Competitor analysis · Website traffic

Backlinks Explained: Value, Types, and Safe Link Building

Every B2B marketing team wants to get competitor website traffic estimates that hold up under scrutiny — and most end up paying for tools they never open twice. This piece covers the analysis method that actually works, the tools worth a subscription, and a monthly workflow SMEs, scale-ups and agencies can repeat without hiring an analyst.

By · Delivery Lead & Traffic Analyst · · 11 min read

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The short version

  • You cannot see a competitor's real analytics. You can track modelled estimates that are directionally useful, and the shape of the trend is what to monitor — not the absolute number.
  • Two tools beat one. Cross-reference Similarweb and either Semrush or Ahrefs, and treat any figure that agrees within 30 percent as a fair estimate of your competitors' traffic.
  • Keyword rankings, referring domains and top pages tell you far more about what your competitors are doing than the headline traffic number does.
  • Monitor monthly, not weekly. A one-hour cadence with two tools and a shared spreadsheet is what most competitor monitoring programmes actually need.
  • The point of the analysis is to decide what your team should do next — not to build a dashboard for its own sake.

Why competitor website traffic analysis matters

Every team benchmarks against something. The question is whether the benchmark is a real competitor or a generic industry average — and a competitor benchmark is worth several times more. A number from your own niche tells your team what "good" looks like on a website of similar age and commercial model. A global average tells you nothing you can act on.

What a rigorous competitor analysis really answers is not "how much traffic does the competitor get?" — it is "which of their plays are working, and which of those can our team copy or leapfrog?" That is a more actionable question, and it is the reason a competitor monitoring programme changes decisions rather than decorating reports.

For SMEs, scale-ups, agencies and SaaS marketing teams the same three use cases keep coming up. First, sizing the market — competitors with visible traffic prove the demand exists. Second, prioritising channels — if two competitors both grew through content and one through paid, your next quarter is probably about content. Third, defending share — a competitor pulling ahead on branded search is a signal you need to track and respond to, not a spreadsheet.

None of that needs a full-time analyst. What it needs is the right tools, the right handful of metrics to track, and a workflow the marketing owner can keep up with.

What your competitors leak about their website traffic

A competitor cannot hide most of what matters. Their website is public, their content is public, their inbound links are public, and every third-party tool that models website traffic reads the same signals. Knowing what to track — and what to skip — helps your team spend an hour on the data that changes decisions.

What competitors leak What tool sees it How much decision it supports
Estimated monthly website traffic Similarweb, Semrush, Ahrefs Directional — trend is more reliable than the number
Ranking keywords and top pages Ahrefs, Semrush, Serpstat High — tells you what content is actually working
Referring domains and link velocity Ahrefs, Majestic High — shows the authority strategy your competitors use
Paid keywords and ad copy Semrush, SpyFu Useful for scale-ups; SMEs can usually skip it
Social share of voice BuzzSumo, Sparktoro Useful for content-heavy competitors
Technology stack BuiltWith, Wappalyzer Rarely changes a marketing decision — skip most months

Notice how much of what your competitors leak lives in tools your team can open for free. The paid tiers add depth on top pages, keyword history and referring domains — the layers that support real decisions. The rest is noise most of the time.

Tool choice

Which tools to use for competitor traffic analysis

Four tools cover 95 percent of what a marketing team needs to track competitors. Pick two — a traffic tool and a search tool — and skip the rest until a specific question demands them.

Similarweb — traffic and channel mix

The default tool for a headline website traffic estimate, channel split and country breakdown for any competitor. Trend is reliable, absolute numbers are not — treat the graph as the truth and the label as a rough guide.

Ahrefs — keywords and links

The strongest tool for the keyword universe your competitor ranks for and the referring domains they have earned. Use it to see what content and authority your competitors are actually building.

Semrush — the all-rounder

A single tool that covers traffic estimates, paid search keywords, position tracking and ad copy. Weaker than Ahrefs on links and than Similarweb on channel mix, but a fair choice if your marketing team can only fund one paid tool.

Google Search Console + a spreadsheet

Free, and the only tool that reports your own website's true position. Combine what you rank for with a competitor's public ranking data from Ahrefs, and you have a keyword gap analysis no paid tool sells better.

