In the world of Australian SEO, backlinks remain one of the most powerful ranking factors. A competitor backlink gap analysis allows you to peek behind the curtain of your rivals' success to identify exactly which websites are giving them authority—and, more importantly, which ones are missing from your own profile. By closing this 'gap,' you can systematically improve your search engine rankings and capture more local traffic.
Why This Matters for Your Business
Think of a backlink as a digital 'vote of confidence' from one website to another. If your competitors in Brisbane or Sydney are outranking you, it is often because they have more high-quality 'votes' from relevant industry bodies, local directories, or news sites. Identifying these missing links gives you a proven roadmap for your outreach efforts, rather than just guessing where to get links from.---
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before we dive into the steps, ensure you have the following ready:- Your Website URL: The primary domain you want to rank.
- 3-5 Direct Competitors: These should be businesses offering the same services as you in the Australian market.
- An SEO Tool: While there are manual ways to do this, we recommend using a professional tool like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz. Most offer a free trial or a limited free version.
- Google Sheets or Excel: To organise your data and track your progress.
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Step 1: Identify Your True SEO Competitors
Don't just look at the shop down the road. Your SEO competitors are the businesses currently occupying the top 5 spots on Google for your target keywords (e.g., "Plumber Brisbane" or "Conveyancing Melbourne"). What you should see: Open a private browsing window (Incognito mode), search for your primary service, and note down the domains that appear consistently in the top results. These are your targets for the analysis.Step 2: Access a Backlink Gap Tool
Log into your chosen SEO tool. Most platforms have a dedicated feature for this.- In SEMrush: Navigate to 'Gap Analysis' > 'Backlink Gap'.
- In Ahrefs: Go to 'Site Explorer' > 'Link Intersect'.
Step 3: Input Your Domains
Enter your own URL in the first box (usually labelled 'You' or 'Target'). Then, enter the URLs of the 3-5 competitors you identified in Step 1. Ensure you are comparing 'Root Domains' rather than specific pages to get the most comprehensive data.Step 4: Run the Analysis and Filter for 'Best'
Click the 'Find Prospects' or 'Show Link Opportunities' button. The tool will generate a list of every website that links to at least one of your competitors but does not link to you. Pro Tip: Filter the results to show 'Best' or 'Shared' opportunities. These are websites that link to multiple competitors. If a site links to three of your rivals, there is a very high probability they will link to you too.Step 5: Evaluate Domain Authority (Authority Score)
Not all links are created equal. Look for a column labelled 'DA', 'DR', or 'AS' (Authority Score). This is a 1-100 scale of how powerful a website is. Australian Context: Aim for sites with a score of 30+. However, don't ignore local Australian sites (ending in .com.au) with lower scores if they are highly relevant to your specific city or industry.Step 6: Determine the 'Link Type'
Look at the 'Link Type' or 'Source' column. You want to identify if the link is from:- A Directory: (e.g., Yellow Pages, True Local, or industry-specific directories).
- An Editorial/Blog: (e.g., a guest post or a news mention).
- A Resource Page: (e.g., a 'Best Plumbers in Brisbane' list).
Step 7: Export Your Data to Google Sheets
Once you have filtered for high-quality, relevant prospects, export the list to a CSV or Excel file. Open this in Google Sheets to create your 'Link Building Master List'.Step 8: Qualitative Review (The 'Sanity Check')
Before reaching out, manually visit the top 20 websites on your list. Ask yourself: "Is this a legitimate website?" and "Does it make sense for my business to be here?".Warning: Avoid 'Link Farms'—websites that look messy, have no clear topic, and exist only to sell links. These can actually harm your SEO.
Step 9: Categorise Your Outreach Strategy
In your spreadsheet, add a column for 'Strategy'. For each prospect, decide how you will get the link:- Directory: Simply sign up and add your ABN/details.
- Outreach: Email the editor to suggest a content collaboration.
- Broken Link: Inform them of a broken link on their site and suggest your page as a replacement.
Step 10: Find Contact Details
For the editorial and blog sites, use a tool like Hunter.io or simply look at the 'Contact Us' or 'About' page. You want to find the name of the person responsible for the content, not just a generic 'info@' address.Step 11: Draft Your Personalised Pitch
Avoid templates that sound like bots. If you are reaching out to a local Brisbane blogger, mention a specific article of theirs you enjoyed. Explain why linking to your business adds value to their readers.Step 12: Track Your Progress
Add columns to your spreadsheet for 'Date Contacted', 'Status' (Sent/Replied/Live), and 'Follow-up Date'. Consistency is key; most links are secured on the first or second follow-up.---
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ignoring Relevance: A link from a high-authority gardening blog won't help a law firm as much as a link from a local Chamber of Commerce.
- Being Too 'Salesy': When reaching out, focus on how you can help the other site owner, not just what you want from them.
- Forgetting the ABN: When applying for Australian business directories, always have your ABN ready, as many require it for verification.
Troubleshooting
- "I have no gaps!" If the tool shows zero results, you might be comparing yourself to competitors who are too small. Try adding a major national competitor to see where they get their authority.
- "The data looks messy." Ensure you are using 'Root Domain' (example.com.au) rather than 'Exact URL' (example.com.au/blog-post) in your search settings.
- "I can't find a contact email." Try reaching out via LinkedIn or Twitter. Sometimes a polite DM to an editor is more effective than an email.
Next Steps
Now that you have your list of opportunities, it's time to start the outreach process. Start with the 'low-hanging fruit'—the local Australian directories that you can list yourself on today.If you find this process overwhelming or don't have the time to manage manual outreach, our team at Local Marketing Group can help. We specialise in building high-quality, local backlink profiles for Australian businesses. Contact us today to discuss an SEO strategy that works for you.