What Is Ahrefs? Reputation and Usage
Updated on： by Heysho
This article addresses common questions about the SEO tool "Ahrefs," covering its features, how businesses and affiliates use it, and how it can enhance your SEO strategy.
We'll explore the following topics:
- What is Ahrefs
- Main Features of Ahrefs
- Basic Usage of Ahrefs
- How to Register for Ahrefs
- Reputation and Reviews of Ahrefs
- Benefits of Implementing Ahrefs
As an SEO specialist with six years of experience in SEO, affiliate marketing, and digital marketing, I regularly use Ahrefs in my professional work.
Whether you're new to Ahrefs or already familiar with its basics, this article offers valuable insights for all skill levels.
What is Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is a premium SEO analysis tool developed by a Singapore-based company.
It provides comprehensive features essential for effective SEO, including competitor analysis, search ranking tracking, and keyword research.
Globally recognized as an all-in-one SEO solution alongside SEMRush, Ahrefs stands as one of the most trusted SEO tools in Japan, second only to Google's own tools.
Official Site: https://ahrefs.com
Key Features
While Ahrefs offers numerous capabilities, these four core features deliver exceptional value in practical applications:
- Keyword Research
- Rank Tracking
- Competitive Analysis
- Backlink Analysis
Though rank tracking can be done with alternative tools, Ahrefs stands unmatched in keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink investigation for its accuracy and user-friendly interface.
While Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest are useful for keyword research, Ahrefs excels in efficiently discovering and analyzing related keywords.
Users particularly appreciate Ahrefs' intuitive interface and fast processing speed, allowing for stress-free workflow and analysis.
Features Available for Free
Ahrefs offers several free tools that allow users with budget constraints to perform basic SEO analysis:
These free tools provide substantial value for both SEO beginners and bloggers with intermediate knowledge.
Pricing Plans
Ahrefs offers multiple pricing plans, with the Lite plan being ideal for individual affiliates managing a small number of sites, and the Standard plan best suited for SEO consultants handling multiple clients.
While the pricing is relatively high for personal use, it's cost-effective compared to other enterprise-level SEO tools.
Essentially, Ahrefs is positioned as a specialized SEO tool for businesses.
Reference Plans and Pricing | Ahrefs
How to Use Each Feature of Ahrefs
- How to use the dashboard
- How to use Site Explorer
- How to use Rank Tracker
- How to use Content Explorer
How to Use the Dashboard
The dashboard is used to continuously monitor key metrics.
Check key metrics on the Ahrefs dashboard
- Health Score: A metric indicating the technical SEO health of your site
- Domain Rating: A metric indicating the strength of a domain
- Referring domains: The number of domains linking to your site
- Backlinks: The number of pages linking to your site
- Organic traffic: Estimated traffic from organic search (may be about 1/2 to 1/4 of actual traffic)
- Organic keywords: The number of keywords your site is ranking for
The steps to register a site are as follows:
- Enter the URL in the input field labeled "Domain or URL."
- From the dropdown menu on the right, select the extraction range:
- Exact URL: Extracts only the entered URL (if you enter heysho.com/seo/, data for this page only will be extracted).
- Path: Extracts all data under the specified directory (if you enter heysho.com/seo/, data for all pages under heysho.com/seo/ will be extracted).
- Domain: Extracts all page data under the root domain (if you enter heysho.com/seo/, data for all pages under heysho.com will be extracted).
- Subdomains: Extracts all page data including the specified domain and its subdomains (if you enter heysho.com/seo/, data for subdomains such as xxx.heysho.com will also be extracted in addition to heysho.com).
How to Use Site Explorer
Site Explorer is a powerful tool for investigating the organic search and SEM performance of competitor websites.
By analyzing not only the volume of traffic but also "which keywords they are ranking for," you can gain a detailed understanding of your competitors' traffic acquisition strategies.
Site Explorer Feature 1: Backlink Analysis
By clicking on "Site Explorer" → "Backlinks," you can view a list of backlinks assigned to the competitor's page.
The main ways to utilize this feature are as follows:
- Accurately assess the difficulty of the target keyword: Pages with high page rank and many quality backlinks may find it difficult to outrank even if your content quality is superior.
- Contact the operators of the referring site and request a link to your site: This is a common SEO strategy known as "outreach" in overseas markets.
- DR: Domain Rating - An indicator of the strength of the domain
- UR: URL Rating - An indicator of the strength of the page
- Domain traffic: The monthly organic traffic for the site
- Referring domains: The number of sites that link to the relevant site (on a domain basis)
- Linked domains: The number of sites that the relevant page links to (on a domain basis)
- Ext: The number of external links that the relevant page has (on a link basis)
- Page traffic: The monthly organic traffic of the relevant page
- Kw: The number of keywords that the relevant page ranks for
Site Explorer Feature 2: Investigating Organic Search
By clicking on "Site Explorer" → "Organic keywords," you can gain detailed insights into the primary search keywords that the competitor's page has acquired.
The effective ways to leverage this feature are as follows:
- Identify the SEO traffic sources of competitor sites and target the same keywords more effectively to surpass their search rankings and gain traffic.
