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How to Check Competitor's Backlinks

When you want to improve your website ranking, one thing you must do is watch your competition. Your competitors are not only ranking because of good content. Most of the time, they also have strong backlinks. If you study their links, you can understand their growth. That is why checking competitor's backlinks is very important in SEO.

What Do We Mean by Competitor's Backlinks?

Let’s keep it very simple:

• Backlinks are links from one website to another.
• When a site links to your competitor’s page, that link is counted as part of your competitor's backlinks.
• These links help your competitor rank higher because Google sees backlinks as votes of trust.

So basically, when you study competitors' backlinks, you are spying a little, but in a smart way. You are learning who is supporting them and how you can also get that support.

Why Should You Check Competitor's Backlinks?

You might be thinking, “Why should I spend time on this?” The answer is easy.

• It gives you ideas for new backlinks.
• You can find out which websites trust your competitor.
• You can understand what type of links are helping them.
• It saves your time because you are not guessing.
• You can also beat them by building better links.

So, knowing competitor's backlinks is like knowing the secret recipe of your competition.

Steps to Check Competitor's Backlinks

Now comes the main part. How do you actually check it? Don’t worry, it is not very hard. Let me explain step by step.

1. Make a List of Competitors

First, note down your main competitors. Just search your target keyword on Google. The top 5–10 websites that appear are your real competitors.

2. Use SEO Tools

You cannot see backlinks with your eyes directly. You need tools. There are many SEO tools that show competitor's backlinks clearly. 

Some famous ones are:

• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Moz
• Ubersuggest

Just type your competitor’s website URL, and you will see hundreds of backlinks they have.

3. Study the Backlinks

Now, do not copy everything blindly. Check each link carefully. Ask yourself:

• Is this website related to my niche?
• Is the site popular or spammy?
• Is the link do-follow or no-follow?
• Is the content around the link natural?

Only pick the useful ones. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to competitor's backlinks.

4. Plan Your Strategy

After you study the links, make your own plan. For example:

• If your competitor got a guest post on a blog, you can also pitch that blog.
• If they got backlinks from a directory, submit your website there too.
• If they got links from useful content, you can write better content on the same topic.
• In short, you use competitors' backlinks as a guide to create your own path.

Tips for Better Results

Here are some simple tips to get maximum benefit:

• Focus more on quality sites.
• Try to build relationships with bloggers.
• Mix different backlink methods like guest posts, directories, and natural mentions.
• Check competitors' backlinks regularly because they also keep changing.
• Be patient. Backlinks take time to show results.

Mistakes People Make While Checking Competitor's Backlinks

Many beginners make errors while doing this. Let’s look at the common mistakes:

• Copying every link without checking the quality.
• Ignoring whether the site is related to your niche.
• Depending only on free tools that give half the data.
• Not making updates to the backlink strategy from time to time.
• Avoid these mistakes, and your SEO work will become easier.

Final Thoughts

Competitor's backlinks are too valuable to ignore when it comes to SEO success. They offer insights into what works for your niche and where you could possibly also develop your links. Empowered with the right tools and a dash of smart work, you can learn their stratagem and quickly build one even stronger on your side. 

So, rather than brazenly going on a trail of guesses, analyse the foes, check their backlinks, and take action. This is definitely the easiest way to grow faster in the search engine.

For complete Website Analysis, On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, and Technical SEO, contact us at Sumit Digitech.

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