I assume you're asking about link building here. Link building is an important part of search engine optimization (SEO), no matter what your domain is. Building good links to your site will help Google see it as more legitimate and can help your site rank better.
Link building is the main aspect of SEO but a more crucial part is the Keyword that you are trying to get ranked for. If your competitor website is huge and he's trying to get ranked for head or body keywords likeKeywords - Shoe, Men's Shoe, Women's Shoe then you can't compete with him because those keywords will have a lot of competition. So, instead you will have to focus on long tail keywords like Bxuser Men's Shoe or Men's shoe store in Newyork and you will get ranked high for it as the keyword is unique.