Your competitor has more backlinks than you do, and you want to know how to catch up. Say a backlink report shows links from 400 websites for them and 60 for you.

A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Google treats that link as a sign of trust. When a respected site links to your page, it tells Google your page is worth sending people to. Links also help Google understand what your page is about. The more relevant, trusted sites that link to you, the stronger those signals get. That is why a competitor with far more backlinks often ranks above you, even when your content is just as good.

You can close the gap, but it takes a plan. This post shows you how to measure your backlink gap and how to get more backlinks in ways Google accepts.

How Much Backlinks Matter

Ranking data shows that links from other sites help pages rank. An Ahrefs study of 1 million high-volume US keywords found that pages with more referring domains tend to rank higher in the top 20 results. (A referring domain is a different website that links to you.)

Links matter more for some searches than others. Ahrefs found that the link-to-ranking connection was stronger for local and informational searches than for commercial ones.

Links are not the only thing that matters, though. Ahrefs found links matter a little less than they did a few years ago, but they still matter. Google weighs many signals, so some pages with fewer links still rank above pages with more. Still, the study’s author says links play a real role. In an earlier test, he removed the links pointing to a few blogs, and their traffic and rankings fell. Treat links as one important part of your SEO plan, alongside strong content.

Step 1: Measure the Gap

Before you build a single link, find out what you are up against. A competitor backlink analysis shows you who links to your rivals and why. A backlink gap analysis goes one step further. It compares your links to your competitors’ links and shows you exactly where you fall short. Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs both offer this.

Here is how to run one:

1. Pick two or three competitors.

   Use the businesses that show up in Google for the terms you want, not just the ones you think of as rivals.

2. Compare referring domains, not total links.

   Links from many different sites usually tell you more than many links from one site.

3. Find the overlap.

   Look for sites that link to two or more competitors but not to you. Those sites already cover your industry, so they are the most likely to link to you too.

4. Sort the links by type.

   Group them into directories, news coverage, partner sites, associations, blogs, and community platforms. This shows you where your competitor is winning.

When you finish, you will have a list of real link targets. That list becomes your plan.

Why Competitors End Up With More Links

Several things can explain the gap. Common reasons include:

• They have been around longer.

  Links add up over the years.

• They publish things worth citing.

  Original research, free tools, and detailed guides earn links on their own.

• They get press.

  News coverage, awards, and speaking events all produce links.

• They have relationships.

  Partners, suppliers, associations, and local organizations often link to each other.

• They have invested in link building.

  A steady program over several years adds up.

Links are only one reason a rival can outrank you. Content quality and technical health matter too. A link gap also takes time to close, so it helps to have a plan.

How to Close the Gap

A good link-building strategy for 2026 has one rule: earn links a real person would click. Google has spent years getting better at spotting links built only to game rankings. The links that last come from relevant sites, real relationships, and content worth citing.

Start with the easy wins. Then build toward the harder links that carry more weight.

1. Claim the links you have already earned

Search for your brand name. Some sites mention you without linking to you. A short, friendly note asking them to add a link often works.

Also check the places that tend to link to businesses like yours. These include partners, vendors, industry associations, chambers of commerce, and local directories. These links take little effort and add up fast.

2. Publish content other sites want to cite

People link to content that helps them make a point. That could be original survey data, a free template, a calculator, or a guide that covers a topic better than anything else online.

It also helps to go deep on your core topics instead of writing one-off posts. A site with strong coverage of its subject is easier to link to.

3. Use digital PR

Digital PR means getting your expertise in front of journalists and editors so they cite you. You can offer expert comments on industry news, share original data, or respond to reporter requests.

News links can be valuable, but they are hard to earn and take steady effort.

4. Write guest posts for the audience, not the link

Write for sites your customers already read. Pick them for relevance and readership. If you choose a site only because it will give you a link, you are taking a risk. The biggest risk is in the link itself. Anchor text is the clickable words in a link. Keyword-rich anchor text uses the exact search term you want to rank for, such as “best Dallas roofing company.” Google’s spam policy lists links with keyword-rich anchor text in guest posts, articles, and press releases on other sites as link spam. These links look built to boost rankings, not to help readers. A safer link uses your company name or a plain description, such as “ABC Roofing” or “this guide to roof repair costs.”

5. Show up where your customers ask questions

Forums, Q&A sites, and online communities are places where people share advice and recommend brands. Links from these platforms may not pass ranking credit. But helpful answers put your name in front of people who write, link, and buy.

6. Skip the shortcuts

You will get offers to buy links in bulk. Do not take them. Google defines buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. Sites that break this rule can rank lower or drop out of results.

Choose Quality Over Quantity

One link from a relevant, trusted site can be worth more than dozens from sites unrelated to your business.

Before you pursue a link, ask three questions:

• ?Is this site relevant to our industry?
• ?Does it have a real audience?
• ?Would we want this link even if Google did not exist?

If the answer to all three is yes, it is worth your time.

What to Expect and How to Measure It

Link building takes time. Expect months, not weeks. A competitor’s lead may come from years of work, so you will not erase it overnight.

Track progress with a few simple measures:

• ↗ Referring domains.

  Is the number growing each month?

• ↗ Rankings for your target pages.

  Are the pages you are building links to moving up?

• ↗ Referral traffic.

  Check the referral sources in GA4 to see which links send visitors.

• ↗ Leads.

  Are the pages with new links producing more inquiries?

These numbers show whether the plan is working and where to focus next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a backlink high quality?

High-quality backlinks come from sites that are relevant to your industry, have a real audience, and link to you because your content is useful. Check relevance first. Then check whether real people read the site.

How many backlinks do I need to outrank my competitor?

There is no set number. Compare the referring domains for the pages you want to rank, and aim to match the quality of the sites that link to your competitor, not just the count. Content quality and technical health also affect rankings.

How long does it take to get more backlinks?

There is no fixed timeline. It depends on where you start, your industry, and how competitive your target pages are. Check referring domains and rankings each month to see whether the work is paying off.

Is it safe to buy backlinks?

Buying links to improve your rankings is not safe. Google treats buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam, and sites that break the rule can rank lower or drop out of results. Instead, earn links through useful content, digital PR, and real relationships.

What is a backlink gap analysis?

A backlink gap analysis compares the sites linking to your competitors with the sites linking to you. It shows which sites link to them but not to you, so you know where to focus your outreach.

How Globe Runner Can Help

At Globe Runner, we start with a technical SEO audit that covers your backlinks and your competitors’ links. We find where your competitors are earning links and where you are missing out. Then we build links by hand, with a focus on relevance and quality.

Our off-page SEO and link-building service covers research, outreach, and reporting, so you can see what we earn and how it affects your rankings.