Adult backlink gap analysis: which competitor links are worth chasing
An adult backlink gap analysis compares who links to your competitors with who links to you. How to pick competitors, filter out the links you should never copy, and turn the rest into a plan.
By the AuthorityReachUK research desk · 6 minute read ·
Inside: Quick answer · Step 1: choose the right competitors · Step 2: export and compare · Step 3: filter out the junk · Step 4: look at what earned the links · Step 5: turn it into a plan · Step 6: rank by what you can realistically earn · Kinds of gap · Links you should not copy · What the tools can and cannot see · A worked example · Repeat each quarter · Gaps in coverage as well as links · Sharing the plan · Gap analysis for a new site · Tracking results · In short · Where to go from here · Sources and further detail
Quick answer
A backlink gap analysis lists the sites that link to your competitors but not to you. In adult niches, much of the raw list is noise: networks, directories and paid links you should never copy. The value comes from filtering it hard, then looking at what the remaining links were earned with, because that tells you which content and which publications to aim for.
Step 1: choose the right competitors
Pick three to five sites that rank for the pages you want to rank, not the biggest brands in your sector. A huge platform ranks on reputation built over years; a site one or two positions above you is closer to what you can realistically match.
Search your main target terms in a private window and note who appears repeatedly. Those are your search competitors, even if they are not your business competitors.
Step 2: export and compare
Export referring domains for each competitor and for your own site from a backlink tool. Then find the domains that link to at least two competitors but not to you. Links shared across several competitors are more likely to be open to your niche; a link only one competitor has may be a personal relationship.
Google Search Console's Links report shows who links to you according to Google. Use it alongside the tool export; third-party tools miss some links and include others Google ignores.
Step 3: filter out the junk
This is the easiest step to skip, and in adult niches it matters most. Put every domain through the five checks in our quality checklist, and sort what is left into groups:
| Group | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | Trade press, news, blogs that cited the competitor | Study what earned it, then pitch something comparable |
| Sponsored, labelled | Paid placements marked sponsored on real sites | Consider, if the audience fits and the price is fair |
| Resource and listing | Curated lists, associations, event pages | Apply where you genuinely qualify |
| Networks and swaps | Partner pages, shared footers, sites with one owner | Ignore |
| Spam | Scraper sites, auto-generated pages, comment spam | Ignore |
Step 4: look at what earned the links
For the editorial group, look at which competitor pages the links point to. Earned links often point to a small number of pages: a study, a guide, a tool, a statement on a news story. Those pages are the real finding of the analysis, because they show what publications in your niche are willing to cite.
The usual conclusion is not "get these links" but "build something as useful as this page, then pitch it". That is the job of digital PR and outreach.
Step 5: turn it into a plan
- List the editorial and resource opportunities, each with the reason it might link to you.
- Decide which assets you need to build first, based on step 4.
- Order the list by relevance first and effort second.
- Record each outreach attempt and result, so the next analysis shows what changed.
This is the process behind our free authority gap audit, which applies it to your site and two or three competitors. The outcome feeds straight into adult link building.
Step 6: rank by what you can realistically earn
Not every gap can be closed. Rank the remaining links by how relevant the site is, whether it covers adult or wellness topics at all, and what you could genuinely offer it: data, an expert, a better resource. Start with the gaps where you have a real reason to be included.
Kinds of gap
| Gap | Usual route to close it |
|---|---|
| Editorial mention in a guide or article | Offer a better resource or expert view |
| Industry association or directory | Join or apply where you qualify |
| Press coverage | A story or data of your own |
| Partner or supplier pages | Ask partners you already work with |
| Paid or network links | Do not copy; ignore |
Links you should not copy
Competitors sometimes rank partly on links they bought or built through networks. Copying those links copies their risk. Leave them out of the plan, even if they appear to work for now; link schemes1 are often discounted later.
What the tools can and cannot see
Backlink tools crawl only part of the web, and each one sees a different part. Use two if you can, treat their figures as estimates, and check important links by hand before acting on them.
A worked example
Hypothetically, a UK wellness brand compares itself with three competitors and finds forty sites linking to them but not to it. After removing directories, junk and paid placements, nine remain: four health sites, two charities, two magazines and one university page. The brand offers original data to the magazines, an expert to the health sites and a partnership to one charity. Over six months, it earns five of the nine.
Repeat each quarter
Competitors earn new links all the time. Repeat the comparison quarterly, add new gaps to the plan, and note which approaches worked. Anchor choices for the links you earn are covered in anchor text strategy.
Gaps in coverage as well as links
A gap analysis can reveal more than missing links. If competitors are quoted in health sections and you are not, the gap is expertise; if they appear in local news and you do not, the gap is stories. Treat those as content and PR opportunities as well as link targets.
Sharing the plan
Turn the shortlist into a simple plan with owners and dates: who contacts which site, with what offer, and when to review. Share it with whoever creates content, since many gaps close only when there is something worth linking to.
Gap analysis for a new site
A new site has almost no links, so every competitor link looks like a gap. Narrow the comparison to two or three close competitors, focus on the most relevant sources, and build a few strong links before worrying about the rest. Early links from respected health or industry sites set the tone for everything that follows.
Tracking results
Mark each gap as contacted, won or declined, with dates, so next quarter starts from the record.
In short
Pick real competitors, remove junk and paid links, rank what remains by what you can genuinely offer, and repeat each quarter. Treat gaps as content and PR opportunities as well as link targets.
Where to go from here
Approaching the publishers you find is covered in publisher outreach, and story ideas in digital PR ideas. The service is described on adult outreach.
Sources and further detail
- Search Central (Google)2
The organisations listed publish the rules and research quoted here; their sites hold the current text.
Readers ask
Q. Which tools do I need?
A. Any backlink tool that exports referring domains, such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Majestic, plus Google Search Console for your own links. The method matters more than the tool.
Q. Should I copy every link my competitors have?
A. No. In adult niches, a large part of a competitor's link profile may be networks, directories and paid links. Copying those copies their risk. Filter every domain through a quality check first.
Q. How often should a gap analysis be repeated?
A. Every three to six months, or after a competitor jumps in the rankings. New links on their side show you which content and which publications are working now.