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 · 7 minute read ·
Inside: The short 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
The short 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.
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.