What Is Ahrefs and How to Use It for SEO in 2025

When it comes to SEO, knowing what works (and what doesn’t) is the difference between showing up on page 1 of Google or getting buried under competitors. That’s where tools like Ahrefs come in.

Ahrefs is one of the most powerful SEO platforms available today. Whether you're doing keyword research, spying on competitors, building backlinks, or auditing your site, Ahrefs provides the data you need to grow your traffic.

In this post, we’ll break down what Ahrefs is, what it can do, and how to use it step-by-step — even if you’re new to SEO.

🧰 What Is Ahrefs?

Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO toolset used by marketers, bloggers, and SEO professionals around the world. It allows you to:

• Analyze websites (yours or your competitors’)

• Discover high-volume, low-competition keywords

• Find backlink opportunities

• Track keyword rankings over time

• Audit your website for technical SEO issues

• Explore content ideas and gaps

It’s known for its massive backlink index and accurate keyword data, making it a go-to tool for serious SEO work.

💡 Fun fact: Ahrefs crawls the web just like Google, collecting data on over 400 billion pages!

🔍 Key Features of Ahrefs

Here are some of the most useful tools within the Ahrefs platform:

1. Site Explorer

Plug in any URL and get detailed insights including:

• Top organic keywords

• Backlink profile (who’s linking to them)

• Traffic value

• Top-performing pages

• Anchor texts used

Use this to spy on competitors and reverse-engineer their SEO success.

2. Keywords Explorer

Enter a keyword and get:

• Monthly search volume

• Keyword difficulty score (how hard it is to rank)

• Cost-per-click (CPC)

• Related keyword suggestions

• Search volume by country

Use this to find the best keywords to target for your blog posts, product pages, or YouTube videos.

3. Site Audit

This tool crawls your website and finds SEO issues like:

• Broken links

• Missing meta tags

• Duplicate content

• Slow loading times

• Redirect chains

Use this to fix technical SEO problems that may be hurting your rankings.

4. Content Explorer

Search for any topic or keyword, and Ahrefs will show you:

• The most popular content by backlinks and shares

• Domain ratings of the websites

• Number of referring domains

• Estimated organic traffic

Use this for content ideation, trend analysis, and outreach opportunities.

5. Rank Tracker

Track your keyword rankings across multiple locations and devices. It provides:

• Daily or weekly rank updates

• Visibility metrics

• Competitor comparison

Use this to measure SEO performance over time.

✅ How to Use Ahrefs: Step-by-Step Beginner Guide

Step 1: Analyze Your Competitor’s Website

• Go to Site Explorer

• Enter your competitor’s URL

• Review their top pages, backlink profile, and organic keywords

👉 This tells you what content is driving traffic for them — and gives you ideas for your own site.

Step 2: Find Winning Keywords

• Go to Keywords Explorer

• Type in a broad keyword related to your niche (e.g., “fitness workouts”)

• Filter by low competition and high volume

• Add promising keywords to a list for later use

👉 This helps you find easy-to-rank keywords that still bring in traffic.

Step 3: Audit Your Website

• Go to Site Audit

• Enter your website and let Ahrefs crawl it

• Review issues under categories like performance, meta tags, links, and content

👉 Fixing these errors can improve your rankings and user experience.

Step 4: Find Backlink Opportunities

• Go to Site Explorer and check where your competitors are getting backlinks

• Use Link Intersect Tool to see which sites link to competitors but not you

• Reach out and pitch your content for backlinking

👉 Backlinks are still one of Google’s top ranking factors.

Step 5: Track Your Progress

• Go to Rank Tracker

• Add your website and keywords

• Monitor your rankings and visibility over time

👉 Stay informed about what’s working and where to improve.

💰 Is Ahrefs Free?

Ahrefs is not free, but it offers a limited free version called Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for verified site owners. This gives you access to:

• Site Audit

• Backlink data

• Organic keywords

For full access to tools like Keywords Explorer and Content Explorer, you’ll need a paid plan starting at around $99/month.

📌 Final Thoughts

Ahrefs is more than just an SEO tool — it’s like a Swiss army knife for digital marketers. From keyword research to backlink analysis and content discovery, it gives you a complete view of your SEO performance and opportunities.

If you're serious about growing your website traffic in 2025 and beyond, Ahrefs is one of the best investments you can make.