How Many Backlinks Do Competitors Have? (And How to Find Out in 2025)
Your competitor ranks #1 with seemingly effortless ease. You're stuck on page 2. The difference? They have 147 referring domains. You have 23. Here's how to find out exactly how many backlinks they have and what you need to catch up.
Quick Answer: How to Check Competitor Backlinks
Use backlink analysis tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or free alternatives to check how many backlinks your competitors have:
- Enter your competitor's URL into a backlink checker tool
- Look at "Referring Domains" (not total backlinks)
- Check the Domain Rating/Authority of linking sites
- Calculate the average across your top 5 competitors
- Identify your backlink gap (their links minus yours)
Most websites need 40-50 quality backlinks to homepage and 0-100 to key pages to rank competitively. However, the exact number depends on your niche, keyword difficulty, and competitor strength.
Why Knowing Competitor Backlink Count Actually Matters
Here's what happens when you don't know how many backlinks your competitors have:
You build 10 backlinks. You wait three months. Your rankings don't move. You build 10 more backlinks. You wait another three months. Still nothing. You're frustrated, your budget is spent, and you have no idea if you're even close to competing.
The problem isn't your link building strategy. The problem is you never knew the target. You've been shooting arrows in the dark hoping to hit something.
If your competitor has 150 referring domains and you have 20, no amount of on-page optimization will close that gap. You need to know their numbers before you can create a realistic link building plan.
Competitive backlink analysis tells you three critical things:
- Set realistic expectations: If top competitors have 200+ backlinks, you know you're in for a 6-12 month link building campaign, not a 2-month sprint
- Identify link gaps: See exactly how far behind you are and what it will take to catch up
- Find patterns: Discover what types of links actually work in your niche instead of guessing
Once you know how many backlinks your competitors have, you can calculate how many you need. Not a rough guess. Not a hope. An actual number backed by competitive data.
Read our complete guide: How many backlinks do you actually need to rank? →
Why Competitive Backlink Analysis Matters More Than Ever
Google's algorithm weighs backlinks heavily when determining rankings. Despite all the talk about content quality, user experience, and technical SEO, backlinks remain one of the top three ranking factors Google has publicly confirmed.
But here's what most people get wrong: they focus on their own backlink building without understanding the competitive landscape. It's like training for a marathon without knowing if you're competing against casual joggers or Olympic athletes.
1. Set Realistic Link Building Goals
When you analyze competitor backlinks, you immediately understand what level of effort is required. If you're targeting a keyword where the top 5 results each have 50-100 referring domains, you know you need a similar number to compete.
Without this data, you might waste 6 months building 20 backlinks thinking that's enough, when you actually need 75+ to crack page one.
2. Identify Your Backlink Gap
The backlink gap is the difference between your referring domains and your competitors' referring domains. This number tells you exactly how much work you have ahead.
Example: Your site has 35 referring domains. Your top competitor has 120 referring domains. Your backlink gap is 85 referring domains. Now you have a concrete target instead of building links blindly.
3. Find What Actually Works in Your Niche
Every niche is different. In some industries, guest posts dominate. In others, it's directory listings or resource pages. By analyzing competitor backlinks, you see exactly which link building tactics work in your specific market.
Stop wasting time on tactics that don't work in your niche. See what your successful competitors are doing and replicate it.
4. Discover Link Opportunities
When you see which websites link to multiple competitors but not to you, you've found golden opportunities. These sites have already shown they're willing to link to businesses like yours.
This is called backlink gap analysis, and it's the fastest way to build a targeted outreach list of websites that are likely to link to you.
Bottom line: Competitive backlink analysis transforms link building from guesswork into a data-driven strategy. You know exactly where you stand, what you need, and which tactics will get you there fastest.
Tools to Check Competitor Backlinks (Free & Paid)
You need the right tools to analyze competitor backlinks effectively. Here are the best options, from enterprise-level platforms to completely free alternatives.
Ahrefs: Best Overall for Backlink Analysis
Database Size
35 trillion
backlinks indexed
Update Frequency
15-30 min
refresh rate
Price
$99/mo
starting price
Free Version
Limited
100 backlinks shown
Ahrefs is the gold standard for backlink analysis. It has the largest backlink database in the industry and provides the most accurate data on referring domains, Domain Rating (DR), and link quality.
