How do you find competitor backlinks using Ahrefs?

amitbansal26

amitbansal26

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Hi everyone,

I’ve been using Ahrefs recently for SEO research and I’m trying to understand how to properly analyze competitor backlinks.

From what I understand, the basic process is:

  1. Identify competitors ranking for your target keywords.
  2. Enter their domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer.
  3. Go to the Backlinks report to see all sites linking to them. ()
  4. Analyze metrics like:
    • Domain Rating (DR)
    • Referring domains
    • Anchor text
    • Traffic of linking pages.
Ahrefs also allows filtering backlinks by things like DR, traffic, and link type (********/nofollow) which helps identify high-quality link opportunities. ()

One thing I find interesting is that by studying competitor backlinks you can discover websites that commonly link to multiple competitors, which may be good opportunities to get backlinks yourself. ()

However I still have a few questions:

• How do you identify which competitor backlinks are actually worth replicating?
• Do you filter by DR or by traffic first?
• Are you mainly looking for guest posts, niche edits, or directories?

Also curious to know if anyone here uses the Link Intersect feature in Ahrefs to find domains linking to competitors but not to your site.

Would love to hear your workflow or any tips you use to reverse-engineer competitor backlink strategies.

Thanks!
 
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In Ahrefs, enter your competitor’s domain into Site Explorer, then go to the Backlinks or Referring Domains report to see who links to them. Filter by ******** links, DR (Domain Rating), traffic, and link type to find high-quality opportunities.
 
my priority order
.contextual + ranking pages
.topical relevance
.then DR
everything else is noise
 
I usually just drop the competitor domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer, check the backlinks and referring domains report, then sort by DR and traffic to see which links actually move the needle. After that it’s mostly filtering out junk and reverse-engineering patterns like guest posts, niche edits, or directories they keep using.
 
A simple way I usually filter competitor backlinks is by looking at relevance first, then authority. A link from a niche-relevant site with moderate DR can often be more valuable than a high-DR site that’s unrelated. I also check whether the link is editorial (inside real content) rather than sidebar or directory links.
 
I normally plug the competitor domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer, open the backlinks or referring domains tab, then filter by DR and organic traffic to spot links that actually matter. The real value comes from finding repeating link sources and patterns you can realistically replicate instead of copying everything blindly.
 
I usually enter the competitor domain in Ahrefs Site Explorer, check referring domains and backlinks, then filter by DR, traffic, and ******** links to find the ones actually worth copying. The real insight comes from spotting repeated link sources and outreach patterns instead of just exporting the whole list blindly.
 
Copy what makes sense for your site. When I check backlinks in Ahrefs, I don’t start with DR. I open the actual linking page. If it’s real content, relevant to the niche, and gets traffic, it’s worth looking at. High DR with zero traffic is often useless.

I usually filter by traffic first, then relevance. I ignore most directories unless they’re legit industry ones.
 
I usually focus first on relevance to the niche, then check quality signals like DR and real traffic before deciding if it’s worth replicating. Many people also mix sources like guest posts or niche edits when building similar link profiles, rather than chasing only one type. The Link Intersect feature can be helpful for spotting shared linking domains, so it’s worth testing in your workflow.
 
amitbansal26 said:
How do you identify which competitor backlinks are actually worth replicating?
Click to expand...
Relevance: Is the linking site’s audience related to the niche or sub-niche ? Example : A link from a high-DR tavel blog is useless if your niche is SaaS software.
amitbansal26 said:
Do you filter by DR or by traffic first?
Click to expand...
I would prioritize traffic, as traffic is sign of Google's "confidence" that a website is not penalized and is judged as a helpful website.
 
When analyzing competitor backlinks, I always prioritize traffic over domain rating because a site with high DR but zero visitors is usually a zombie site that google ignores, you should focus your efforts on finding contextual links like guest posts or niche edits, as directory links are generally too weak to help your rankings these days, regarding the Link Intersect tool, it is absolutely the best place to start because if a website is already linking to three of your competitors, they are highly likely to link to you as well.
 
Enter competitor domain in Site Explorer. Filter by traffic, relevance, and DR. Look for contextual links like guest posts. Use Link Intersect to spot common links.
 
amitbansal26 said:
Hi everyone,

I’ve been using Ahrefs recently for SEO research and I’m trying to understand how to properly analyze competitor backlinks.

From what I understand, the basic process is:

  1. Identify competitors ranking for your target keywords.
  2. Enter their domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer.
  3. Go to the Backlinks report to see all sites linking to them. ()
  4. Analyze metrics like:
    • Domain Rating (DR)
    • Referring domains
    • Anchor text
    • Traffic of linking pages.
Ahrefs also allows filtering backlinks by things like DR, traffic, and link type (********/nofollow) which helps identify high-quality link opportunities. ()

One thing I find interesting is that by studying competitor backlinks you can discover websites that commonly link to multiple competitors, which may be good opportunities to get backlinks yourself. ()

However I still have a few questions:

• How do you identify which competitor backlinks are actually worth replicating?
• Do you filter by DR or by traffic first?
• Are you mainly looking for guest posts, niche edits, or directories?

Also curious to know if anyone here uses the Link Intersect feature in Ahrefs to find domains linking to competitors but not to your site.

Would love to hear your workflow or any tips you use to reverse-engineer competitor backlink strategies.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Enter the domain you want to analyze into the Referring Domains section to check that domain’s backlinks.
 
My workflow is simple. I enter the competitor domain in Ahrefs Site Explorer, then check Referring Domains and Backlinks. I usually filter by ******** links, organic traffic, and niche relevance first, then look at DR.

I focus mainly on contextual links from real content pages with traffic, because those are easier to replicate and actually move rankings. I also use Link Intersect to find domains linking to multiple competitors but not to my site.
 
To find competitor backlinks in Ahrefs:
  1. Go to Ahrefs Site Explorer.

  2. Enter your competitor’s domain.

  3. Click “Backlinks” to see all sites linking to them.

  4. Filter by ********, domain rating, or relevance.
Use this list to find guest post opportunities or link-building ideas for your own site.
 
In Ahrefs, I don’t focus on DR alone. I filter backlinks by pages that have real organic traffic and strong relevance. If the linking page ranks itself, that’s a good sign.

I prioritize contextual editorial links over sidebar or directory links. Link Intersect is useful to find domains linking to multiple competitors but not to you. Those are usually the most realistic and valuable opportunities to replicate.
 
i filter by traffic first, not dr, if the linking page gets real traffic and ranks for keywords, it’s usually worth replicating. metrics alone don’t move the needle anymore.
 
Don't just blindly believe on DR metrics from ahref
Instead focus on relevance,and then traffic.
 
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