How to find competitor backlink opportunities
Source review · Checked . Based on the linked documentation and tool definitions. Examples are illustrative unless a run receipt is provided. Editorial standards
To find websites that link to competitors but not to you, connect a backlink data account and run link_intersect on Backlink Intelligence. Pass an explicit provider (ahrefs, semrush, or dataforseo), your target, and one to five competitor domains. The skill returns measured referring-domain gaps from that provider, with a timestamp and coverage notes. ToolRouter does not own a backlink index.
This walkthrough is source-reviewed against the skill contract and the provider APIs linked below. It is not a live production run. The prompt is illustrative.
What you need before the call
link_intersect is paid. It also needs a connected account for the provider you name. Ahrefs and Semrush use the API key you attach when that provider is selected. DataForSEO uses the connected DataForSEO account. If the selected source is missing, the skill returns available: false with a message instead of inventing rows.
Optional scope is root_domain (default), subdomain, or page. limit is 1–100 (default 20). Treat every row as a dated observation from that provider, then open the live page before you treat it as an outreach target.
Setup for Claude is in Connect Claude. Other clients: toolrouter.com/connect. Confirm Backlink Intelligence is in the catalog that client actually loaded.
Paid calls are billed at max($0.005, provider cost) on success. Failed paid calls do not charge. See Billing and current pricing. Do not budget from an old invoice.
How the intersect is actually built
The same skill name does not mean the same query.
| Provider | How link_intersect is derived | What “missing” means |
|---|---|---|
| Semrush Backlinks matrix | One native matrix call. Semrush documents up to six targets, ROOT_DOMAIN / SUBDOMAIN / PAGE, and backlinks_counts in request order. | Rows with any backlinks to your target are dropped. Remaining rows have at least one competitor match inside that matrix response. |
| Ahrefs refdomains | One referring-domain request per target (yours plus each competitor), each capped at limit. | A domain outside those capped lists is unknown, not proof it never linked. |
| DataForSEO referring domains | Same per-target referring-domain pattern as Ahrefs, using backlinks/referring_domains/live. | Same cap: absence outside the returned rows is unknown. |
Ahrefs and DataForSEO coverage notes state that the result is derived from N provider requests, each capped at your limit. Semrush coverage notes that native matrix rows with target backlinks were excluded.
Keep provider, observed_at, and coverage.notes next to the spreadsheet. Mixing Ahrefs Domain Rating with Semrush domain score in one ranked list is a different measurement, not a shared authority unit.
CSV fields worth exporting
Ask the assistant to flatten opportunities plus the evidence envelope. Useful columns:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
provider | The account you queried |
target | Your domain, subdomain, or page |
observed_at | UTC time of the observation |
domain | Referring domain in the gap list |
authority_score | Provider score when supplied; otherwise empty |
target_backlinks | Count to you in this measurement |
competitor / competitor_backlinks | One pair per competitor you passed |
competitor_matches | How many of those competitors this domain hits |
links_to_target | false or empty; empty means unknown, not zero |
coverage.scope | root_domain, subdomain, or page |
coverage.requested_limit / returned / truncated | Whether the provider list was cut off |
source.endpoint / source.request_id | Replay metadata |
authority_score is null when the provider omitted it. Do not fill those cells with zero.
Before outreach, open the referring page that links to the competitor, check that the host still publishes that kind of resource, and write a contribution that helps *their* readers. A gap row is a research lead, not permission to pitch.
Connect your assistant, then try the task described in this guide.
Illustrative prompt
Replace the domains. This is a request shape, not a recorded result.
Use ToolRouter Backlink Intelligence.
Call link_intersect with:
provider: ahrefs
target: example.com
scope: root_domain
competitors: ["competitor.com", "rival.com"]
limit: 20
Return a table with domain, authority_score, target_backlinks,
each competitor's backlink count, competitor_matches, links_to_target,
observed_at, and coverage.notes.
If available is false, return the message and stop.
Leave empty cells empty. Do not treat missing rows as zero.Start with backlink_overview on the same provider and target if you need profile context first.
For keyword-cost context rather than link gaps, see Ahrefs Lite versus on-demand keyword research. Open Backlink Intelligence after you connect at toolrouter.com/connect.
*Source-reviewed 13 September 2026 against the Backlink Intelligence link_intersect contract, Ahrefs refdomains, Semrush Backlinks matrix, and DataForSEO referring-domains docs linked above. Not a live provider run.*