What Ahrefs shows you:
- Total backlinks and referring domains
- Domain Rating (DR) score of your competitors
- Growth timeline showing when competitors gained backlinks
- Best pages by backlink count
- Anchor text distribution
- Dofollow vs nofollow link ratio
- Link Intersect tool to find shared link opportunities
How to use Ahrefs to check competitor backlinks:
- Go to Site Explorer and enter your competitor's domain
- Look at the overview dashboard for total referring domains
- Click "Referring domains" to see all websites linking to them
- Filter by DR 40+ and dofollow links to see quality backlinks only
- Export the data to analyze patterns
Pros:
- Most comprehensive backlink database
- Extremely accurate data with frequent updates
- Powerful filtering options
- Link Intersect feature finds opportunities automatically
- Historical data shows backlink growth over time
Cons:
- Expensive at $99/month minimum
- Learning curve for beginners
- Free version is very limited (only shows top 100 backlinks)
Best for: Agencies, SEO professionals, and businesses serious about competitive analysis who need the most accurate data available.
SEMrush: Best All-in-One SEO Platform
Database Size
43 trillion
backlinks indexed
Update Frequency
Daily
fresh data
Price
$129/mo
Pro plan
Free Version
Yes
limited queries
SEMrush offers powerful backlink analysis as part of its comprehensive SEO platform. If you need keyword research, rank tracking, and site audits in addition to backlink analysis, SEMrush provides excellent value.
What SEMrush shows you:
- Authority Score (AS) instead of Domain Authority
- Total backlinks and referring domains
- Backlink Gap tool to compare up to 5 domains
- Toxic backlink detection
- Anchor text analysis
- Link types (text, image, form, frame)
- New and lost backlinks tracking
Pros:
- Largest backlink database (43 trillion links)
- Backlink Gap tool is excellent for competitive analysis
- Includes other SEO features beyond backlinks
- Free version available with limited functionality
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- More expensive than Ahrefs ($129/mo vs $99/mo)
- Backlink data sometimes less accurate than Ahrefs
- Can be overwhelming with too many features
Best for: Marketing teams who need an all-in-one SEO platform and want backlink analysis included with other tools.
Moz Link Explorer: Best for Domain Authority Tracking
Database Size
45.5 trillion
links indexed
Unique Metric
Domain Authority
industry standard
Price
$99/mo
Standard plan
Free Version
10 queries
per month
Moz created Domain Authority (DA), the most widely recognized metric for measuring website authority. If you want to track DA specifically, Moz is your best option.
Pros:
- Domain Authority is the industry standard metric
- Link Intersect report compares up to 5 competitors
- Spam Score helps identify toxic backlinks
- Free tier includes 10 queries per month
Cons:
- Smaller link index than Ahrefs or SEMrush
- Data updates less frequently
- Interface feels dated compared to competitors
Best for: Businesses that specifically track Domain Authority and want a free tier option for occasional checks.
Free Backlink Checkers: Budget-Friendly Alternatives
Ubersuggest by Neil Patel
Price: Free (limited) or $29/month
Ubersuggest offers basic backlink analysis for free with limitations. You can see top backlinks, referring domains, and Domain Score for any website.
Best for: Beginners who want basic competitor backlink data without paying $99+/month.
Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker
Price: Completely free
Ahrefs offers a free backlink checker that shows the top 100 backlinks and top 50 referring domains for any URL. While limited compared to the paid version, it's perfect for quick competitor checks.
Best for: Quick spot checks when you only need to see a competitor's strongest backlinks.
SEMrush Backlink Analytics (Free)
Price: Free with signup
SEMrush's free account gives you limited backlink queries per day. You can see total backlinks, referring domains, and Authority Score without paying.
Best for: Testing SEMrush before committing to a paid plan or occasional competitor analysis.
Google Search Console (Your Own Site Only)
Price: Completely free
Google Search Console shows backlinks to your own website for free. While you can't check competitor backlinks, you can see your own referring domains to calculate your backlink gap once you know competitor numbers.
Best for: Tracking your own backlink growth (not competitors).
Quick Competitor Analysis with Pikera
For founders who need fast competitive analysis without learning complex tools, Pikera provides quick backlink gap insights as part of its keyword difficulty analysis. Enter your target keyword, and Pikera shows you not just the keyword difficulty, but also how many backlinks top competitors have.
This integrated approach means you're checking competitor backlinks as part of your keyword research workflow, not as a separate manual process. At $15/month, it's a fraction of the cost of Ahrefs or SEMrush while giving you the core competitive data you need.
