> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.surnex.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Backlink gap

> Find domains that link to your competitors but not to you.

**Backlinks → Gap** compares your link profile against up to four competitors and returns the domains linking to them and not to you. Every result is a site that already links to something in your market — the warmest link prospects available.

## Running an analysis

Enter competitor domains in the input rows at the top — `competitor.com` — and click **Compare**.

Start with one row. **Add** creates another, up to **four** competitors; the remove control drops a row, and at least one always remains. Empty rows are ignored, so you can leave spares.

While it runs you'll see **Running gap analysis…** — "This may take a minute. The page will update automatically."

<Note>
  This page does **not** use the project's [Competitors](/competitors/add) list. Domains are entered here per analysis and aren't saved between runs, which means you can test a prospect without adding it to the project — and that your project competitors won't be pre-filled for you.
</Note>

## Results

| Column               | What it is                                           |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| **Referring Domain** | The domain that links to a competitor but not to you |
| **Rank**             | That domain's authority                              |
| **Backlinks**        | How many links it points at the competitors          |
| **Found In**         | Which of the compared competitors it links to        |
| **Missing From**     | Which domains it doesn't link to, including yours    |

25 rows per page, with a **Filter domains…** box.

## Prioritizing

**Found In** is the column that decides your order of attack. A domain linking to **all** the competitors you compared is almost certainly a directory, roundup, or industry resource that covers the category systematically — the strongest candidate, because your absence is conspicuous rather than a matter of taste.

A domain linking to just one competitor is more likely a relationship, a guest post, or paid placement. Winnable, but it takes more than asking.

Then sort by **Rank**. A high-authority domain linking to every competitor is the single best prospect on the page.

**Backlinks** is a caution flag rather than a positive: a domain with hundreds of links to one competitor is running sitewide links, which is a different kind of arrangement than an editorial mention.

## Choosing who to compare

Compare against domains that compete for the **same keywords**, not just the same customers — check the [tracking comparison](/tracking/competitors) to see who actually appears alongside you.

Comparing four competitors at once gives the strongest signal because the **Found In** column becomes meaningful. Comparing one gives you a list of their links with no way to tell systematic coverage from a one-off relationship.

## States

| What you see                                                                                                               | Why                                                             |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Compare your backlink profile** — "Enter competitor domains above and click Compare to find link building opportunities" | Nothing run yet                                                 |
| **Running gap analysis…**                                                                                                  | In progress; the page updates itself                            |
| **No gap results found** — "No referring domains were found linking to competitors but not to you"                         | Genuinely no gap, or the domains you entered have thin profiles |

An empty result is usually the second case. Check the competitor actually has backlinks — run [Domain overview](/domains/overview) on them — before concluding you've closed the gap.