Story Based Question
You’ve been running an online store that sells eco-friendly home goods, and you’ve noticed that despite your hard work on content and SEO, some of your competitors are ranking higher for your target keywords. You decide to dig into their backlink strategies to figure out how they’re getting so much link love. After using a tool like Ahrefs, you notice a few key sites linking to your competitors, but not to you. You wonder: What is a competitor’s link gap, and how can you use it to improve your SEO?
Exact Answer
A competitor’s link gap is the difference between the backlinks that your competitors have and the ones your site is missing. You can use this gap to find backlink opportunities that your competitors are leveraging and replicate those opportunities to improve your own backlink profile.
Explanation
A link gap refers to the backlinks your competitors have earned that you haven’t yet acquired. It’s essentially the opportunity space between your site’s backlink profile and those of your competitors. Identifying and filling this gap is a powerful way to boost your SEO and close the competitive distance.
Here’s why a competitor’s link gap is so useful:
- Uncover New Link Opportunities
By analyzing your competitors’ backlinks, you can identify websites that are linking to them but not to you. These sites may be highly relevant to your industry or niche, meaning they could be valuable backlink targets. Instead of starting from scratch, you’re leveraging the success of your competitors’ link-building efforts. - Identify Content Gaps
The link gap analysis not only helps you spot backlinks but can also reveal which types of content or resources your competitors are linking to. If your competitors are getting backlinks for certain topics, guides, or resources that you haven’t created yet, it’s a signal that you could create similar content to attract those links. - Replicate Effective Strategies
Once you discover the websites linking to your competitors, you can strategically reach out to these sites for backlinks. Whether through guest posts, resource pages, or collaboration offers, you can target the same link opportunities your competitors are using. - Focus on Quality, Not Quantity
A link gap analysis allows you to focus on high-value backlinks that are worth acquiring. Rather than randomly chasing hundreds of backlinks, this strategy helps you prioritize links that will have the biggest impact on your rankings, especially those from authoritative sites.
How to Use a Competitor’s Link Gap
- Identify Competitors’ Backlink Profiles
Use backlink analysis tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to explore your competitors’ backlink profiles. These tools show you which sites are linking to your competitors and which types of content are getting the most attention. - Find Common Link Sources
Once you’ve identified the backlinks, look for patterns. Are there certain sites linking to multiple competitors? Are there certain content types (like blog posts, infographics, or case studies) being linked to frequently? This gives you a clear idea of where your competitors are finding success, and where you can try to get similar backlinks. - Look for Link Types You’re Missing
After reviewing the backlinks your competitors have, check for link types or categories that you’re missing out on. For example, if your competitors have links from influential industry blogs but you haven’t approached any of those blogs yet, this is a gap you can fill. - Reach Out to Target Sites
After identifying link gaps, reach out to those same sites where your competitors are getting links. In your outreach, mention the relevance of your content and why a backlink from their site would be valuable. Don’t just copy your competitors—add a unique angle to your pitch that makes your content stand out. - Create Similar or Better Content
If you notice your competitors are getting links for a particular piece of content, consider creating something similar but with added value. This could mean offering more in-depth information, a better design, or unique insights that make your content even more compelling.
Example
Let’s say you run an online store that sells eco-friendly home cleaning products, and you’re competing against another similar store in the same space. You use Ahrefs to analyze their backlinks and discover that one of the top sites linking to them is a well-known green living blog. They have several links from this blog for their content on eco-friendly cleaning tips.
You realize that you haven’t even reached out to this blog yet, even though it’s relevant to your niche and has a high domain authority. You also notice that they’ve linked to a specific article your competitor wrote about non-toxic cleaning solutions. This is a clear link gap that you can now fill.
To close this gap, you could create an even more comprehensive guide on the topic, showcasing your products alongside additional research or case studies, and pitch it to the green living blog. By doing this, you’re offering a similar, but more valuable, piece of content and increasing your chances of earning the same valuable backlink.
A competitor’s link gap is a valuable tool to identify missed backlink opportunities. By finding where your competitors are getting links and targeting those same sites, you can improve your backlink profile and enhance your SEO performance. Use the link gap to replicate successful strategies and fill content or link voids that could help boost your search engine rankings.