Nowadays, linkbuilding has changed due to AI. Every webmaster wants AI search engines to identify and show their sites in their search results. People want brand mentions in listicle blogs so that AI can recognize them. They love “Top 10,” “Best Tools for,” and “Top Alternatives to…” like posts and getting featured in these, so they can increase their AI visibility.
There are tools for linkbuilders, like Ahrefs, for getting metrics like DR, organic traffic, etc. Moreover, it can also help identify listicles for your linkbuilding.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn to find listicle posts using Ahrefs and how they are helpful in 2025.
What is Listicle linkbuilding?
Listicle link building is a tactic where you find list-style articles that include brands, tools, software numbered as 1,2,3, and so on. You pitch to that specific website to be added.
Such as you are a linkbuilding agency, you’d want to get featured in posts like “Top 10 linkbuilding agencies in 2025,” “5 Best linkbuilding services,” etc.
How to find listicles for your site using Ahrefs?
Step 1
Firstly, you have to identify your competitors. You can either use Google or Ahrefs to identify your competitors.
For example, if you run a digital marketing agency, you have to write the same keyword(digital marketing agency) in the Google search bar. Take the first four agencies as your competitors.
Using Ahrefs, navigate to the Site Explorer tab and enter your site’s URL, such as https://linkcrafters.com/.
You need to scroll down and find the section labeled ‘Organic Competitors’.
Or you can select the organic competitors section from the left side menu
Step 2
For instance, we are a digital marketing agency, and we know our competitors now. Consider webfx.com as your digital marketing agency competitor. Paste it into the Site Explorer of Ahrefs. On the left side menu, go to the anchors of that specific site.
Step 3
Once you open the anchors of your competitor’s site, find the anchor of their website name in the anchors. Such as if we are finding the anchors of “abc.com”, we find the “abc” in the anchors.
In our case, we have to find the anchor text “WebFX” because our competitor is webfx.com
Step 4
As we found the WebFX anchor in the Anchor section, now we need to click on the links to the Target dropdown in front of it.
Once you click on this, you’ll see links of all the website blog posts where WebFX is mentioned. Here, you’ll also find listicle blogs like the ones shown in the red boxes in the screenshot below.
Step 5
If you’re having trouble finding listicles, you can use filters. For example, you can search only for the links that include words like ‘best’ or ‘top’, since most listicles usually start with those words, such as “Best Digital Marketing Agencies”
Where it says ‘Anchor,’ just select ‘Ref. page URL’ or ‘Ref. page title’ and type in words like best or top. You can also use both together if you want.
Where it says ‘Anchor,’ just select ‘Ref. page URL’ or ‘Ref. page title’ and type in words like “best” or “top”. You can also use both together if you want.
Step 7
Copy all these listicles and add them to a Google Sheet. Then, find the contact details for each of these sites individually and reach out to them.
You can contact them through their ‘Contact Us’ page, or visit the company’s LinkedIn profile and reach out to employees like SEO Managers, Content Managers, Editors, or Partnerships Managers. You can find their emails using Apollo, which we personally use; it’s free and easy to use.
Wrapping up
With tools like Ahrefs, discovering listicles has become much simpler and more data-driven. By following the steps shared above, using filters, targeting keywords like “best” and “top”, and analyzing competitor backlinks, you can easily find high-quality listicles that fit your niche.
These days, brands and agencies featured in listicles are gaining extra exposure, not only on Google but also across AI search results and aggregated recommendation tools.
That’s why being mentioned in listicles has become a powerful way to improve both SEO and AI visibility.
Contact us if you’d like to get high-quality listicle backlinks for your website. Our team can handle the entire process for you.
