A link gap analysis answers one question: which sites link to your competitors but not to you? It is a good way to build an outreach list, but it can also waste a week if you skip the filtering. This walkthrough shows a workflow you can run in Backrefs, where it helps, and where you will need to use judgment or other tools. Features and plan limits change, so confirm current details on the official site before you build a process around any of them.
Before You Start
You need a project with your own domain already set up and a short list of competitors. If you have not done that yet, follow How to Set Up Backrefs: From First Signup to Your First Backlink Report first. For a wider view of what the platform covers, see Backrefs Features Overview: What the Platform Does and What It Doesn't.
Pick the right competitors
Choose three to five sites that compete for the search results you care about, not just businesses you consider rivals. A big publisher that ranks for your keywords may be a better comparison than a direct competitor with a thin link profile. Avoid giant brands like marketplaces or Wikipedia-style sites. Their links come from reputation you cannot copy with outreach.
Step-by-Step Workflow
- Add competitors to your project. Use the root domain, or a specific subfolder if only one section of their site competes with you.
- Review each competitor's backlink list. Look at referring domains first, then individual linking pages. Domains tell you who to approach; pages tell you why they linked.
- Compare against your own profile. Mark domains that link to two or more competitors but not to you. Those overlaps are usually the strongest leads, because the site has shown a pattern of linking to your topic.
- Export the shortlist. Pull the data into a CSV so you can sort and annotate it. See Backrefs Reports and Exports: Dashboards, CSV Files and Client-Ready Output for what the export options look like.
- Classify each opportunity by link type. This step takes the most time and is worth it (see below).
- Prioritize and act. Start with the few that fit something you can offer.
Classifying Gaps by Link Type
Open a sample of linking pages and sort them into rough buckets:
- Editorial mentions: articles that cite a competitor's research, tool or guide. Worth pursuing if you have something comparable or better.
- Resource and list pages: "best of" or curated pages. Often realistic if your content genuinely fits.
- Directories and associations: usually simple to join, though often low value on their own.
- Partnerships and sponsorships: only available to those with a relationship. Note them but do not expect to replicate them.
- Guest posts, comments, forums, paid placements: treat with caution. Some may break search engine guidelines, and a competitor having them does not make them safe for you.
Judging Quality Without Over-Trusting Scores
Any tool's authority or quality score is an estimate built from its own crawl. Use it to sort, not to decide. Read How Backrefs Collects, Refreshes and Scores Link Data to understand how the numbers are produced and how fresh they are. Then check manually:
- Does the site have real content and an actual audience, or does it exist to sell links?
- Is the linking page relevant to your topic?
- Is the link still live, and is it followed, nofollowed or sponsored?
- Would you be comfortable with the placement if search rankings did not exist?
Recommended for youBackrefs Features Overview: What the Platform Does and What It Doesn'tTurning the List Into Action
A gap list is only a list of names. The useful question is what you can offer each site that the competitor did not. That might be a updated data point, a better explanation, a free tool or a correction for an outdated page. If you cannot answer that, skip the target.
Be aware of what the platform handles. Backrefs is oriented around link data, not sending campaigns, so outreach itself usually happens in your own email or a separate tool. Check Does Backrefs include outreach or email tools? for the current answer.
Track What Happens Next
Once outreach starts, watch your profile for results. Does Backrefs show new and lost backlinks? explains how to see changes, and Backrefs Integrations, API, Alerts and Extension: What Each Plan Includes covers alerts, which can vary by plan. Repeat the gap check monthly or quarterly rather than daily, since competitor profiles change slowly. A light cadence is laid out in A Weekly Backrefs Routine: Day-to-Day Use in 30 Minutes.
Honest Trade-Offs
| Consideration | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Data coverage | No index sees every link. Two tools can disagree, so treat gaps as leads to verify, not facts. |
| Freshness | Some links in the list may already be gone. Check live pages before outreach. |
| Time cost | Manual review is the bottleneck. Expect a small portion of the list to be viable. |
| Outcomes | Matching a competitor's links does not guarantee matching their rankings. Content, intent and site strength matter too. |
| Tool fit | If you need built-in outreach sequencing or very deep crawl data, you may want to pair Backrefs with other tools. |
Is Backrefs the Right Tool for This?
It suits people who want a focused, manageable view of links and competitors without a heavy suite. If you are comparing options, read Features & How Backrefs Works alongside any review or comparison page on Link Lantern, and check current plan limits, such as the number of competitors or exports, on the official site before you commit.
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