How to Check Competitor Backlinks for Free (Step-by-Step Guide)
Knowing where your competitors get their backlinks is one of the most valuable things you can do for your own link building strategy.
This guide shows you exactly how to find, analyze, and use competitor backlink data — using free tools, no paid subscriptions required.
Why Checking Competitor Backlinks Matters
When a competitor ranks above you, they are almost always doing it with a stronger backlink profile. Their links are telling Google: “This page is trustworthy and authoritative.”
The good news: those same websites that link to your competitor can also link to you. You just need to find them, study them, and reach out.
Competitor backlink analysis answers three critical questions:
- Which sites are linking to your competitors but not to you?
- What type of content earns links in your niche?
- What is the realistic authority level you need to compete?
Step 1 — Identify Your Real SEO Competitors
Your SEO competitors are not always who you think they are. A competitor in business terms might rank for completely different keywords than you target.
How to find your actual SEO competitors: Search Google for your 3 to 5 most important target keywords. Note which domains consistently appear in the top 10 results. These are your SEO competitors — the sites whose backlink profiles you need to study.
Write down 3 to 5 competitor domains. You will run each one through the free tools below.
Step 2 — Check Their Domain Authority and Spam Score First
Before diving into backlinks, get a quick authority overview of each competitor. This tells you how strong their backlink profile is overall and sets realistic expectations.
Enter competitor domains into a free authority checker to see:
- Domain Authority (DA) — overall backlink strength
- Spam Score — whether their links are clean or toxic
- Domain Age — how long they have been building authority
This context matters. A competitor with DA 55 built over 10 years requires a different strategy than a competitor at DA 30 who only started 2 years ago. The second one is beatable much faster.
Step 3 — Use Ahrefs Free Webmaster Tools
Ahrefs offers a free version of its Webmaster Tools — and while it is limited to checking your own verified domain, it gives you one of the most accurate backlink databases available.
What it shows for free:
- All backlinks pointing to your own site
- Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR) of linking pages
- Anchor text of each backlink
- New and lost backlinks over time
The limitation: You can only analyze your own verified domain for free. For competitor research, you need to use the other methods below — or use the limited free searches available before Ahrefs asks you to sign up.
How to use Ahrefs for competitor research free: Go to ahrefs.com, enter a competitor’s domain in the search bar. Without a paid account, Ahrefs shows a limited preview — typically the top 5 to 10 backlinks and a rough referring domain count. This is enough for a quick overview even without paying.
Step 4 — Use Moz Link Explorer (Free Searches)
Moz Link Explorer gives you 10 free searches per month without an account — and more if you create a free Moz account.
What it shows:
- Top backlinks to any domain
- Domain Authority and Page Authority of linking pages
- Spam Score of the target domain
- Anchor text distribution
- Referring domains count
How to use it for competitor research:
- Go to moz.com/link-explorer
- Enter your competitor’s domain
- Click “Get free link data”
- Review the top linking domains in the results
Focus on the Top Linking Domains section — not individual backlinks. This shows you which websites link to your competitor most frequently. These are your primary outreach targets.
What to look for:
- High-DA domains that link to your competitor but not to you
- Niche-relevant websites that clearly accept guest contributions
- Resource pages or roundup articles that link to multiple sites in your niche
Step 5 — Use Google Search Operators
Google itself can reveal a significant amount of backlink data for free — without any third-party tool.
The key search operator: link:competitor.com
While Google deprecated the public link: operator for ordinary searches, it still surfaces some results. More useful are these operators:
Find who mentions your competitor by name:
"competitorname.com" -site:competitorname.comThis shows pages across the web that mention your competitor’s domain — many of which will be linking to them.
Find guest posts your competitor has written:
"written by [competitor author name]" OR "guest post by [author]"If your competitor has been guest posting to build links, this reveals which sites published their content. Those same sites are likely open to guest posts from you too.
Find resource pages in your niche:
your niche + "useful resources" OR "recommended sites" OR "helpful links"Resource pages are goldmines for link building. Sites that maintain these pages actively add new links — and if your competitor is listed, you should be too.
Step 6 — Use Ubersuggest Free Tier
Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest offers a limited number of free backlink lookups per day without a paid account.
What it shows:
- Referring domains to any website
- Domain Score (their version of DA)
- Top backlink pages with anchor text
- New and lost backlinks
How to use it:
- Go to app.neilpatel.com/en/backlinks
- Enter competitor domain
- Select “Backlinks” from the left menu
- Review referring domains and filter by Domain Score
Ubersuggest is less comprehensive than Ahrefs or Moz, but for free competitor research it shows enough to identify outreach opportunities.
Step 7 — Use Google Search Console for Your Own Data
While Google Search Console only shows data for your own verified site, it gives you one crucial piece of competitor intelligence: what links you already have.
Why this matters for competitor analysis: Before chasing competitor backlinks, check which sites already link to you. Cross-reference this with your competitor’s backlink list. Sites that link to both of you are your warmest outreach targets — they already know your space and have already made the decision to link to sites like yours.
Sites that link to your competitor but not to you are your primary gap — these are the opportunities worth pursuing.