How to get competitor website traffic estimates that hold up

The single biggest mistake teams make on a competitor traffic analysis is trusting a single tool. Every tool models website traffic from a different panel, so their numbers disagree — sometimes by a factor of two. The fix is straightforward: use two tools, note where they agree and where they diverge, and treat the agreement zone as the fair estimate.

Here is the practical method our analysts use to get competitor website traffic figures that survive a management review. It takes about twenty minutes per competitor and delivers a number you can defend without an asterisk.

  1. Pull the monthly traffic estimate from Similarweb. Note the number and the trend line for the last twelve months. If the tool marks the estimate as "low confidence" — a small competitor site — the absolute figure is not worth quoting.
  2. Pull the equivalent from Ahrefs or Semrush. Focus on organic traffic; each tool models it separately, so a second number is a second data point.
  3. Compare the two. If they land within 30 percent of each other, take the midpoint. If they diverge more, quote both and let the reader see the range.
  4. Cross-check against a proxy signal. Referring domains, ranking keyword count and branded search volume all move alongside real traffic — a competitor's tool numbers should not disagree with those proxies.
  5. Log the number in a shared spreadsheet. One row per competitor, one column per month. The value of the analysis compounds only if the history exists.

Do this once and the numbers look noisy. Do it every month for two quarters and the shape of each competitor's website traffic becomes obvious — who is genuinely growing, who is stalling, and who is buying visibility rather than earning it. That shape is what a marketing team can actually act on.

How much traffic does my competitor get, really?

"How much traffic does my competitor get?" is the first question a marketing owner asks, and the honest answer is that nobody outside the competitor's own analytics knows the exact number. The tools estimate it, and the estimates disagree — often by a wide margin. What you can trust is the order of magnitude and the direction of travel.

To make that concrete, here are the bands our analysts use when a client asks how much traffic a competitor's website is really getting. Treat them as directional, and always compare a competitor against websites of similar age and niche rather than against a global average.

Modelled monthly traffic What it usually means How much confidence to put in the number
Under 5,000 sessions New or small B2B website, likely under the tool's detection floor Low — the estimate can be off by 3x either way
5,000 to 50,000 Established SME website with a working content or paid channel Medium — trend reliable, absolute number roughly indicative
50,000 to 500,000 Scale-up website with a real content library and link base Good — tools converge, trend is highly reliable
500,000+ Category leader; tools disagree on absolutes but agree on shape Good on trend, poor on the label

What matters commercially is rarely the headline number. It is how much of that competitor traffic your website could plausibly capture, which comes back to keyword overlap, referring domain overlap, and the shape of each competitor's channel mix. A competitor with 200,000 monthly sessions almost entirely from branded search is a much weaker threat than one with 40,000 sessions from your exact commercial keywords.

What’s a backlink? It is a link from another website to a page on your site. It acts like a public reference between two online sources.

Search engines use links to find pages and judge topic fit. A link from a trusted site can signal useful knowledge. It may also bring direct visitors.

Backlinks do not guarantee higher rankings. Their value depends on the source, topic, and reason for the link. One natural link can beat many weak links.

Your backlink profile is the full set of sites linking to you. It shows the range, quality, and growth of those references.

SEO means search engine optimization. It helps search engines find, read, and rank useful pages.

Backlinks support this work in several ways. They help search engines discover new pages. They can also pass trust between related sites.

Google’s guidance on crawlable links explains how links help systems find web pages. A clear link path can help a new guide enter search results.

Strong links may support better rankings for hard search terms. Better rankings can bring more clicks and referral visits. The linked page must still meet visitor needs.

Backlinks may also help your visibility in AI-generated answers. AI systems often draw from pages that search systems can find and trust. No link guarantees an AI mention.

  • They help search engines discover important pages
  • They may support trust for a topic and site
  • They can send referral traffic from related readers
  • They may grow brand awareness beyond search results

The main types of backlinks differ by their source and purpose. Some links come from earned coverage. Others come from outreach, listings, or social sharing.

Editorial backlinks appear in normal news or expert coverage. For example, a finance site may cite your budget tool. These links often support a clear claim.

Guest post backlinks appear in an article you write for another site. They work best when the site has a real audience and close topic fit. The article must offer useful advice.

