Ahrefs provides one of the most comprehensive SEO toolsets available, combining backlink analysis, keyword research, competitive intelligence, site auditing, and rank tracking in a single platform. Understanding how to use Ahrefs effectively transforms random tool usage into systematic SEO workflow.
The platform’s strength lies in its backlink index, one of the largest and most frequently updated available. But Ahrefs has expanded far beyond link analysis to become a complete SEO platform. Mastering its capabilities requires understanding both individual tools and how they work together.
Site Explorer Overview
Site Explorer provides comprehensive analysis of any domain’s organic search performance and backlink profile.
Overview dashboard displays key metrics at a glance: Domain Rating (DR), referring domains, organic traffic estimate, organic keywords, and traffic value. These metrics provide quick competitive assessment for any domain.
Domain Rating measures a domain’s backlink profile strength on a 0-100 scale. Higher DR indicates stronger link authority. DR serves as comparative benchmark but shouldn’t be treated as a direct ranking factor.
Organic traffic and keywords estimates show how many keywords a domain ranks for and how much traffic those rankings generate. These estimates help size competitive opportunities and benchmark your own performance.
| Metric | Meaning | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating | Backlink strength | Authority comparison |
| Referring Domains | Unique linking sites | Link profile breadth |
| Organic Traffic | Estimated monthly visits | Opportunity sizing |
| Organic Keywords | Ranking keyword count | Visibility scope |
| Traffic Value | PPC equivalent cost | Value estimation |
Nashville businesses can use Site Explorer to analyze local competitors, understanding their backlink profiles and organic visibility to inform competitive strategy.
Backlink Analysis
Ahrefs’ backlink analysis tools reveal link profile details for any domain.
Backlinks report lists individual links pointing to a domain, including linking page, anchor text, DR of linking domain, and whether links are dofollow or nofollow.
Referring domains report aggregates links by linking domain, showing how many pages from each domain link to your target. More valuable than raw backlink count since one strong domain linking many times matters less than many domains linking once each.
Anchors report analyzes anchor text distribution. Natural profiles show diverse anchors dominated by brand names and URLs. Heavy exact-match keyword anchors may indicate manipulation.
New and lost reports track link changes over time. New backlinks show recent acquisition. Lost backlinks reveal links that disappeared, enabling recovery outreach.
Link intersect identifies sites linking to competitors but not to you. These sites demonstrate willingness to link within your space, making them viable outreach targets.
Keywords Explorer
Keywords Explorer provides comprehensive keyword research capabilities.
Keyword overview displays search volume, keyword difficulty, click metrics, and SERP overview for any keyword. Parent topic identification shows which broader topic a keyword belongs to.
Keyword difficulty (KD) estimates how hard ranking for a keyword will be based on backlink profiles of currently ranking pages. Higher KD indicates more competitive keywords requiring stronger authority to rank.
Click metrics show what percentage of searches result in clicks and how clicks distribute between organic and paid results. Some high-volume keywords produce few organic clicks due to SERP features or paid dominance.
SERP overview displays current ranking pages with their metrics. Examining current rankers reveals what content and authority levels succeed for a keyword.
Keyword ideas expand from seed keywords to related terms. Matching terms share the seed keyword. Related terms are semantically connected. Questions format keywords as questions for content ideation.
| Report | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Matching terms | Keywords containing seed term |
| Related terms | Semantically connected keywords |
| Questions | Question-format keywords |
| Also rank for | Keywords top rankers also rank for |
| Also talk about | Topics mentioned by top rankers |
Content Explorer
Content Explorer searches Ahrefs’ content index for pages matching any topic, revealing what content performs well and where link opportunities exist.
Search by topic to find content in any subject area. Filter by domain, publication date, language, and various metrics to narrow results.
Identify content gaps by finding topics competitors cover that you haven’t addressed. Filter to competitor domains and examine their most successful content.
Find link opportunities by searching for content that gets links in your space. Pages receiving many links demonstrate topics and formats that attract links.
Discover outreach targets by finding authors and publications covering your topics. Content Explorer reveals who writes about subjects relevant to your business.
Filter by metrics including referring domains, organic traffic, social shares, and domain rating. Combining filters reveals high-performing content meeting specific criteria.
Site Audit
Site Audit crawls your site to identify technical SEO issues requiring attention.
Crawl configuration settings control what Site Audit examines. Configure user agent, JavaScript rendering, crawl depth, and inclusion/exclusion rules before starting.
Issue categorization groups problems by severity: errors (critical), warnings (important), and notices (minor). Prioritize errors and warnings while addressing notices as resources allow.
Common issues detected include broken links, redirect chains, duplicate content, missing meta descriptions, slow pages, orphan pages, and many other technical problems.
Comparison over time shows whether issues increase or decrease across crawls. Regular auditing tracks technical health trends and verifies fixes.
Export capabilities generate detailed reports of discovered issues for development teams to address.
| Issue Type | Severity | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Errors | Critical | Fix immediately |
| Warnings | Important | Fix soon |
| Notices | Minor | Address as resources permit |
Rank Tracker
Rank Tracker monitors keyword rankings over time.
Project setup defines keywords to track, countries and cities for location-specific tracking, and competitors for comparison.
Position tracking shows current rankings and changes over time. Compare your positions against tracked competitors for the same keywords.
Visibility metrics aggregate ranking data into overall visibility scores. Track visibility trends alongside individual keyword positions.
SERP features monitoring shows which SERP features appear for tracked keywords and whether you capture them.
Reporting generates automated or on-demand reports showing ranking performance for stakeholder communication.
Workflow Integration
Ahrefs tools work together in integrated SEO workflows.
Competitive analysis workflow: Use Site Explorer to analyze competitor domains, identifying their top pages, best backlinks, and keyword portfolio. Use Content Explorer to find their most successful content. Use Keywords Explorer to evaluate keywords they rank for.
Link building workflow: Use Content Explorer to find linkable content in your space. Use Site Explorer’s Link Intersect to find sites linking to competitors. Use referring domains reports to build prospect lists.
Keyword research workflow: Start with Keywords Explorer seed keywords. Expand using keyword ideas reports. Evaluate difficulty and opportunity. Use SERP analysis to understand ranking requirements.
Content optimization workflow: Use Site Explorer’s Top Pages to find underperforming content. Use Keywords Explorer to identify additional keywords to target. Use Content Explorer to understand competitive content landscape.
Advanced Features
Several advanced capabilities extend Ahrefs’ utility.
Ahrefs API enables programmatic access to data for custom applications and automated reporting. API access requires higher subscription tiers.
Batch analysis processes multiple URLs or domains simultaneously. Useful for competitive analysis across many competitors or auditing many pages quickly.
Alerts notify you about new backlinks, lost backlinks, keyword mentions, and other changes. Configure alerts for your domain and competitors.
Portfolio aggregates metrics across multiple domains for agencies or businesses managing multiple properties.
Limitations and Considerations
Understanding Ahrefs limitations enables appropriate use.
Estimates aren’t actuals. Traffic and keyword estimates derive from models, not actual data. Use for directional comparison, not precise measurement.
Crawl coverage varies. Ahrefs’ crawler doesn’t index the entire web. Some links and pages won’t appear in their data.
Historical data depth varies by subscription level. Lower tiers provide less historical data access.
Keyword data focuses on Google. Other search engines receive limited coverage.
Ahrefs provides comprehensive SEO capabilities when understood and used appropriately. Invest time learning the platform’s full capabilities rather than using only basic features. The depth of available data and analysis justifies subscription costs when fully utilized.
Sources
- Ahrefs Academy
- Ahrefs Help Center
- Ahrefs Blog