Tool Comparison: Which Should You Use?
| Tool | Price | Data Accuracy | Free Option | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | $99/mo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Limited | Professional SEO |
| SEMrush | $129/mo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes | All-in-one teams |
| Moz Link Explorer | $99/mo | ⭐⭐⭐ | 10/month | DA tracking |
| Ubersuggest | $29/mo | ⭐⭐⭐ | Yes | Budget option |
| Pikera | $15/mo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 7-day trial | Quick checks |
| Ahrefs Free | Free | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes | Spot checks |
Step-by-Step: How to Analyze Competitor Backlinks
Now that you know which tools to use, here's the exact process to analyze competitor backlinks and calculate your backlink gap. This takes 15-20 minutes and gives you everything you need to build a data-driven link building strategy.
Step 1: Identify Your Top 5 Ranking Competitors
Don't analyze random competitors. Focus on the websites that are actually ranking for your target keyword right now.
How to find your real competitors:
- Google your target keyword in an incognito window
- Write down the domains in positions 1-5 (exclude directories like Reddit, Quora)
- Only count actual competing businesses or blogs, not Wikipedia or government sites
- These 5 domains are your competitive set for backlink analysis
Important: Don't analyze competitors who aren't ranking for your target keyword. A site with 10,000 backlinks in a different niche tells you nothing about what you need to rank for YOUR keyword.
Time: 2 minutes
Step 2: Enter Competitor URLs Into Backlink Checker
Choose your tool (Ahrefs, SEMrush, or a free alternative) and analyze each competitor's domain.
For Ahrefs:
- Go to Site Explorer
- Enter the competitor's root domain (example.com, not example.com/blog/post)
- Wait 5 seconds for data to load
- Take note of "Referring domains" number (not "Backlinks")
For SEMrush:
- Go to Backlink Analytics
- Enter the competitor domain
- Look at "Referring Domains" in the overview
- Note the Authority Score as well
Time: 3 minutes (30-40 seconds per competitor × 5 competitors)
Step 3: Look at Referring Domains (Not Total Backlinks)
This is critical: you care about referring domains, not total backlinks.
What's the difference?
- Total backlinks: Every single link, including 50 links from the same website. This number is inflated and misleading.
- Referring domains: The number of unique websites linking to you. This is what Google cares about.
Example: A competitor might have 5,000 total backlinks but only 80 referring domains. Those 5,000 links might come from just 80 websites. You don't need 5,000 backlinks - you need 80+ referring domains.
Always use referring domains as your comparison metric, never total backlinks.
Time: 1 minute (just understanding which metric matters)
Step 4: Check Backlink Quality (DR/DA Scores)
Not all backlinks are equal. Ten backlinks from DR 70 sites are worth more than 100 backlinks from DR 10 sites.
How to assess link quality:
- Click "Referring domains" in your backlink tool
- Sort by DR (Domain Rating in Ahrefs) or DA (Domain Authority in Moz)
- Look at what percentage of referring domains have DR/DA above 40
- This tells you if your competitor is building quality links or spam links
Quality Link Benchmarks:
- DR/DA 0-20: Low quality or new websites. Limited ranking impact.
- DR/DA 20-40: Decent quality. These links help but aren't game-changers.
- DR/DA 40-70: High quality. These are the links that move rankings.
- DR/DA 70+: Excellent authority. One of these is worth 10+ lower quality links.
If your competitor has 100 referring domains but 80 of them are DR 5-15, you don't need to match their quantity. You can outrank them with 30-40 DR 40+ backlinks.
Time: 3 minutes (quick quality assessment per competitor)
Step 5: Identify Their Best Backlinks
Look at your competitors' strongest backlinks to understand what types of links actually work in your niche.
How to find their best links:
- In Ahrefs or SEMrush, filter referring domains by DR 50+
- Look at the source type: Are they getting links from blogs, news sites, directories, or resource pages?
- Check anchor text: Are links branded, exact match keywords, or generic?
- Identify patterns across multiple competitors
What You're Looking For:
- Do all competitors have links from the same industry directories? → You need to get listed there too.
- Are guest posts common? → Guest posting works in this niche.
- Are there resource pages linking to multiple competitors? → Perfect outreach targets for you.
- Do they have lots of press/news links? → PR strategy might be important.
