Competitor analysis is an indispensable part of our audit process here at Nifty. We use it to identify current and potential competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and it helps us deliver custom strategies that work. But, there is one thing I can’t stand, and that is sifting through the three “P’s” (poker, pills, porn) and let’s not forget about random asian sites. So, if there’s any way to make scouring competitor links any less painful, sign me up.
NetPeak Checker
I give a lot of SEO tools a whirl, but I rarely commit beyond the free trial expiration for the same reason that I don’t pay for cable. I’m a cheap son of a clerk. I blame my father who was an accountant for giving me my insatiable appetite for low-cost solutions. His charge to me was, “Fix it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” Just believe me when I say that I’m stoked to make this introduction if for no other reason than it’s free.
NetPeak is a tool designed for mass analysis. It allows you to compare different websites across all kinds of parameters for free (see parameters below). But, it also integrates with Ahrefs, Majestic SEO, SemRush and Moz (SEOmoz). So, if you are paid subscribers to any of these SEO suites, then you’re really going to dig it for its versatility.
Here’s where Netpeak’s value comes through for me. It’s able to bulk scrape Domain Authority, Page Authority and other valuable Moz metrics from unlimited URLs, which is awesome. Other DA scraper tools out there limit you to 50 or 100 URLs and anything beyond that, you pull out your wallet. Netpeak hands you the reins, opens the parameters wide open and lets you customize your searches exactly how you want them.
Finding Page Authority & Domain Authority From a List of URLs
Upon successful download of Netpeak, open the settings and apply your Moz Pro creds. If you’re a subscriber, great. If not, there’s always the 30-day free trial.
After that’s done, select your parameters. Be selective.
The easiest way to load a list of URLs into Netpeak is by copying and pasting them into the load editor. Don’t bother with the file upload feature. In my experience, the program has a tendency to reject most file types and bring up errors when you try to do this. Copy/Paste, hit save and you’ll see your websites populate.
Now you’re ready to analyze. You can export your results into an Excel and sort your DA column Z-A to prioritize your URLs. A good rule of thumb I like to follow is if the target URL has lower DA than my client’s, I’ll usually pass unless there are legitimate, strong social signals and the site appears to have a real, relevant audience.
Whether you are a SEO, like me, or business owner trying to size up your competition, this little step during your link analysis will save you time and annoyance by bypassing extremely low quality sites. So, start focusing on the good stuff. It’s relatively fast, it’s customizable and it’s FREE for Moz subscribers.
My Personal Suggestions
I typically limit my searches to just Moz metrics and social parameters. Sticking to these bare essentials, my searches still take about 30 minutes to complete. If you’re just going after DA and nothing else, then a list of 200 URLs will run you about 5 minutes.
Also, beware the onslaught of Google captchas after you hit the “Start Check” button. Warn anyone else on your network before you hit the launch button.
Oh, before I forget, try out the Scraper tool to build URL lists for Netpeak. The two go hand in hand.
Devin is the Director of Product at Nifty. With over a decade at Nifty, and even more years working in the SEO and digital marketing space, Devin has done it all – from execution to high-level strategy. He is a Google Product Expert and speaks French fluently. In his spare time, Devin enjoys fishing, playing pickleball with his wife, and cheering on his kids from the sidelines.