Copy your competitor's backlinks in an afternoon.
A backlink is another site vouching for you — it's how Google and AI know you're real. You don't have to guess where to get them. You can see exactly which links your competitors have.
The one idea
Don't invent a link-building strategy. Steal one. Your competitors already did the work of finding which directories and sites link to a business like yours. Pull their backlink profile, and the easiest, highest-value links are sitting there as a to-do list. Anything that's a directory, a profile, or a local listing is a link you can claim too — usually free, in minutes.
The afternoon list
| Source | Why | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | #1 local signal + AI trust pool | 15 min |
| Yelp | Cited constantly by AI "best of" answers | 15 min |
| Angi / Thumbtack / industry directory | High-intent + strong citation | 20 min |
| Nextdoor Business | Hyperlocal trust | 10 min |
| Bing Places + Apple Business Connect | Two more map ecosystems | 15 min |
Find the gap = leapfrog them
SEMrush's Backlink Gap shows links competitors have that you don't. The bigger win is the reverse: links none of them have yet. Claiming those first is how a brand-new business outranks one that's been around for years.