Five fast link building tactics using competitor backlink analysis

Executive overview

Most sites struggle to build links efficiently because they prospect blindly. A single competitor's backlink profile contains five ready-to-use link building opportunities that can be actioned immediately using Ahrefs Site Explorer.

Analyze one competitor's homepage or content pages to surface brand mention opportunities, broken links, irrelevant redirects, and guest posting footprints — all without additional prospecting tools.

Competitor backlink profiles are a shortcut to qualified link prospects across five distinct tactics.

Tactic 1: piggyback on competitor homepage mentions

• Filter a competitor's homepage backlinks for branded anchors — these are general brand mentions.
• For each mention, ask: why did they link to the competitor but not you?
• Common answer: the site owner doesn't know your brand exists.
• Reach out to list posts, roundups, and blog rolls to request inclusion alongside the competitor.
• Look for podcast or interview mentions using keyword filters; pitch to appear in future episodes.
• Other link types to spot: testimonials, quotes, guest post author bios.

Tactic 2: build links to pages competing for the same keyword

• Pick a page on your site that needs links.
• Find a competing page targeting the same topic; pull its backlink profile.
• Use the Best by Links report on a competitor's domain, then filter by keyword to find relevant pages instantly.
• For each linking site, send a pitch that highlights what makes your content different — new data, a case study, a unique process.
• Ask yourself: why should they swap or add my link? If the only answer is goodwill, rework the pitch.
• Target outdated competitor posts — newer content with current information is easier to pitch as a replacement.
• Applies equally to blog posts, product pages, and service pages.

Tactic 3: broken link building at scale

• In the Best by Links report, filter for 404 Not Found pages to surface competitor broken pages with backlinks.
• Sort by referring domains to prioritise — a single broken page can have 100–400+ linking sites.
• If you already have a matching piece, pitch the broken link's backlink owners directly.
• If you don't have the content yet, use archive.org (accessible via a shortcut inside Site Explorer) to see what the original page covered.
• Match your replacement content to the context of the existing links — if links cite a stat, your replacement needs updated data.
• Use keyword search within the report to find broken pages relevant to content you've already published.

Tactic 4: link building from irrelevant 301 redirects

• In the Best by Links report, switch the filter from 404 to 301 Moved Permanently.
• Competitors often consolidate content by redirecting niche posts to broader articles — leaving the redirect target irrelevant to the original topic.
• Check the redirect target for the original keyword; if it's barely present, the redirect is exploitable.
• Review the backlinks' anchor and surrounding text to understand the original context (often a specific stat or study).
• Recreate the original content with current data and pitch the linking sites as a better match than the irrelevant redirect.

Tactic 5: find guest posting opportunities via author footprints

• Guest posts leave a consistent footprint: the author bio links to the writer's website and social profiles.
• Search a prolific guest blogger's Twitter (or other social) URL in Site Explorer to see every domain that links to it.
• Skim the referring page and anchor columns — naked URLs, empty anchors, and image links often indicate a guest post.
• This surfaces a pre-qualified list of sites that accept guest contributors, along with the topics they cover.
• Pitch these sites with topic ideas relevant to their existing content.