Time: 5 minutes (pattern recognition across competitors)
Step 6: Calculate Average Across Competitors
Now create a simple spreadsheet with your data:
| Competitor | Referring Domains | DR/DA | Rank Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| competitor1.com | 127 | 55 | #1 |
| competitor2.com | 94 | 48 | #2 |
| competitor3.com | 86 | 51 | #3 |
| competitor4.com | 73 | 44 | #4 |
| competitor5.com | 68 | 42 | #5 |
| AVERAGE | 89 | 48 | - |
In this example, the average competitor has 89 referring domains with an average DR/DA of 48.
This average is your target. To compete on page one, you need approximately 89 referring domains with similar quality (DR 40-50+).
Time: 2 minutes (simple calculation)
Step 7: Calculate Your Backlink Gap
Now check your own referring domains (using the same tool) and calculate your gap.
Backlink Gap Formula:
Backlink Gap = Competitor Average - Your Referring Domains
Example calculation:
- Competitor average: 89 referring domains
- Your site: 24 referring domains
- Your backlink gap: 89 - 24 = 65 referring domains needed
This is your concrete target. You need to build approximately 65 more quality referring domains to compete on page one for this keyword.
Now you have a real number, not a guess. You know exactly what's required to rank.
Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 15-20 Minutes
In under 20 minutes, you now know:
- Exactly how many referring domains your competitors have
- The quality level of their backlinks (DR/DA)
- What types of links work in your niche
- Your specific backlink gap
- A realistic target for your link building campaign
Now use this data to determine your backlink goal and timeline →
What to Do With This Information
Now that you know your competitor's backlink profile, here's how to turn that data into an actionable link building strategy.
1. Calculate Your Link Building Timeline
Once you know your backlink gap, you can estimate how long it will take to close it based on your link building capacity.
Realistic Link Building Rates:
- DIY outreach (solo founder): 2-5 new referring domains per month
- Part-time link builder: 5-10 new referring domains per month
- Full-time link builder: 10-20 new referring domains per month
- Agency/team: 20-40+ new referring domains per month
Example: You need 65 referring domains. You're a solo founder doing DIY outreach (5 domains/month). Timeline: 65 ÷ 5 = 13 months to reach competitive parity.
This timeline helps you decide if the keyword is worth pursuing or if you should target easier keywords first.
2. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
Remember: you don't need to match competitor backlinks one-for-one if you're building higher quality links.
The Quality Multiplier:
- 1 link from a DR 70 site ≈ 3-5 links from DR 40 sites
- 1 link from DR 50 site ≈ 2-3 links from DR 30 sites
- 10 links from DR 5-15 sites ≈ 1-2 links from DR 40+ sites
If your competitors have 80 referring domains averaging DR 35, you could potentially outrank them with just 40-50 referring domains if you focus exclusively on DR 50+ sources.
Quality shortcuts your timeline. Build fewer, better links rather than chasing quantity.
3. Replicate Their Best Link Sources
Use backlink gap analysis to find websites that link to multiple competitors but not to you. These are your easiest link opportunities.
How to find link opportunities in Ahrefs:
- Go to "Link Intersect" tool
- Enter your top 3 competitors' domains
- Enter your domain in the "but not linking to" field
- Click search
- Ahrefs shows you websites linking to your competitors but not you
These sites have already proven they're willing to link to businesses like yours. They're warm leads, not cold outreach. Your conversion rate will be 3-5x higher than random outreach.
4. Set Realistic Milestones
Break your backlink gap into quarterly milestones instead of viewing it as one massive goal.
Example Milestone Plan (65 referring domain gap):
- Q1: Build 15 referring domains (focus on low-hanging fruit and easy wins)
- Q2: Build 20 referring domains (scale outreach process)
- Q3: Build 20 referring domains (continue momentum)
- Q4: Build 10 referring domains (close the gap)
Total: 65 referring domains in 12 months = competitive parity
5. Track Progress Monthly
Check your referring domain count monthly to ensure you're on track to close the gap.
Use Google Search Console (free) or your backlink tool to monitor:
- New referring domains acquired this month
- Lost referring domains (links that disappeared)
- Net growth in referring domains
- Average DR/DA of new links
If you're falling behind your milestone targets, adjust your link building efforts or reconsider the keyword's viability.
