All of Ahrefs’ core features center around search engine optimization. For example, its key features and tools include its Site Explorer where users can conduct competitor research, Keyword Explorer where users can research keywords to find the best opportunities to target, Site Audit which scans your website and gives you insights into different ways in which you can improve your site’s performance, Rank Tracker where you can monitor your keyword rankings and Content Explorer which helps you find new content marketing ideas.
Site Explorer
In order to gain vast insights into your competitors’ web performance, Ahrefs’ Site Explorer tool enables users to take a deep dive into the search traffic and backlinks of any website using its URL alone. By getting a better understanding of which keywords your direct competitors are using (and ranking for), as well as which backlinks they have acquired, you can more effectively inform your own SEO strategy, compete for your target keywords and get a leg up on your competitors.
Keyword Explorer
For keyword research, Ahrefs offers the Keyword Explorer. This is its own keyword research dashboard where users can look up keywords, see traffic volumes, search difficulty estimates, view related keywords and uniquely get potential traffic insights. In our opinion, it’s very similar to most other leading keyword research tools. It does a good job of displaying information, making it easier to understand.
On the other hand, one thing that we do not like about it is that Ahrefs has limits on the number of keyword lists you can create. For example, its entry-level Lite plan, which costs $83 per month with annual billing, has a limit of 50 keyword lists. For most, this is sizable, but it’s worth being aware of as it may not be substantial enough for some.
Site Audit
The Site Audit tool is an automatic tool that scans your website for SEO errors and provides a detailed report on the state of your website. This can be a very useful tool for discovering otherwise hard-to-find errors, including technical SEO errors. Granted, what we don’t like about Ahrefs’ site audit is that it is not available as a free tool. Instead, it is only available as part of its paid plans. The problem with this is that many of its leading competitors offer the site audit tool for free. So if that’s the only feature you’re looking for, then you might want to consider an alternative provider.
Rank Tracker
Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker enables you to monitor your rankings for specific keywords and easily chart your performance. We like how it provides an easy way to see how your site and its target keywords are performing and how they are trending. In other words, it gives you a quick way of knowing whether your keywords are holding steady, improving or worsening. This, in return, can help you adjust your content management and SEO strategy.
Content Explorer
The Content Explorer tool helps users discover content ideas and link opportunities. How this works is that it enables users to find top-performing content in their space, including which keyword the content ranks in organic search for and which links the content has won. This can be helpful for businesses that want to build a strategic content strategy backed by real performance data. Of course, there is no guarantee that using a competitor’s top keywords will result in higher rankings or link building, but it does give businesses some insight into opportunities within their industry.
Please note that Content Explorer is not available with its entry-level Lite plan.
