How to Use Ahrefs & SEMrush to Find Competitor Backlinks

In today's digital marketing landscape, understanding your competitors' backlink strategies is crucial for improving your own website's authority and search engine rankings. Two of the most powerful SEO tools, Ahrefs and SEMrush, can help you analyze competitor backlinks, uncover link-building opportunities, and refine your SEO approach.

This guide provides an in-depth, step-by-step breakdown of how to leverage Ahrefs & SEMrush to find and analyze competitor backlinks effectively.

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Why Backlinks Matter for SEO

Backlinks are among Google's top ranking factors. Websites with a strong backlink profile tend to rank higher because:

• Authority Boost – Links from high-authority sites increase your website's credibility.

• Referral Traffic – Quality backlinks can drive traffic from other websites.

• Indexing & Crawling – Backlinks help search engines discover and index new pages faster.

• Competitive Edge – Analyzing competitor backlinks reveals their strategies and provides opportunities to replicate success.

By using Ahrefs and SEMrush, you can gain valuable insights into your competitors' backlinks and use this data to enhance your SEO strategy.

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Using Ahrefs to Find Competitor Backlinks

Step 1: Enter Competitor’s Domain in Ahrefs

1. Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer.

2. Enter your competitor’s domain name (e.g., example.com).

3. Click on the Backlinks tab.

Step 2: Analyze Competitor’s Backlink Profile

In the Backlinks section, you’ll see:

• Total number of backlinks

• Referring domains (unique websites linking to them)

• Anchor text distribution

• DoFollow vs. NoFollow links

• Link growth trends

Step 3: Filter High-Quality Backlinks

1. Use the “One Link Per Domain” filter to remove duplicate links.

2. Set the DR (Domain Rating) filter to 40+ for high-authority sites.

3. Use the TLD filter to analyze backlinks from specific regions (e.g., .edu, .gov).

Step 4: Identify Link Building Opportunities

• Broken Backlink Analysis – Find broken links pointing to competitors and suggest your content as a replacement.

• Guest Posting Opportunities – Identify domains linking to multiple competitors and pitch guest posts.

• Unlinked Mentions – Use Content Explorer to find mentions of your brand that are not linked, then request a backlink.

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Using SEMrush to Find Competitor Backlinks

Step 1: Enter Competitor’s Domain in SEMrush

1. Open SEMrush Backlink Analytics.

2. Enter a competitor’s domain (e.g., example.com).

3. Click “Analyze” to generate a backlink report.

Step 2: Review Backlink Overview

• Total Backlinks – Number of external links pointing to the domain.

• Referring Domains – The number of unique domains linking to the competitor.

• Authority Score – The quality and credibility of the links.

• Anchor Text – Keywords used in the links.

Step 3: Find Top Backlink Sources

1. Sort backlinks by Authority Score to see the highest-quality sources.

2. Filter backlinks by Follow vs. NoFollow links.

3. Check the Top Pages section to see which competitor content gets the most links.

Step 4: Discover Competitor Link-Building Tactics

• Analyze New vs. Lost Backlinks – Identify recent links your competitors gained or lost.

• Monitor Competitor Outreach Efforts – If competitors are getting links from new websites, you may be able to secure similar ones.

• Find Sponsored Links – Check for patterns in paid link placements.

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How to Replicate Competitor Backlinks

Once you've gathered competitor backlink data, it's time to replicate their success. Here are actionable strategies:

1. Guest Posting on Similar Sites

• Contact websites linking to your competitors and offer valuable guest content.

• Use Ahrefs Link Intersect Tool to find domains linking to competitors but not you.

2. Broken Link Building

• Find broken links on sites linking to competitors.

• Offer your relevant content as a replacement.

3. Digital PR and Brand Mentions

• Use SEMrush to track unlinked brand mentions.

• Reach out to webmasters and ask for a link to your site.

4. Competitor Outreach Analysis

• Use Ahrefs’ Outreach Reports to see where competitors are getting links.

• Craft better content and reach out to those sources.

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Conclusion

By leveraging Ahrefs and SEMrush, you can gain valuable insights into your competitors’ backlink profiles and use this information to improve your own SEO strategy. Analyzing and replicating high-quality backlinks will strengthen your domain authority and improve your search engine rankings.

Take action today by running a competitor backlink audit, identifying opportunities, and implementing data-driven link-building strategies to outperform the competition.