In my last column here on Search Engine Land, I shared tips and tricks I've learned over the years when it comes to link prospecting. One process for finding link opportunities that I haven't covered is analyzing competitors' backlinks. Competitor analysis is fundamental to Phone Number List creating a link building campaign. You'll learn which tactics secure links for the competition, which pages drive search traffic, anchor text distribution, the competitive landscape and more. A solid competitive analysis provides: niche overview: linking environment, competitive Phone Number List landscape, potential linking opportunities; competitor tactics: sponsorships/partnerships, blogger outreach, affiliate marketing, Guest posting, etc. and content analysis: competitor strategies, popular topics and formats, content gaps. In this article, I'll walk through competitor analysis, using a Phone Number List common example to highlight the important insights you can learn by checking your competitors' backlinks, keywords, and content. My example for this article will be 1Up Box, a monthly subscription box that offers “epic gear for geeks and gamers”. I feel like a bit of a geek/gamer, and I really toyed with the idea of ​​buying 1Up Box. Of course, they are not customers. Identify search competitors 1Up Box Imp Home Page Identifying research competitors is the first step in a competitive analysis. There are Phone Number List several ways to unearth search competitors. I recommend: talk to your client (he knows his business best); Verification of important SERPs; SEMrush BuzzSumo Using the Phone Number List tools and methods listed above, I've identified 1Up Box's top search competitors: Loot Crate nerd block Fuel Geek Geek Me Box Finding and identifying search competitors is the easy part, so let's focus primarily on the analysis. Niche insight: Examining how 1Up Box measures against the competition If your goal is to secure links, you need to understand the linking environment within your niche. The first insight from a competitive analysis is your client's competitiveness in search. Backlink tools like Phone Number List Majestic and Open Site Explorer will help you determine this information. For 1Up Box, I'll be reviewing their top competitors in Majestic. Loot Crate: