A review of Ahrefs SEO tool; Features, Pros & Cons.
Is Ahrefs SEO tool worth it? Well, we’ve come across this question a couple of times. And we are answering it in this review of Ahrefs SEO tool. We want you to have an excellent SEO tool without breaking the bank. So, let’s get right into this review without any further ado.
What is Ahrefs SEO Tool?
Ahrefs is a popular all-in-one SEO tool for any digital marketer and blogger. It comes packed with several features. These include keyword research, backlink analysis, site optimization, competitor analysis, etc.
Thanks to Dmitry Gerasimenko, who came up with the idea of such an exceptional SEO tool in 2011. Today, it is one of the top-rated SEO tools available and used by big brands like Shopify, eBay, LinkedIn, etc.
Like its counterparts (SEMrush), Ahrefs gives you detailed reports about your website. That includes backlinks, keywords, traffic sources, and an overview of your competitors.
Ahrefs Key Features for Content Marketers
Ahrefs offers several tools you need to improve the performance of your website. But here are the key features we found very relevant for any digital marketer:
Keyword Research Tool Review
What is an SEO tool without keyword research? Most content creators look for this feature in any SEO tool. The excellent news is Ahrefs has made keyword research rich and significant. The tool analyzes keywords based on different search engines (not only Google).
This is a snippet of the keyword overview tool for Ahrefs.
The analysis includes keyword difficulty, search volume data for all 171 countries, click-through rate, and more. With this data, you can always choose the most optimal keyword you want to create content around.
Furthermore, there is the keyword explorer, which suggests related keywords. It gives the most searched questions on a topic, and in the end, you get a deeper understanding of your niche.
Site Audit and Monitoring Review
Any SEO content creator needs to understand their website’s performance from time to time. And with the “Site Audit and Monitoring” capabilities in Ahrefs, this is just a breeze. You can analyze and get insights about why your website is underperforming.
For instance, Ahrefs will alert you on how to improve your site’s performance. You get a detailed report about your site issues. These include site health, content quality, backlink quality, broken links, and other security issues. In fact, this SEO tool prompts you to perform weekly site audits, which keeps your website healthy.
Competitor Analysis Review
When it comes to analyzing and learning about your competitors, Ahrefs is a pro. It provides a detailed analysis of your competitors and compares your pages side by side. As a result, you can see all the data about the keywords your competitors are ranking for.
Moreover, you can also see your competitor’s backlinks, search traffic, and domain rating. With this information, you have a competitive advantage.
Universal Search Rankings.
With the “Universal Search tool”, you can see how your website ranks locally or globally at no extra cost. Hence, you can take advantage of the most essential data about your users.
This tool will give you all the data to do with the searches that drive the most traffic globally. Additionally, it will suggest optimal keywords that will perform better locally or internationally.
Historical Data
Finding a top-ranking keyword is one thing, and having a stably performing keyword is another. You don’t want to target a keyword that will perform in the meantime and then lose it all. That means your traffic will also drop. So, the historical data about your keyword will save you this mess.
For instance, you can see how a keyword has grown over the past months. The traffic it has generated, search intent, and how the keyword difficulty graph has increased or dropped. This data is enough to help you make up your mind on whether to target such a keyword.
Also, you can view historical data of competitors for the past six months, depending on your package. This includes their performance, keyword lost and gained, traffic loss or gain, etc.
Rank Tracker
Rank Tracker is another popular SEO tool you will find in Ahrefs. From time to time, you will want to check on the effectiveness of your SEO activities. And the only way to see if it’s positive is by tracking your rankings.
With Ahrefs, you can track the performance of your keywords and get their insights. For instance, their visibility, estimated click-through rate, and more. Another exciting thing is that you can track a competitor’s performance over time.
Is Ahrefs Worth it?
Every SEO tool has its strengths and weaknesses. Our role is to genuinely uncover the details in each tool so that you make up your mind. So, is Ahrefs worth it? Here are its Pros and Cons.
Pros
Content Explorer: You can search and discover popular and trending content in your niche, plus valuable insights.
Content Analysis: You can analyze the top-performing content in your niche and gain insights into what’s driving traffic.
Educational Resources: Ahrefs provides a wealth of educational resources, including blog posts, tutorials, and video content, helping users learn about SEO strategies and get the most out of the tool.
Regular Updates: Ahrefs continuously updates its database and features to stay current with search engine trends and changes.
User-Friendly Interface: Ahrefs offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it relatively easy for users to navigate its various features and gather actionable insights.
Cons
Historical Data: The historical data in Ahrefs might have some limitations regarding the depth and accuracy of specific metrics, especially for older data points.
Integration with Other Tools: While Ahrefs offers some integrations with other tools, its ecosystem might be less extensive and well-integrated with other platforms compared to specific competitors like Semrush.
Lack of Social Media Analytics: Ahrefs primarily focuses on SEO-related data and doesn’t offer in-depth social media analytics like Semrush.
Cost: Ahrefs can be relatively expensive, especially for small businesses or individuals with limited budgets. The pricing may be a barrier for those who are just starting or have minimal SEO needs.
Keyword Index Size: While Ahrefs has a substantial keyword database, its index size might be smaller than other SEO tools like SEMrush or Moz.
Ahrefs Alternatives you may consider
If you are not impressed by the key features Ahrefs offers, here are the alternatives to consider. Note that all these tools differ widely from functionality to cost per package.
SEMrush SEO tool
Of course, we must discuss keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink building and include SEMrush. It is one of the top SEO tools preferred in all industries. SEMrush and Ahrefs might provide similar features for SEO marketers but differ slightly.
MOZ
MOZ is another Generation Z search engine optimization tool any marketer needs. It offers several tools like Ranker-Tracker, Link Explorer, Site Crawler, On-page Grader, etc.
If you want to find out more about MOZ, you can visit their official website https://moz.com/ and check out the extra SEO tools they offer, plus their price plans and packages.
Spyfu
Spyfu is another excellent Keyword and competitor analysis SEO tool available on the market. It is commonly known as a PPC analysis tool but offers extra features in the above tools.
We recently carried out a detailed review of Spyfu, its key features, and price plans here https://fpu.mbc.mybluehost.me/.website_18392823/seo-review-spyfu-free-competitor-analysis-tool/. We recommend that you check it out before going any further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ahrefs have a free trial?
No, it does not have a free trial. You will, however, access a 7-day trial for $7 and, after that, downgrade to a free account.
What are Ahrefs mainly used for?
It is an all-in-one SEO tool for optimizing a website and driving more traffic. Its tools are highly effective and give you in-depth data on how your website is performing, suggest better keywords and analyze your competitors.
Should I use Ahrefs or SEMrush?
This will depend on your preference and needs. Ahrefs is more in-depth in giving you tons of information about your website, competitors etc. SEMrush is what is going to make your SEO performance soar.
It is generally the best SEO tool an SEO specialist can get hands-on. Still, due to its pricing, it is ideal for big companies or organizations rather than solo entrepreneurs.
