What is Ahrefs

What is Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a comprehensive toolset for search engine optimization (SEO) that helps businesses and individuals improve their website’s search engine rankings and gain valuable insights into their online performance. Originally popularized as a backlink analysis tool, Ahrefs has expanded into a full-featured SEO suite.

Here’s what it does:

Key Features

1. Site Explorer: This is one of Ahrefs’ primary tools, allowing users to analyze any website’s backlink profile, organic search traffic, and top-performing pages. It’s often used to evaluate competitors, see where their traffic comes from, and understand their backlink sources.
2. Keywords Explorer: This tool provides comprehensive keyword research, showing keyword difficulty, search volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and related keywords across multiple search engines (Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, etc.).
3. Site Audit: Ahrefs can crawl a website and detect technical SEO issues, providing insights and suggestions for improvements. It identifies things like broken links, duplicate content, and slow-loading pages, helping users ensure their sites are technically sound.
4. Content Explorer: This tool enables users to find popular content on a topic, sorted by factors like social shares and backlinks. It’s ideal for identifying high-performing content ideas and researching topics with strong potential.
5. Rank Tracker: Ahrefs also offers a rank tracking feature to monitor how a website’s keywords perform over time. Users can track their progress in search enginehttps://fleekyone.com/analyze-and-optimize-content-ceation-strategy/ rankings, helping them assess the impact of SEO efforts.
6. Backlink Analysis: Known for its extensive and frequently updated backlink index, Ahrefs provides detailed information about who is linking to a website, including link growth trends and domain authority metrics.

Why People Use Ahrefs

• Competitive Analysis: It helps analyze competitors’ sites to understand their traffic sources, top pages, backlink strategies, and keyword rankings.
• Keyword Research: Find valuable keywords and optimize content around terms that can improve search rankings.
• Content Marketing: Identify popular topics, analyze high-performing articles, and get ideas for creating content that attracts traffic and links.
• Technical SEO: Conduct audits to improve website performance, fix errors, and optimize the technical aspects of the site.
• Backlink Building: Discover quality backlink opportunities by analyzing where competitors get their backlinks.

Popularity and Reputation

Ahrefs is highly regarded for its robust data, user-friendly interface, and frequent updates to its database and features. Many SEO professionals and digital marketers consider it essential due to its reliable data and insights that help boost search rankings and refine SEO strategies.

A sudden drop in Ahrefs’ health score

I have a friend using the plugin on wealth affiliate servers. She says this : trying to get some answers on the ahrefs health score, that went from 88 to 7, then picked up a little and went up to 22, but this past week plummeted again to 9. This of course is impacting my traffic, so I need to sort it.

A sudden drop in Ahrefs’ health score, like the one your friend is experiencing (from 88 to 7, then to 22, and now back to 9), usually points to technical or SEO issues on the site that need attention. The health score in Ahrefs is a measure of the website’s technical SEO health and is heavily influenced by factors such as broken links, crawl errors, and on-page SEO issues. Here’s a breakdown of potential reasons for this score drop and some troubleshooting steps:

1. Crawl Issues

• Check for Crawl Errors: Use Ahrefs Site Audit to see if there are any crawl issues. Common problems include:
  • 404 Errors: Broken pages that can no longer be accessed.
  • Redirect Chains and Loops: Issues with redirects that could confuse search engines.
  • Server Errors: If the server responds with errors (5xx errors), it could cause a significant health score drop.
• Internal Linking Issues: If there are broken links or missing pages within the site, Ahrefs may flag this. Ensure all internal links lead to active, relevant pages.

2. Technical SEO Changes

• Recent Website Changes: If there were updates, such as URL changes, page deletions, or site restructuring, these could impact the health score if not handled with proper redirects.
• Performance and Speed Issues: A slow website can impact SEO and reduce the health score. Check site speed, as slow-loading pages can lead to lower rankings and impact user experience.

3. Backlink or External Link Issues

• Sudden Drop in Backlinks: Sometimes, a health score change can be related to losing important backlinks. If there was a drop in quality backlinks, Ahrefs may adjust the score accordingly.
• Toxic Backlinks: If there’s a sudden influx of low-quality or spammy backlinks, this can negatively impact the health score. Use Ahrefs to audit these and disavow if needed.