Complete Link Building Guide
Now that you know how many backlinks you need, the next step is building them strategically. Our complete guide covers:
- How to calculate exactly how many backlinks you need based on keyword difficulty
- Realistic timelines for building 50, 100, or 200+ backlinks
- Quality vs quantity trade-offs
- Budget considerations for different link building strategies
Read the complete guide: How Many Backlinks Do You Actually Need to Rank? →
Common Questions About Competitor Backlinks
How many backlinks do I need to outrank my competitor?
You typically need 10-20% more referring domains than your competitors to outrank them, assuming similar link quality. If your competitor has 80 referring domains, aim for 90-100 to surpass them. However, you can compensate with higher quality links - 50 DR 60+ links could outrank 100 DR 30 links.
Should I look at total backlinks or referring domains?
Always focus on referring domains, not total backlinks. Google cares about the number of unique websites linking to you, not how many links each site gives you. A competitor with 10,000 backlinks from 50 domains is weaker than one with 1,000 backlinks from 200 domains.
What if my competitor has 500+ backlinks?
If top competitors have 500+ referring domains, you're looking at a highly competitive keyword that will take 12-24+ months to compete for. Consider targeting easier long-tail keywords first, build your authority, then come back to this harder keyword once you have 200+ referring domains yourself.
Can I check competitor backlinks for free?
Yes, you can use Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker (top 100 backlinks), Ubersuggest (limited free version), SEMrush free account (limited queries), or Moz Link Explorer (10 free queries per month). These give you enough data to understand competitor backlink profiles without paying for full access.
How often should I check competitor backlinks?
Check competitor backlinks monthly if you're actively building links. This helps you track if competitors are building faster than you and if you're closing the gap. If you're not actively link building yet, check quarterly to understand the competitive landscape before starting your campaign.
What's a good Domain Rating or Domain Authority score?
DR/DA scores are relative to your niche. Generally: DR/DA 0-20 is weak, 20-40 is decent, 40-60 is strong, 60-80 is very strong, and 80+ is exceptional. Focus on matching or slightly exceeding your competitors' average DR/DA rather than chasing an arbitrary number.
Do I need to match competitor backlinks exactly?
No. Backlinks are just one ranking factor. Strong on-page SEO, better content, faster site speed, and superior user experience can compensate for a backlink gap. You might outrank competitors with 20-30% fewer backlinks if your site is significantly better in other areas.
How do I know if my competitor's backlinks are good quality?
Check the DR/DA of linking domains (aim for 40+ ideally), verify the links are dofollow, check if linking sites are relevant to your niche, and look at traffic to the linking pages. Backlinks from high-traffic, relevant pages on authoritative domains are the gold standard.
Competitive Analysis Is Step 1 of Smart Link Building
Here's what you now know that most SEOs skip:
You know exactly how many referring domains your competitors have. You know the quality of their backlinks. You know your backlink gap. You have a concrete target, not a vague "build more links" goal.
This isn't just data - it's a strategic roadmap. You know whether a keyword is achievable in 3 months, 12 months, or 24 months based on real competitive intelligence.
The Bottom Line:
Quality and relevance matter more than pure numbers, but numbers still matter. You can't rank with 20 backlinks when competitors have 150, regardless of how good your content is.
Know the target. Build strategically. Track progress. Close the gap.
The next step is using this competitive data to calculate your exact backlink needs. Not just "how many do competitors have," but "how many do I need based on my current authority, keyword difficulty, and timeline."
Quick Navigation
✓ Analysis Checklist
Complete in 15-20 minutes
Recommended Tools
For Professionals
Ahrefs ($99/mo)
Most accurate data
For Teams
SEMrush ($129/mo)
All-in-one platform
For Budget
Ubersuggest ($29/mo)
Good value option
For Free
Ahrefs Free Checker
Top 100 backlinks
🎯 Key Metrics
Referring Domains
More important than total backlinks
DR/DA Score
Link quality indicator
Dofollow Ratio
Should be 60-80%
Link Velocity
New links per month
📊 Industry Benchmarks
Easy Keywords
20-50 referring domains
Medium Keywords
50-100 referring domains
Hard Keywords
100-200+ referring domains
Avg Link Quality
DR/DA 40-50 ideal
Know Your Backlink Gap. Build Strategically.
Stop guessing how many backlinks you need. Pikera analyzes competitor backlinks as part of keyword difficulty analysis, showing you exactly what's required to rank before you waste months building links blindly.
No credit card required • Competitor analysis in seconds • Built for strategic SEO