Directory backlinks come from business or trade listings. A trusted local directory can help users find your firm. Random directories with thin pages often add little value.

Social backlinks come from social networks and community sites. They may not pass ranking value like editorial links. They can still spread content and earn visits.

TypeBest useMain risk
EditorialSupport a useful claimHard to earn at scale
Guest postReach a new audienceThin or forced articles
DirectoryShow a real businessSpam listings
SocialBuild reach and visitsShort-lived attention

The factors affecting backlink value start with the linking site’s trust. A site with useful content and a steady history can send a stronger signal.

Do not rely on one third-party authority score. Scores can help compare sites. They do not prove that a link will help your page.

Relevance matters just as much. A link from a web analytics site fits a GA4 guide. A link from an unrelated site looks less natural.

Context also shapes value. A link inside a useful paragraph makes more sense than one in a crowded footer. Nearby words should explain why the page matters.

Anchor text is the visible text inside a link. Clear wording tells readers what they will find. Repeating one exact phrase can look forced.

  • Trust and quality of the linking site
  • Relevance between both pages
  • Useful context around the link
  • Clear and varied anchor text
  • Real audience fit and referral visits

How to build backlinks starts with something worth citing. A strong asset gives writers a clear reason to link.

Useful assets include original data, free tools, clear guides, and expert research. Add fresh examples and plain charts where they help. Make the page easy to scan.

Next, find sites that already cover your topic. Read their recent work before you reach out. Suggest your page only when it fills a real gap.

Industry relationships can lead to better links over time. Share useful insight with trade groups, podcast hosts, editors, and partner firms. Give help before asking for coverage.

Content marketing supports this process. It means using useful content to attract and keep a clear audience. The content must serve readers first.

  1. Choose one topic that your audience needs
  2. Create a useful guide, tool, or data study
  3. List relevant sites with real readers
  4. Offer a clear reason for each link
  5. Track links, visits, and new mentions

Measure results with referral visits, new linking domains, and page leads. Ranking changes can take time. Keep improving the asset after launch.

Link schemes are a major risk. Google’s spam policies for link schemes warn against links made to manipulate rankings.

Buying large link packages can create a weak backlink profile. So can swapping links without a useful reason. A small set of earned links is safer.

Low-quality backlinks can waste time and weaken trust. Avoid mass directories, hidden links, copied guest posts, and unrelated site networks.

Some search queries use rough wording. You may see “whats a seo” or “whats seo” in search data. Both ask for a simple SEO meaning.

Other queries ask, “whats an seo specialist?” An SEO specialist improves site structure, content, and search visibility. They should not promise instant rankings.

Brand work also overlaps with search work. “Whats a branding” and “whats branding” ask about shaping how people see a business. Digital marketing covers online promotion across search, social channels, email, and other digital paths.

Search trends also change. “Whats new in seo” may point to AI answers, stronger trust signals, and better page quality. “Whats new in digital marketing” may point to new channels, tools, and ways to measure attention.

  • Do not buy bulk links from unknown sellers
  • Do not repeat one anchor phrase everywhere
  • Do not chase links from unrelated sites
  • Do not publish thin guest posts for links
  • Do not ignore the page linked to

Review your links at least once each quarter. Look for patterns, not just a rising link count. A healthy profile usually grows through varied sources.

Check each linking page for topic fit, useful content, and real visitors. Note the page type, anchor text, and first link date. Remove links only when they pose a clear risk.

A backlink is one part of wider SEO and brand work. Good content, sound site structure, and strong user value still matter most.

Keep your goal simple. Earn references that help readers move from one useful page to another.

Monthly workflow

One hour a month, four steps

A repeatable competitor website traffic analysis workflow the marketing owner can run alone.

01

Pull and track the numbers

Open your two tools, pull the five metrics above for each competitor, and drop them into the shared spreadsheet you use to track everything. Fifteen minutes if your list has five competitors.

02

Spot the moves

Look for any metric you track that changed more than 20 percent month over month. Those are the moves worth understanding — everything else is noise your team can ignore.

03

Investigate the top move

Open the competitor's website, find the new content, links or campaigns that explain the move. Screenshot the evidence and paste it into the same spreadsheet.

