Backlink Gap Analysis Service
Find the websites already linking to your competitors but not to you, filtered for quality and ranked by how realistic and valuable each opportunity is.
What’s Included
- Selection of relevant ranking competitors
- Domain overlap analysis across competitors
- Quality and relevance filtering of gap domains
- Classification of how each link was earned
- Opportunity scoring by authority, relevance and feasibility
- Content recommendations where gaps point to missing assets
- Prioritised prospect list in spreadsheet format
- Summary report with recommended next steps
If a website links to three of your competitors, it has already shown it is willing to link to businesses like yours. These overlapping domains are some of the most promising link prospects available, yet raw gap reports from SEO tools are usually long, noisy lists full of spam, scraped sites and links nobody could replicate.
Our backlink gap analysis turns that raw data into something you can act on. We identify domains linking to multiple competitors but not to you, remove low-quality and irrelevant sources, classify how each link was earned, and prioritise the remaining opportunities by relevance, authority and how achievable they are for your site.
What Is a Backlink Gap Analysis?
A backlink gap analysis compares your backlink profile with competitors' to find domains that link to one or more of them but not to you. These domains are strong prospects because they already link to similar content or businesses.
The value lies in the filtering. Each domain is checked for quality and relevance, the linking page is reviewed to understand how the link was earned, such as a resource list, guest post, review or news mention, and opportunities are ranked so outreach effort goes to those most likely to succeed and matter.
Why Run a Backlink Gap Analysis?
Higher-probability prospects
Sites already linking to competitors are more likely to consider linking to you.
Noise removed
Spam, scraped pages and irrelevant domains are filtered out before they waste outreach time.
Link method revealed
Knowing whether a link came from a resource page, review or guest post tells you how to approach it.
Clear priorities
Opportunities are ranked by value and feasibility so you start with the best ones.
Content gap clues
Repeated links to competitor resources can signal content you should create.
Measurable closing of the gap
A defined list lets you track how many competitor-only domains you win over time.
How It Works
A clear, managed workflow from brief to verified live placement.
Pick competitors
We choose the competitors most relevant to the keywords and pages you want to grow.
Find the gap
We extract domains linking to competitors but not to you, weighted by how many competitors they link to.
Filter and classify
We remove poor-quality sources and classify each remaining link by type and method.
Prioritise
We score opportunities and deliver a ranked list with recommended approaches.
Raw Tool Gap Report vs Curated Gap Analysis
| Factor | Raw Tool Export | Curated Gap Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| List quality | Includes spam and scraped sites | Filtered for quality and relevance |
| Context | Domain names and metrics only | How each link was earned |
| Prioritisation | Sorted by metric | Scored by value and feasibility |
| Actionability | Needs significant manual review | Ready to plan outreach |
| Content insight | None | Highlights assets worth creating |
Who Is This For?
- Teams planning outreach and needing qualified prospects
- Businesses with competitors that hold many more referring domains
- Content teams looking for link-worthy topics
- Agencies building prospect lists for clients
- Sites that have exhausted obvious link opportunities
What to Consider About Backlink Gap Analysis
- Not every gap link can be replicated. Some come from partnerships, sponsorships or ownership ties.
- Backlink databases sample the web, so some competitor links may be missing from the data.
- A strong gap list still needs good content and outreach to convert into links.
- Chasing every competitor link can lead to low-relevance placements. Prioritisation keeps focus on what helps.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a gap analysis different from competitor analysis?
Competitor analysis explains how rivals build authority overall. Gap analysis produces a specific list of domains linking to them but not to you. They work well together.
How many competitors do you compare?
Usually three to five. Domains linking to several competitors are typically the strongest prospects, so overlap across multiple sites is weighted higher.
Do I receive the prospect list?
Yes. You receive a prioritised spreadsheet with domains, linking pages, link types and recommended approaches, plus a summary of findings.
Can you do the outreach as well?
Yes. The list can feed directly into a link building campaign, or your team can use it independently.
How often should gap analysis be repeated?
Competitors keep earning links, so revisiting the analysis periodically, for example once or twice a year, helps keep your prospect list current.
Find Your Missing Link Opportunities
Tell us your site and main competitors, and we'll scope a backlink gap analysis with a quote.