We know what you’ve all been waiting for - another SEO tool review! This week we’ve got a good one for you. You may have heard of Ahrefs, which is one of more popular online SEO software programs available. If you haven’t heard of Ahrefs, you’re not alone, which is exactly why we decided to write this Ahrefs review in the first place.

When you’re first beginning your journey into SEO, or if you’re trying to improve your existing search engine optimization efforts, it’s difficult to know which way to turn when it comes to software and tools to use as part of your strategy. In addition to our list of favorite resources, we decided to create blog posts dedicated to dive deeper into the pros and cons of each resource on that list. So far we’ve covered SEMrush, LongTailPro, Screaming Frog, and Moz. 

Now, without further ado, we present our Ahrefs review for, well, your review!

What is Ahrefs?

First thing’s first - what exactly is Ahrefs? Ahrefs is a software company that is known for developing SEO tools online. While these tools aren’t free, Ahrefs does offer a variety of free resources such as blogs, video courses, FAQs, beginner’s guides, and more. In short - Ahrefs offers tools to help people amp up their search engine optimization strategies.

Pros of Ahrefs

While there are also cons to Ahrefs, there are many pros that should be discussed. These pros include:

Pro #1: Competitive Research 

When it comes to SEO, it’s best to know what your competition is up to. How do they rank in comparison to you? Which keywords are they ranking highest for? Which keywords are they ranking for that you aren’t ranking for? These are all great points to consider when it comes to your SEO efforts. The Site Explorer tool from Ahrefs will help with all of this, and more. This tool is designed to aid website owners and SEO specialists with viewing organic & paid search traffic and backlink profiles of any website - including your biggest competitors. 

Pro #2: Keyword Research

The first thing most people think of when they hear “SEO” is keyword research. That’s because, without keywords, there really wouldn’t be any point of search engine optimization. That’s because keywords are what people on the internet use to find your website’s content or offerings. Because of this, keyword research is extremely important. Ahrefs’ software lineup includes the Keywords Explorer tool that allows users to find the best keyword ideas that may help with increasing a website’s ranking in the search engine results pages (SERP) by generating more high-quality traffic. 

Pro #3: Site Auditing

If you need help knowing exactly what you need to change on your website in order to increase your chances of ranking higher in the SERP, then Ahref’s Site Audit tool may be what you’re looking for. This tool provides an in-depth analysis of your site and will provide feedback on issues with your website’s performance; incoming & outgoing links; external pages; images; code; content; and more. 

Pro #4: Tracking Your Rank

What’s the point of putting effort into your SEO strategy if you’re not tracking how well your website is ranking? The Rank Tracker tool from Ahrefs makes it easy to monitor your website’s rankings over time on desktop and mobile. Here, you’ll be able to see how you rank vs. your competitors, what percentage of clicks are from organic search, a snapshot of your progress over a specified period of time, and more. The coolest part is you can get scheduled reports sent right to your email. How convenient is that?

Pro #5: Take Control of Your Content

Ah, yes - the Content Explorer tool from Ahrefs. This all-in-one tool allows users to do deep research dives into what types of content and topics are performing the best on other websites. The information from the Content Explorer tool will help marketing teams gather inspiration for content ideas and make comparisons to see how the existing content on their website can be renewed and revitalized.

Cons of Ahrefs

What is an Ahrefs review without a list of cons? Some of the cons of this software include: 

Con #1: Learning Curve

As we’ve found with several of the resources we’ve reviewed on the Greyphin blog thus far, there is a learning curve to Ahrefs. While this may not be a dealbreaker for some, for those who don’t have much time on their hands to begin with, they may feel like they don’t feel like spending the effort learning the ins and outs of each tool.

Con #2: No Free Trial

One of the biggest downsides to Ahrefs is that there isn’t a free trial available. However, they do offer a 7-day trial for $7, which is affordable compared to their regular pricing. As far as regular plans go, Ahrefs has a Lite version, which costs $99/month; a Standard version, which costs $179/month; an Advanced version for $399/month; and the Agency plan for $999/month. Don’t be discouraged by sticker shock, here, though. We suggest trying out the $7 trial before making your final decision. 

Con #3: Speed 

While this may not be the case for every user, some users have complained about the speed of Ahrefs when performing a scan on a large site. This can be frustrating for users who need to see reports as soon as possible and don’t have the time to be waiting around for a scan to finish. However, if you have the time and the patience, this may not be the end of the world when considering this software for your SEO toolkit. 

So, what do you think after reading our Ahrefs review? If you ask us, it’s definitely worth looking into while you’re researching software options for your marketing efforts. 

If you need help with the SEO on your website, check out our SEO services and inbound marketing services here at Greyphin. And, if you have questions, be sure to contact us here.