Our automotive client came to us with one clear goal: to push his website to the top of Google’s search results. After a thorough analysis, we discovered that while the client’s site operated in the evergreen automotive niche, it was missing the robust backlink profile needed to compete with industry leaders. Our mission was to bridge that authority gap using strategic digital PR and targeted outreach.
The Challenge
With only 2 years in the market, our client was up against more established competitors. Our analysis revealed several quantifiable challenges:
- Authority Deficit: The client’s site lagged behind competitors that featured up to 16 top referring domains on average.
- Competitive Analysis: We examined the backlink profiles of over 136 competitors to understand what the best were doing.
- Need for Quick Wins: To demonstrate early progress, we aimed for both high-authority placements and attainable, quality links.
Our Approach
Competitor Analysis with Ahrefs
Our first step was to dissect the backlink profiles of key competitors:
Competitor #1
Boasting a mature domain and 16 high-quality referring domains, this competitor’s strategy was built around purchasing strong backlinks.
Here are their top 16 referring domains (according to Ahrefs):
Competitor #2
Featured a mix of links from user-generated content and other sources—highlighting attainable targets.
Here are the top 16 referring domains (according to Ahrefs):
This link profile wasn’t as lucrative as competitor #1.
Competitor #3
A repurposed local business domain that leveraged local citations (from platforms like Yellowpages and Yelp), showcasing an alternative path to authority.
Here are their top 16 links (according to Ahrefs):
Nothing extraordinary compared to competitor #1, but decent nonetheless. Were these guys had everyone else beat was their on-page SEO, which goes beyond this case study but is definitely one we will be visiting in the near future (don’t just focus on backlinks; on-page is pretty powerful, especially combined with links).
Competitor #4
Launched at the same time as our client, they consistently built top-tier links through digital PR, serving as a benchmark for quality outreach.
Here are their top 16 referring domains (according to Ahrefs):
This is a brand new domain that they registered with no previous history/links. These guys definitely have done an excellent job.
Competitor #5
Despite having the weakest profile, their blend of high-DR and easier-to-obtain links underscored the need for a balanced strategy.
Here are their top 16 referring domains (according to Ahrefs):
Besides looking at their DR, if you look at the traffic column, you can see these domains aren’t the best. We know the screenshot is a small sample, but the rest of their links follow this pattern as well.
Identifying the Backlink Gap
Using Ahrefs’ “Link Intersect” tool, we pinpointed sites linking to our competitors but not to our client. Key metrics from our analysis included:
- Go to Site Explorer
- Enter your domain URL
- On the left side bar click on “Link Intersect”
- Enter your competitors’ domain URL
- Your domain should be already prefilled in the “But doesn’t link to (optional)” section
- Click “Show link opportunities”
Essentially, this report will show you a list of websites that are linked to your competition but not your website.
Once on this page, we would recommend you export it, especially if you’re on the new Ahrefs account that uses credit (extremely horrible idea) export this report to Excel or you’re going to eat through your credit just switching pages in this report of the way things are filtered, did we mention how horrible this format is?
You’d want to sift through this list as best as you can by applying various filters. I wish they had traffic in this report, would be a great addition, in my opinion.
That being said, you might want to filter by DR depending on the DR of the website you are working on. So let’s say the website that you are working on is DR 60; you possibly don’t want any sites lower than DR 30, for example.
You can then also filter by how many of your competitors have links in common from the same linking domain.
For this, you can create a filter for Column E “Intersect (desc)”. If you only want to see results when the same website is linking to 3 of your competitors, then set up a “Greater Than or Equal to” filter like shown below:
Now, from here, you can go through the list and see which links are worth it and actually attainable.
This tutorial helped us build a precise list of high-value opportunities by filtering out sites below a specific Domain Rating (e.g., excluding sites below DR 30 for a DR 60 target) and by identifying domains that multiple competitors were linking to.
Digital PR Outreach
Armed with our list of link opportunities, we launched an aggressive digital PR campaign:
- Targeted Outreach: We reached out directly to reporters and editors with tailored pitches featuring high-quality, automotive-relevant content.
- Building Credibility: Securing a few high-authority links early on allowed us to include these successes in subsequent pitches, establishing our client’s credibility.
- Monitoring Results: By setting up Google Alerts (e.g., “YOUR NAME -YOURWEBSITE.com”), we tracked new placements in real-time and adjusted our approach accordingly.
Results
After over a year of consistent, data-driven effort, our campaign delivered measurable success:
- High-Authority Link Acquisition: We secured 10 DR 90+ links—a feat that would have been nearly impossible without our focused digital PR approach.
- Robust Backlink Portfolio: The client’s site now boasts 32 high-quality referring domains, a significant improvement over the initial state.
- Enhanced Competitive Positioning: These gains not only closed the authority gap but also solidified the client’s presence in a competitive automotive market.
Our strategy—grounded in comprehensive competitor analysis, a detailed tutorial-driven approach to link identification, and persistent digital PR outreach—has positioned our client for continued growth and long-term success.
These are our top 32 referring domains as of the writing of this case study:
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