04

Write five lines

Summarise for the team: what changed, why it changed, what your marketing should do about it. A five-line summary read in a stand-up beats a 20-tab dashboard nobody opens.

One hour a month, two tools and a spreadsheet — enough to track what competitors are doing and monitor how their moves compare to yours.

What goes wrong

Six ways teams waste the analysis

Every mistake here is common on a competitor analysis programme — and every one turns useful data into a report nobody reads.

Trusting one tool

A single tool's number is a modelled guess. Two tools that agree within 30 percent are worth quoting; one tool alone is not.

Tracking too many competitors

Five is the ceiling most marketing teams can actually track monthly. Ten becomes a chore, twenty becomes abandoned, and the analysis dies inside a quarter.

Chasing the absolute number

Debating whether a competitor gets 42,000 or 58,000 monthly sessions is time your marketing team will never get back. Trend and channel mix change decisions; the label does not.

Skipping the spreadsheet

Without a monthly log, no trend exists. A screenshot in Slack is not an analysis — it is a snapshot that will be forgotten in a week.

No follow-through action

If nothing in the marketing plan changes because of the analysis, the analysis is decoration. Every monthly review must end with an owner and a next step.

Comparing to giants

Benchmarking a 12-month-old SME website against the category leader tells your team nothing useful. Compare like with like or the numbers demoralise everyone.

If your competitors are pulling ahead

Move the numbers your competitors watch

Once your competitor analysis shows a rival's Similarweb curve climbing on their traffic buys, our Similarweb traffic service and managed web traffic move your own website into the same reporting bracket — with a written plan, live dashboard and SLA.

Get a competitor audit → See traffic services →
Common questions

Competitor traffic analysis, answered

What SME marketing owners and agencies actually ask when they start monitoring competitor websites.

How much traffic does my competitor get, and can I see the real number?

You cannot see the exact number — only the competitor themselves can. What you can see is a modelled estimate from Similarweb, Semrush or Ahrefs, plus the search visibility those tools track. Use two tools rather than one, and treat the trend as more reliable than the absolute figure.

How do I get competitor website traffic estimates for free?

The free tiers of Similarweb, Ubersuggest and Semrush all show a monthly traffic estimate for any public domain. It is enough to spot which competitor is growing and which is stalling — buying a paid tool only becomes worthwhile once your marketing team wants to track keyword-level movement or referring domains in detail.

Which competitor traffic tool is the most accurate?

None of them are accurate in absolute terms — each tool models traffic from different panel data, and figures routinely differ by 30 to 60 percent across tools for the same competitor. Similarweb tends to over-estimate large B2C sites, Ahrefs under-estimates them, and Semrush lands somewhere between. Trust the trend line, not the label.

How often should a marketing team monitor competitor websites?

Monthly is enough for most SMEs. A weekly cadence adds noise without signal, and a quarterly cadence misses the moves worth reacting to. One hour a month with two tools, one shared spreadsheet and a five-line summary covers what most marketing teams actually need to track.

How many competitors should I track?

Five is the practical maximum for a one-person marketing function. Split them into three direct competitors and two aspirational competitors — enough to see the shape of the market without turning the analysis into a weekly chore.

What if a competitor's website traffic estimate looks suspiciously high?

Cross-check with a second tool and monitor their referring domains. If competitors' traffic is climbing while their ranking keyword count and referring domains are flat, they may be buying traffic rather than earning it. Useful information — it tells you how much of their visible growth is defensible.

Can I get competitor website traffic data without paying for a tool?

Yes, to a limited depth. Similarweb and Ubersuggest free tiers cover the headline monthly traffic estimate. Google Trends covers branded search interest over time. Together they answer the "how much" question well enough for most SMEs — the paid tools earn their subscription when your team needs keyword-level detail every month.

How does competitor analysis feed into our own marketing plan?

Every monthly analysis should end with one decision. If a competitor gained on branded search, your marketing plan needs a brand response. If they added referring domains, your team owes itself a link push. If nothing changed, do nothing — a quiet month for your competitors is a quiet month for your plan too.

Keep reading

More on website traffic

Deeper guides on the channels this analysis touches, and the services that pair with each one.

How to check website traffic → How to get website traffic → Buy Similarweb Traffic → How to get website traffic fast → How to buy website traffic → Buy Website Traffic →