Decision tree
Rival review sites: whose links to copy, whose to skip
Every music or film blog has two or three rivals that keep outranking it. Looking at who links to them is the quickest way to learn what is ordinary in your corner of the web.
Blogzic editorial team ·
Start with a list of five, not fifty
Choose rivals by search results, not by pride. Type the titles of your last five reviews into Google, and note the sites that keep appearing above you.
A competitor backlinks analysis does not need an expensive suite. Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz all offer limited free views, and Google Search Console shows your own links for nothing.
Pull the linking sites for each rival, then sort them by what kind of site they are: fan community, press outlet, festival page, label page, general blog. Patterns appear within an hour, and they are usually dull in a useful way.
Keep notes in a plain spreadsheet. Columns for rival, linking site, type, date seen and price are enough, and the sheet becomes your shopping list for the first order.
Also check dates. A link that has sat there since 2019 tells you something different from one that appeared last month, and the second kind is the more useful clue to what rivals are doing now.
Follow the branches
Walk the questions in order. Stop at the first one that applies.
Does the link come from a label, venue or festival?
You cannot buy that one. Pitch the press office, send a clean press kit with dates and credits, and ask for a listing in the media section.
Is it a fan forum or a review community?
Join in as a person first. A thoughtful reply with a link to a relevant piece earns more than a drive-by, and moderators remember the difference.
Is it an editorial site with a sensible audience?
This is the shelf Blogzic sells from. Filter the catalogue by niche and language, and check the donor's traffic against the price.
Does the donor carry dozens of unrelated links?
Skip it. If a page links to casinos, supplements and music in the same paragraph, the neighbourhood does you no favours.
What each branch usually costs
| Branch | Money | Time | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Label, venue or festival link | None | Weeks | Low, they decide |
| Fan forum or community | None | Hours of participation | Medium |
| Editorial placement through Blogzic | $1 to about $500 | About 24 hours after payment | High, you choose the page and mode |
| Guest article you pitch yourself | None, plus the writing | Days to months | Medium |
If a rival has a link from a regional music magazine, look for the equivalent in your own language, not that magazine itself. Matching the type of site keeps your profile varied.
Reading a rival's profile without panicking
Big numbers mislead. A rival with 900 referring domains may have earned most of them over eight years, and you will not match that in a quarter. Compare growth, not totals.
Look at the donor mix. Reviews that attract links from fan sites, podcasts and local press are healthy, and a profile made mostly of identical anchors is a warning rather than a model.
Then set a modest goal. Closing a gap of ten relevant links is a better target than matching a thousand, and the podcast Q&A shows how small teams think about it.