4. Content and On-Page Issues

• Duplicate or Thin Content: If there’s duplicate content or pages with very little useful information, Ahrefs may mark these as issues. Reviewing content quality, ensuring unique content, and expanding thin content can help.
• Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Missing or duplicate titles/meta descriptions can hurt the health score. Review them to ensure every page has a unique and optimized title and meta description.

5. Security Issues

• SSL Certificate Issues: If there’s an issue with the SSL certificate (expired or misconfigured), this can hurt the health score. Verify the SSL setup and ensure HTTPS is applied site-wide.

6. Hosting-Related Issues

• Server Uptime and Reliability: Hosting on Wealthy Affiliate servers should be stable, but if there’s intermittent downtime, it could explain why the health score fluctuates. Monitoring uptime and potentially reaching out to their support team may help.

Steps to Resolve

1. Run a Full Ahrefs Site Audit: This will give a comprehensive report on issues impacting the health score. Look for red-flag issues marked as “critical.”
2. Fix Errors Highlighted in the Audit: Address errors systematically—starting with critical errors (404s, server errors, redirect issues), then working down to warnings and notices.
3. Monitor and Re-Run the Audit: After making changes, re-run the Ahrefs Site Audit to see if the health score improves.
4. Check for Plugin Conflicts: If Ahrefs is being used through a plugin, check for potential conflicts or recent updates to the plugin that may be affecting site performance.

If your friend addresses these areas and the health score still doesn’t improve, she may want to consult with an SEO expert for a deeper analysis, especially if traffic is heavily impacted. Additionally, contacting Ahrefs support could help provide insights specific to the issues highlighted in their audit.

Simpler alternatives to Ahrefs

There are several simpler alternatives to Ahrefs that offer effective SEO tools without the complexity or learning curve. Here are some popular ones that provide essential SEO features, especially for small to medium websites, often at a lower price point or even free:

1. Ubersuggest

• Features: Offers keyword research, site audits, backlink analysis, and content ideas.
• Pros: Simple, user-friendly interface; great for beginners; provides clear data on SEO metrics without overwhelming you.
• Cost: Has a free version with limited functionality, and paid plans start at a relatively low price.
• Best For: Small business owners, beginners, and those focusing on keyword and content research.

2. SEMrush (with Easy Mode)

• Features: Extensive suite with keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis, and rank tracking.
• Pros: Offers a “Projects” dashboard to track multiple sites easily; straightforward visualizations; SEMrush’s “Easy Mode” simplifies the interface for quick insights.
• Cost: Free version with basic tools; paid plans start at $119.95/month.
• Best For: Users who want a balanced mix of simplicity and advanced tools as they grow.

3. Moz Pro

• Features: Keyword research, link building, site audits, and rank tracking.
• Pros: Simple to navigate; Moz’s “Page Optimization” tool gives clear, actionable suggestions for improvement; great for building SEO fundamentals.
• Cost: Offers a free version; paid plans start at $99/month.
• Best For: Users looking for a clean, beginner-friendly interface with guidance for improving on-page SEO.

4. Google Search Console (GSC)

• Features: Tracks site performance in Google search, index coverage, crawl errors, and keywords that drive traffic.
• Pros: Free and straightforward; provides Google’s own insights; allows direct submission of sitemaps and tracking of site health.
• Cost: Free.
• Best For: Those who want an uncomplicated look at how Google sees their site. It’s ideal to use alongside other tools for a complete SEO view.

5. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Lite Version)

• Features: Site audit tool that identifies SEO issues like broken links, duplicate content, and crawl errors.
• Pros: Fast and effective for technical SEO analysis; free Lite version (up to 500 URLs).
• Cost: Free for up to 500 URLs, and the full version costs around £149/year.
• Best For: Technical SEO-focused users who want detailed audit insights without a big investment.

6. SEO PowerSuite

• Features: Contains four tools: Rank Tracker, SEO SpyGlass (backlink analysis), Website Auditor, and LinkAssistant (link-building).
• Pros: Desktop software that runs locally; provides a lot of data without recurring costs; great for all-in-one SEO needs.
• Cost: Free version with limited features; paid one-time purchase option available.
• Best For: Users who want an affordable all-in-one SEO tool with no monthly subscription.

Each of these alternatives provides valuable SEO insights and is more straightforward than Ahrefs. For most small business owners or beginners, Ubersuggest or Moz Pro are good starting points, while Google Search Console is a must-have, free tool for basic site health and performance tracking.

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