for dofollow links from sites in your niche
- Track new and lost links over time, so you spot a competitor’s campaigns as they happen
- Use Link Intersect to find sites that link to multiple competitors but not to you
Focus your energy on linking domains with a Domain Rating between 40 and 70. They are strong enough to move your rankings, but still within reach of a good outreach pitch.
Method 6: Find the Gap with a Link Intersect Tool
The most valuable backlinks are often the ones you have not got yet. A link intersect analysis compares your link profile with several competitors’ and surfaces domains that link to two or more of them but not to you. If three of your competitors all earned a link from the same industry blog, that site has proven it links to content in your niche — your outreach conversion rate will be far higher than cold prospecting.
Both Ahrefs (Link Intersect) and Semrush (Backlink Gap) offer this, and Moz has its own Link Intersect feature. Start with three to five competitors: a mix of big industry leaders and the smaller sites that keep outranking you.
Method 7: Manually Verify and Score Every Prospect
Tools give you data; your judgement turns it into links. Before contacting any site from a competitor’s profile, open the linking page and check relevance, activity, link context (real content vs sidebar or footer), and whether the link still works — Ahrefs found that 66.5% of links posted over the previous nine years are now dead. Score each prospect with this simple matrix:
| Priority | Criteria | Action |
|---|---|---|
| High | Same niche, strong authority, active site, links to multiple competitors | Outreach immediately |
| Medium | Related niche, moderate authority, recently updated content | Add to prospecting list |
| Low | Irrelevant niche, weak or inactive site | Ignore or archive |
A survey of 755 link builders by Authority Hacker found that 93.8% say link quality matters more than quantity — so a short list of verified, relevant prospects will beat a spreadsheet of thousands of raw URLs every time.
How to Turn Competitor Backlinks into Your Own Links
Finding the links is only half the job. Here is the process for converting them:
Step 1: Build your prospect list. Export the filtered backlinks from all competitors into one spreadsheet. Dedupe by domain, sort by authority, and flag the sites that link to two or more competitors — those go first.
Step 2: Create something worth linking to. You cannot earn a competitor’s link with an inferior version of their content. Make yours better: fresher data, a clearer format, an original angle. If a competitor earned 40 links with a statistics roundup, publish an updated version with 2026 figures.
Step 3: Write a value-first pitch. Never open with “I saw you linked to my competitor.” Instead, point to something specific: their article is strong, but a section is out of date, and your new guide covers exactly that gap with current research. Reference their content by name. One short, specific email beats ten generic templates.
Step 4: Track and follow up. Most links are earned on the follow-up, not the first email. Send one polite follow-up a week later. Then move on — persistence matters, but pestering burns bridges.
If you would rather have specialists run this entire process for you, our link building services include full competitor backlink analysis and manual outreach, with zero PBNs and real placements on relevant sites.
Mistakes to Avoid When Finding Competitor Backlinks
- Chasing every link. A competitor with 50,000 backlinks does not need 50,000 outreach targets. Most of their value comes from a few hundred good domains. Filter ruthlessly.
- Copying spammy tactics. If a competitor’s profile is full of directory spam, forum profile links or obvious paid placements, copying them can hurt you.
- Only analysing one competitor. Five competitors give you patterns; one gives you anecdotes. The sites that link to several rivals are your highest-percentage targets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find a competitor’s backlinks for free?
Yes. Ahrefs’ Free Backlink Checker shows the top 100 backlinks to any domain with no account, Semrush’s free checker shows top links with Authority Scores, Moz Link Explorer gives 10 free queries a month, and Bing Webmaster Tools lets you compare your profile against two competitors. Combining these free sources gives you a solid picture of a smaller competitor’s link profile.
What is the best tool for finding competitor backlinks?
Ahrefs Site Explorer is the industry standard, with the largest link index and the best filters for competitor research. Semrush is a strong alternative with its Backlink Gap tool for comparing several competitors at once. For free checks, the Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker and Moz Link Explorer are the best starting points.
How many competitors should I analyse?
Three to five is the sweet spot. Include at least one big industry leader and a few direct rivals — the sites that rank just above you for your most important keywords. Mix in a page-level competitor too: a site that ranks for your keywords even if it is not a business rival.
What should I look for in a competitor’s backlink profile?
Look at which pages of theirs attract the most links (that tells you which content formats work), the anchor text patterns, the types of sites linking to them (editorial, directories, forums), and especially the domains that link to several competitors but not to you — the link gap.
Is it legal and ethical to target a competitor’s backlinks?
Yes. Backlink data is public information, and contacting a site that links to your competitor with genuinely better content is standard, ethical marketing. What you should not do is copy their content, buy links from the same spammy sources they used, or misrepresent yourself to webmasters.
How often should I check competitor backlinks?
Monthly is a good baseline. Increase to weekly during an active link building campaign, after a sharp traffic or ranking drop, or when a new competitor enters your market.
Abdullah Zulfiqar is Co-founder and Client Success Manager at RankWithLinks, an SEO agency helping businesses grow online. He specializes in client relations and SEO strategy, driving measurable results and maximizing ROI through effective link-building and digital marketing solutions.