Step 8 — Analyze the Data and Build Your Outreach List
After running competitors through free tools, you will have a list of domains that link to them. Now filter and prioritize:
Prioritize outreach to domains that:
- Have DA 30 or higher
- Have Spam Score below 30%
- Are topically relevant to your niche
- Have linked to multiple competitors (they actively link out in your space)
- Appear to publish guest posts or resource roundups
Skip domains that:
- Are directory spam or link farms
- Have Spam Score above 50%
- Are social media profiles or forum signatures (not worth pursuing)
- Are news sites that do not accept outreach (they linked organically)
Build a simple spreadsheet with these columns:
- Domain URL
- DA score
- Spam Score
- How they link (guest post, resource page, mention, etc.)
- Contact email or submission page
- Outreach status
This becomes your link building pipeline.
Step 9 — The Skyscraper Approach Using Competitor Backlinks
Once you have identified pages on competitor sites that have attracted many backlinks, the Skyscraper technique gives you a systematic way to compete for those same links.
How it works:
- Find a competitor page with many referring domains — for example, their “What is Domain Authority?” guide with 40 backlinks
- Create a significantly better version of that content on your own site — more comprehensive, more up to date, better formatted
- Reach out to each site that links to the competitor’s version
- Explain that you have created a more complete, updated resource on the same topic and suggest they consider linking to yours
Not every outreach will succeed. But if 10% to 20% of contacted sites update their links to point to your resource, you have gained dozens of high-quality backlinks without paying anything.
The key is “significantly better” — not slightly better. A page that is 10% more comprehensive will not convince webmasters to update their links. A page that is genuinely the best available resource on the topic will.
Step 10 — Repeat Monthly
Competitor backlink profiles change constantly. New links are earned, old ones are lost, new competitors emerge. Making this analysis a monthly habit keeps your link building strategy current.
Monthly routine (takes about 30 to 45 minutes):
- Run top 3 competitors through Moz Link Explorer or Ubersuggest
- Note any new high-DA referring domains that appeared since last month
- Add the most relevant new opportunities to your outreach pipeline
- Check your own referring domains for any new links earned
Free Tools Summary
| Tool | What You Get Free | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Moz Link Explorer | 10 searches/month, top backlinks + DA | Quick competitor overview |
| Ahrefs (no account) | Limited preview of top backlinks | Fast sanity check |
| Ubersuggest | 3 searches/day, referring domains + DS | Secondary competitor check |
| Google Search Operators | Unlimited — finds mentions and guest posts | Finding guest post opportunities |
| Google Search Console | Full data for your own site only | Gap analysis vs competitors |
| Free Authority Checker | DA, PA, Spam Score for any domain | Pre-outreach vetting |
What to Do With the Backlinks You Find
Finding competitor backlinks is only the first step. The goal is to earn those same types of links for your own site. Here is how each link type translates to action:
Guest post links — The linking site accepts contributed content. Find their “Write for Us” or “Contribute” page and send a pitch with 2 to 3 topic ideas relevant to their audience.
Resource page links — The site maintains a list of helpful resources in your niche. Email the site owner and suggest adding your most comprehensive guide to their list.
Editorial mentions — The competitor was mentioned in an article naturally. You cannot replicate this directly — but publishing content of equal or better quality makes you a candidate for future mentions.
Broken link opportunities — If a competitor’s linked page no longer exists (404), the site linking to it has a broken link. Reach out, point out the broken link, and suggest your equivalent page as a replacement. This is one of the highest-converting outreach methods available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can I check competitor backlinks for free?
Use Moz Link Explorer (10 free searches/month), Ubersuggest (3 free searches/day), or the limited free preview in Ahrefs. Google search operators like "competitor.com" -site:competitor.com also reveal sites that mention and link to competitors without any tool required.
Is it possible to see all backlinks of a competitor for free?
No free tool shows 100% of a competitor’s backlinks. Paid tools like Ahrefs and Semrush have larger indexes. Free tools show a representative sample — typically enough to identify the most important link sources and outreach opportunities.
What is the best free tool to check competitor backlinks?
Moz Link Explorer is the most useful free option — it shows top linking domains, DA scores, Spam Score, and anchor text with 10 free monthly searches. Ubersuggest is a good secondary option for daily checks.
How do I use competitor backlinks for my own link building?
Identify sites that link to your competitor but not to you, then reach out to those sites with a relevant pitch — a guest post idea, a resource suggestion, or a broken link replacement. Sites that already link to similar content are your warmest outreach prospects.
What information should I collect when analyzing competitor backlinks?
For each linking domain, record: the domain URL, its DA and Spam Score, how it links (guest post, resource page, editorial mention), and a contact email or submission page. This becomes your prioritized link building outreach list.
How often should I check competitor backlinks?
Once a month is sufficient for most sites. A monthly check catches new high-value links your competitors have earned and keeps your outreach pipeline fresh with current opportunities.
Can I find competitor backlinks without creating an account?
Yes. Moz Link Explorer works without an account for a limited number of searches. Ahrefs shows a partial preview without login. Google search operators require no account at all. These free access points are enough to identify your most valuable outreach targets.
What is the Skyscraper technique for competitor backlinks?
The Skyscraper technique involves finding a competitor page with many backlinks, creating a significantly better version of that content on your own site, then reaching out to everyone linking to the competitor’s version and suggesting your improved resource instead. It is one of the most reliable free link building methods available.
How do I know if a competitor’s backlink is worth pursuing?
Check the linking domain’s DA (aim for 30+) and Spam Score (aim for under 30%). Confirm the site is topically relevant to your niche. Look for evidence the site actively links to content — resource pages, guest post sections, or roundup articles are the best indicators that outreach will be welcome.
