5 posts in methodology
free backlink gap analysis without ahrefs (2026)
the domains that link to your competitors but not you are the best link prospects you have. here is how to find them for free, no ahrefs or semrush subscription.
how to run a backlink gap analysis for free
a gap analysis finds the domains that link to your competitors but not to you. that overlap is the highest-roi prospect list in link building. here is a free, step-by-step way to build one.
where ahrefs and moz get their backlink data
ahrefs, moz, semrush, and majestic each run their own proprietary crawler and ship a curated index - which is why no two backlink tools ever agree. here's the methodology, the size claims, and why common crawl is the only open alternative.
common crawl release schedule (next crawl)
common crawl publishes a new web crawl every 1-2 months. the hyperlink graph follows about six weeks later. here's the full release history, the next expected drop, and why the cadence matters for backlink data freshness.
common crawl, explained for SEOs
the 4.4B-edge open dataset that quietly powers half the AI training runs - and how we turn it into rank intelligence.