Competing for a specific keyword beyond on-page factors

[Sorgod]

Hello,

I am trying to rank better for 'keyword X', a critical query that I'm outside the top 50 for, though we grade out at an A via Moz's on-page grader. One of our main competitors ranks #1 for this keyword, despite not using 'keyword X' once in their meta title, body content, or image tags.

My assumption is that the volume and quality of backlinks to the competitor's site is driving their high ranking. If this is the case, how can I identify backlinking opportunities to compete better? Are there other factors I'm overlooking here?

Thanks

[Mobilio]

Yes - backlinks and their anchors are also factor for ranking. For example there are few Google Bombs -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_bomb where many sites give backlink to other site for specific anchors and this make "victim" site N:1 for this keywords.

So - you can evaluate backlinks and their anchors with many tools:

• Moz OpenSiteExplorer
• Majestic
• Ahrefs
• WebMeUp

So far from all tools OSE is free, all other require monthly subscription. This make OSE N:1 in this list. OSE also provide "Link Opportunity".