Debug: upstream API calls (click to expand)
How it works
The Backlink Gap Analyzer pulls backlinks for your site and for 1 to 2 competitor sites at the same time. It combines them, removes duplicates, and keeps the rows that link to a competitor but not to you. The result is the list of source pages and domains where competitors already have a link and you do not. Those are the best-converting outreach prospects for link building.
Modes. Website mode compares whole domains, one per line. Webpage mode compares specific URLs, one per line. The first input is your site or page. The rest are competitors. All sites are fetched in parallel, so even 11 sites (you plus 10 competitors) usually finish in under 20 seconds.
Two views, one dataset. The view toggle in the results header switches between two groupings.
- Backlinks view: every source URL that links to at least one competitor. Useful for finding listicle pages to pitch.
- Domains view: one row per source domain. Useful for ranking high-DA outreach targets.
Both views come from the same fetch. There is no second upstream call.
The "Found On" column. For each gap row, we count how many of your competitors that source links to. A high count means the source publishes about your topic broadly, so it is more likely to link to you if pitched well. The default sort is Found On, highest first, with DA as the tiebreaker.
Plan caps. On this plan each submission takes up to 2 competitors plus you, and fetches up to 500 backlinks per site. Each site counts as one unit toward a daily backlink quota shared with the Backlink Checker and Listing Checker.
Known limitations.
- Backlink coverage is not complete. Our source is strong on mid- to high-traffic sites and less complete on new or low-PageRank pages. The gap analysis is a strong sample, not a census.
- No follow or nofollow signal yet. The upstream API does not say whether each backlink is followed.
- Refresh timing is set upstream. Expect a lag of a few days to a few weeks before very recent links appear.
What the columns mean
- Source URL (Backlinks view)
- The page that links to at least one competitor. Click it to open the page in a new tab and see the link in context.
- Source Domain
- The domain that hosts the source page. In Domains view, each row is one source domain, however many of its pages link to competitors.
- Found On
- How many of your competitors the source links to. A row showing "Found On: 3" out of 5 competitors links to 3 of them but not to you. Higher values usually mean stronger outreach targets.
- Anchor Text
- The visible text of the competitor backlink. When Found On is above 1, we show one example anchor. The rest appear in the cross-tool linking modal.
- Domain Authority (DA)
- Moz's 0 to 100 prediction of how well the source domain ranks. A higher-DA source passes more ranking value to the sites it links to, including yours if you earn the link.
- Page Rank (PR)
- The Open PageRank 0 to 10 score for the source domain. A useful second opinion next to DA.
- Spam Score
- Moz's 0 to 100 measure of spam signals. Filter out high-Spam-Score sources before outreach. The Backlink Checker page explains the score in detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is a backlink gap analysis?
A backlink gap analysis, also called a link-gap analysis, finds backlinks that point at your competitors but not at your site. The "gap" is those source pages and domains. They have already shown they will link to a competitor's content, so they are strong candidates to link to yours after similar outreach. It is one of the best-converting link-building tactics because those sites already publish about your topic.
How do I do a backlink gap analysis?
Enter your site or page URL at the top, then add 1 to 2 competitor sites in the box below. We pull backlinks for every site you entered, remove duplicates, and show the ones that link to a competitor but not to you. Pick Website mode to compare whole domains and Webpage mode to compare specific URLs. The results table has two views: by source URL (pages to pitch) or by source domain (high-authority outreach targets).
What is the difference between the Backlinks view and the Domains view?
Both views show the same data, the combined competitor backlinks with duplicates removed, but group it differently.
- Backlinks view lists every source URL that links to at least one competitor. Use it to find specific pages to pitch, such as "top 10 X tools" articles that mention competitors but not you.
- Domains view groups by source domain, so each row is one outreach target with the total backlink count from that domain. Use it to rank high-DA domains no matter how many of their pages link to competitors.
Same data, two lenses, no second API call.
How do I find competitor backlinks?
There are two paths in this tool family. This tool, the Backlink Gap Analyzer, takes your site plus competitor sites together and returns only the links you do not have yet. That is the most actionable list. The Backlink Checker takes one competitor domain or URL on its own and returns every backlink we know of for it. Use that when you want to study a competitor's full link profile rather than the difference from yours.
What does the "Found On" column show?
The number of your competitors that the backlink points to. If you entered 5 competitors and a row shows "Found On: 3", that source links to 3 of the 5 but not to you. A higher value usually means a stronger outreach target. The source covers your topic broadly and links to several competitors, so it is more likely to link to you too. Click the column header to sort by it.
How many competitor backlinks should I look at?
Quality over quantity. Most successful link-building campaigns start with 50 to 100 hand-reviewed prospects, not thousands. From the gap analysis output:
- Sort by Domain Authority, highest first, to see the strongest outreach targets.
- Filter to rows where Found On is 2 or more to focus on sources that cover your topic broadly.
- Skip sources that look like directory listings, scrapers, or private blog networks (check the Spam Score).
The top 20 to 50 rows after sorting and filtering are usually where the real opportunities are.
How accurate is competitor backlink data?
No backlink index covers the whole web. Our source is strong on mid- to high-traffic sites and less complete on new or low-PageRank pages. So the gap analysis is a strong sample, not a full census. For most link-building that is fine. Even a partial view of who links to competitors but not to you usually gives more prospects than one team can work through.
Should I always try to match every competitor backlink?
No. Some competitor backlinks cannot be copied, such as links from acquisitions or PR coverage of a one-off event. Some are not worth the effort, such as low-quality directories. Some are outside your niche. Use the gap analysis to find patterns instead. Which kinds of sites keep linking to your competitors? Which content types, such as data studies, tutorials, or comparison posts, attract those links? Build your content and outreach plan around the patterns, not a checklist of URLs.