---
title: "Link gap"
description: "A link gap is the set of domains linking to competitors but not to you. Learn how link gap analysis surfaces ready-made backlink targets for your SEO."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-gap"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# Link gap

> A link gap is the set of referring domains that link to your competitors but not to your site — effectively a ready-made shortlist of backlink targets.

A **link gap** is the difference between your website's backlink profile and those of your competitors — specifically, the set of domains that link to your rivals but not to you. Link gap analysis is a standard off-page SEO technique that produces a ready-made shortlist of potential [backlink](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/backlink) sources.

## How link gap analysis works

The underlying premise is that if a page already links to several of your competitors in the same niche, there is a genuine chance it would link to you too — it clearly publishes topically relevant content and evidently references resources in your space. Tools like [Ahrefs](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ahrefs), Majestic or Semrush compare your [link profile](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-profile) against those of the competitors you specify and list the referring domains you are missing. The more of your rivals a given domain links to, the higher it should sit on your priority list.

## Practical application

The output of a link gap analysis is a practical roadmap for [link building](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-building). Instead of prospecting blindly, you get a concrete list of sites that already link to content in your niche — industry publications, directories, blogs, tool round-ups and resource pages.

The next step is qualifying those domains: discard low-quality prospects and focus on sources with real authority and traffic, then work out how each existing link was earned — a guest post, a mention in a round-up, or a resource link. That lets you craft a tailored outreach pitch. It is worth repeating link gap analysis on a regular cadence, because competitors' backlink profiles keep changing, and with them new gaps open up to fill.

### How do I run a link gap analysis?

In an SEO tool such as Ahrefs, Majestic or Semrush you enter your own domain alongside several competitors and run the profile comparison report. It returns a list of domains that link to your rivals but not to you — the ones shared by multiple competitors are usually the most valuable targets.

## Related

- [Link building](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-building)
- [Backlink](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/backlink)
- [Link profile](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/link-profile)
- [Ahrefs](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ahrefs)
- [Off-page SEO](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/off-page-seo)

---

Languages: [pl](https://nodea.pl/pl/slownik-pojec/link-gap.md)  
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