Link Intersect / Backlink Gap for Freelance SEOs

Why Freelance SEOs need this

Every freelance SEO has had the call where a client asks when the rankings will arrive, and Google itself says nobody can guarantee a number one spot. What you can offer instead is evidence and a visible plan. A link prospect list built from competitor gaps is exactly that kind of evidence: here are domains that already link to two businesses in your client's space, here is who we will approach first, and here is how we will report the outcome. Without that, monthly reports slide into activity lists, and a solo consultant juggling sales, delivery and admin has little time to build prospect lists by hand. Paste two competitor URLs into Link Intersect / Backlink Gap, optionally add your client's site, and it shows domains linking to both rivals, strongest first, minus those found among your client's 500 strongest referring domains. A second block compares the outbound links on the two pages you entered. Neither block tells you which domain will respond, so the shortlist is where your judgment starts, not where it ends.

Freelance SEOs specific guidance

What to enter first

Pick the two competitors the client actually loses to, not the biggest names in the vertical. For a client selling kitchen remodels, that might be two local contractors, entered as their homepage or a service page such as example-a.com/kitchen-remodeling. Add your client's own homepage in the "Your site" field so domains among their 500 strongest referring domains drop off. Two competitors per run, one client per run, so keep a spreadsheet of your own and repeat with different pairs. Do it before the kickoff call: ten minutes gives you something concrete to show. What this does not prove: a short or empty list does not mean no shared links exist, because new and small sites may be missing from SeoMods' own link index.

Reading the shared-domains table

Start with the card for Shared domains, then the table of up to 100 domains, strongest first. Expect the top rows to be big platforms that link almost everywhere; the report itself says to skip them, and you should. Niche candidates sit further down, so scroll past the first screen and note only the domains where a human would plausibly feature your client: a trade association, a regional directory, an industry blog. The Authority column is SeoMods' own 0-100 score, not a Google metric and not the same as Moz DA or Ahrefs DR, so do not paste it into a client report as if it were. The comparison covers each site's 500 strongest referring domains at domain level, with no linking page, anchor text or date. To see those for one rival, run the Backlink Checker on it. If a client already has links you forgot, a domain outside their top 500 may still appear, so check before emailing.

Turning the list into client deliverables

Copy the domains you keep into a sheet with three columns: domain, why it fits, and the pitch idea. Then open the Link Intersect Overview block below, where chips list domains both pages link out to, and only A or only B. Those are outbound links on the two pages you entered, not backlinks, so treat them as shared tools, directories or resources, never as sites linking to the competitor. Within ten minutes you can send the client a shortlist of 10 to 15 domains and a plan for the first month. Report the later result as placements you secured, checked live, rather than promised movement. Nothing here says whether a domain accepts guest posts, is relevant, is spam, or how to contact it; you judge each one by hand.

Example scenarios

Common mistakes

• Calling the whole table prospects. The top of the list is crowded with big platforms that link to nearly everything, so only the niche domains further down are candidates. Sending the entire table to a client as a target list makes the work look padded.
• Treating Authority as a Google score. Authority is SeoMods' own 0-100 figure, not a Google metric and not Moz DA or Ahrefs DR. Quoting it as such invites an argument you cannot win with the client.
• Mixing up the two blocks. The first block uses referring domains from SeoMods' own link index, while the Overview compares outbound links on the two pages you entered. Describing outbound chips as sites that link to the competitor is simply wrong.
• Emailing without checking existing links. Only domains among the client's 500 strongest referring domains are removed, so one beyond that may already link to them. Check first, or the outreach email looks careless.
• Reporting the list as the result. A prospect list is a plan, not an outcome. Clients who were told to expect guaranteed rankings will judge you on placements you can verify live, so report those.

Frequently asked questions

How do I build a link prospect list for a client without a paid backlink suite?

Enter two competitors that rank for the client's target terms, add the client's site in the optional field, and run it. Read the table of shared domains from the top, skip the big platforms, and copy the niche domains that fit into a sheet. Repeat with another competitor pair to widen the list. The tool compares each site's 500 strongest referring domains, so a short list does not prove there are no more shared links, and every domain still needs a manual check before outreach.

Can I put this in an seo report for clients as proof of results?

Use it for the plan, not as proof. The shared-domain list shows where opportunities might be, which suits the planning section of a client report. Proof of results comes later, when you confirm each placed link live, for example with the Backlink Checker, and report the links you earned instead of activity. The Authority score is SeoMods' own 0-100 figure, so label it that way and never present it as a Google metric or as Moz or Ahrefs data.

Why are Google and Wikipedia at the top of my results?

Very large platforms link to almost every site, so on a well-linked competitor they fill the top of the shared-domains table simply because they are shared. They are not realistic outreach targets for a client, and the report tells you to skip them. Scroll further down for niche candidates such as trade bodies, regional directories and industry blogs. Adding the client's site removes only domains found among their own 500 strongest referring domains, so check the rest before contacting.

Does the link intersect overview show who links to my competitor?

No. The Link Intersect Overview fetches the two pages you entered and compares the external domains those pages link out to, with chips for A only, B only and both. That helps you spot shared tools, directories and resources, but they are outbound links, not backlinks. The block above it, Domains linking to both competitors, is the one that works from referring domains in SeoMods' own link index, at domain level without anchor text or dates.

How do I explain to a client why I can't guarantee links or rankings?

Show them the prospect list, then be honest about what follows. Google states that no one can guarantee a number one ranking, and a good freelance SEO sets expectations with evidence. Say how many domains you will qualify, how many pitches you will send and how you will verify placements. Link outcomes depend on other people's decisions, and the list cannot tell you whether a domain accepts guest posts or replies to email, so promise the process, not the result.

Reference: Google's guide to hiring an SEO states that no one can guarantee a number one ranking and tells clients to ask what results to expect and how success is measured.