- Analyze the content strategies of competitor sites to understand which topics attract readers' interest.
- Volume: The monthly search frequency of the relevant keyword by users
- KD: A metric indicating the difficulty of acquiring the keyword
- CPC: The cost per click when bidding in SEM advertising
- Traffic: Estimated incoming traffic from SEO for the relevant keyword
- Position: Search ranking of competing sites for the relevant keyword
- URL: URL of the page on competing sites that ranks for the relevant keyword
How to Use Keywords Explorer
Keywords Explorer is a comprehensive tool for effective keyword selection.
Simply click on "Keywords Explorer" from the menu, enter a keyword, and search to view detailed analysis results.
The interface is intuitive and user-friendly.
Overview
- Keyword Difficulty: Score indicating the external metrics required to achieve the top search position
- Volume: Monthly search frequency of the keyword by users
- Traffic Potential: Organic traffic gained by the article ranked first in search, not limited to traffic from the specific keyword
- Global Volume: Keyword search volume broken down by country
- Keyword Ideas: Suggestions for long-tail keywords and related search terms
You can easily access various analytical features from the left sidebar.
Below are the most useful features.
Matching Terms
This feature provides a comprehensive list of long-tail keywords that include your target keyword.
This is one of the most accurate features that I personally use most frequently.
Compared to other SEO tools, Ahrefs excels at extracting a broader and more detailed set of keyword data.
Other valuable related features include:
- Related Terms: Highly relevant keywords that competing sites rank for alongside your target keyword
- Search Suggestions: Practical keyword suggestions displayed in Google Suggest when searching for your target keyword
Traffic Share by Domains
This feature helps you accurately identify the main competitor sites that are effectively acquiring traffic for your target keyword.
For example, if you're targeting a general product category name, you can efficiently identify high-quality sites to benchmark against.
The "Traffic Share - By pages" option allows for more detailed analysis at the level of individual competitor pages.
How to Use Rank Tracker
Rank Tracker is a specialized feature for accurately and continuously monitoring search rankings.
The Lite plan allows tracking of 750 keywords, while the Standard plan supports up to 2,000 keywords.
While functionally similar to other SEO tools, its cloud-based nature provides a significant advantage: constant access to the latest data without needing to install dedicated software.
How to Register Keywords
- STEP 1: Click on "Rank Tracker" → "Add project" → "Add keywords".
- STEP 2: Enter the keywords you want to monitor (if there are multiple keywords, enter them on separate lines).
- STEP 3: Click "Add to list" → Set Location to "Japan(ja-JP)" → Click "Add keywords".
- STEP 4: Your keywords are now being tracked.
- STEP 5: Add competitor sites:
- Click "Competitors" → "Add competitors" to track competitor site rankings.
- For example, you might register three sites that rank high for "hair removal reviews".
- STEP 6: Monitor your rankings compared to competitors.
This setup allows you to continuously track how your site ranks for key terms compared to your competitors.
How to View the Overview
When you register keywords, the metrics are displayed in both numerical and graphical formats.
- Visibility: Your site's share rate compared to the total number of clicks when users search with your registered keywords
- Average position: The average ranking of your site for registered keywords
- Traffic: An estimate of the organic traffic your site is gaining from registered keywords
- SERP feature: Number of search snippets (like featured snippets) your site has acquired
- Position: Recent fluctuations in search rankings (green indicates improvement, red indicates decline)
How to Use Content Explorer
Content Explorer can be utilized for the following purposes:
- Gathering topic information and content creation inspiration
- Finding relevant content to share on social media with your target audience
- Identifying site operators to contact for potential backlink opportunities
Simply click on "Content Explorer" and enter a keyword to see a list of recently published articles.
You can also set up email notifications for when new articles on your topics are published.
The tool offers various ways to leverage content insights for your SEO strategy.
Practical Example: Keyword Research Using Keyword Explorer and Site Explorer
Let's walk through the specific steps for keyword selection using Ahrefs.
For this example, we'll conduct keyword research for "hair removal reviews" in the context of hair removal affiliate marketing.
STEP 1. Research Base Keywords with Keywords Explorer
Enter "hair removal reviews" in Keywords Explorer to start keyword analysis
STEP 2. Check Basic Data for Keywords
Check basic data such as search volume, difficulty, and CPC
STEP 3. Discover Related Keywords with Matching Terms
Discover long-tail keywords related to "hair removal reviews" with Matching Terms
STEP 4. Identify Competitor Sites
Identify competitor sites ranking high for "hair removal reviews"
STEP 5. Conduct Competitor Analysis with Site Explorer
Analyze the organic keywords of competing sites using Site Explorer
STEP 6. Detailed Analysis of Competitor Keywords
Conduct a detailed analysis of the search traffic keywords acquired by competing sites
STEP 7. Export Data
Export the analysis results as a CSV file for in-depth examination
STEP 8. Create Final Keyword List
Organize the collected data to develop an effective keyword strategy
By following these 8 steps, you'll gain valuable insights into your competitors' strategies, enabling more effective keyword selection for your own content.
Summary
Ahrefs is particularly recommended for those managing competitive SEO-focused websites in crowded markets.
Thank you for reading this guide.