How To Use Ahrefs Competitor Analysis

If you’re looking to improve your website’s search engine rankings, one of the most important things you need to do is conduct a competitor analysis. A competitor analysis will help you understand what your competitors are doing well, and what you need to do to improve your own website’s performance.

Ahrefs is one of the most popular tools for conducting a competitor analysis. In this blog post, we’ll go over how to use Ahrefs Competitor Analysis to gain insights into your competitors’ strategies and improve your own SEO.

Step 1: Identify your competitors

Before you can conduct a competitor analysis, you need to know who your competitors are. You can use Ahrefs Site Explorer to find websites that are similar to yours and ranking well for your target keywords.

1. Enter your website URL in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Competing Domains.”
3. A list of websites that are ranking well for the same keywords as your website will appear.

Make a list of the top 5-10 websites that are your main competitors. These are the websites you’ll be analyzing in the next steps.

Step 2: Analyze their backlink profile

A website’s backlink profile is one of the most important factors that determine its search engine rankings. Ahrefs allows you to analyze your competitors’ backlink profiles to see where their links are coming from.

1. Enter your competitor’s website URL in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Backlinks.”
3. You’ll see a list of all the websites that are linking to your competitor’s website.

Analyze this list to see where your competitor’s links are coming from. Look for high-quality, authoritative websites that are linking to your competitor, and see if you can get similar links for your own website.

Step 3: Analyze their organic search traffic

Another important factor that determines a website’s search engine rankings is its organic search traffic. Ahrefs allows you to see how much organic search traffic your competitors are getting, and where their traffic is coming from.

1. Enter your competitor’s website URL in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Organic Search.”
3. You’ll see a graph that shows your competitor’s organic search traffic over time.

Analyze this graph to see if your competitor’s organic search traffic is increasing or decreasing over time. Look for any spikes or drops in traffic, and see if you can identify any changes that might have caused these spikes or drops.

You can also see which keywords your competitor is ranking for and how much traffic each keyword is driving to their website. Use this information to identify high-traffic keywords that you should be targeting as well.

Step 4: Analyze their content strategy

A website’s content strategy is another important factor that determines its search engine rankings. Ahrefs allows you to see which pages on your competitor’s website are getting the most traffic, and what type of content they’re publishing.

1. Enter your competitor’s website URL in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Top Pages.”
3. You’ll see a list of your competitor’s top-performing pages.

Analyze this list to see what type of content your competitor is publishing. Are they publishing blog posts, product pages, or something else? What topics are they covering? How long are their articles?

Use this information to identify gaps in your own content strategy. Are there topics that your competitor is covering that you’re not? Are there ways you can improve your own content to make it more engaging and informative?

You can also use Ahrefs Content Explorer to find content that is performing well in your industry. This can help you identify popular topics and formats that you can use to create your own content.

1. Enter a keyword related to your industry in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Content Explorer.”
3. You’ll see a list of articles that are related to your keyword and are performing well.

Analyze this list to see what type of content is performing well in your industry. Are there certain topics that are more popular than others? Are there certain formats, such as listicles or how-to articles, that are performing well?

Use this information to create your own content that is optimized for your target audience.

Step 5: Analyze their social media presence

Social media can be a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website and building your brand. Ahrefs allows you to see how your competitors are using social media to promote their content and engage with their audience.

1. Enter your competitor’s website URL in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Pages.”
3. You’ll see a list of your competitor’s pages, including their social media profiles.

Analyze your competitor’s social media profiles to see how many followers they have, how often they post, and what type of content they’re sharing. Look for opportunities to improve your own social media strategy, such as posting more frequently or creating more engaging content.

Also Read: Maximizing Your SEO Potential with Ahrefs Keyword Research Tool

Step 6: Create an action plan

Now that you’ve analyzed your competitors using Ahrefs, it’s time to create an action plan. Use the insights you’ve gained to identify areas where you can improve your own website’s performance.

For example, if you’ve identified high-quality backlinks that your competitor is getting, see if you can get similar links for your own website. If you’ve identified popular topics in your industry, create your own content around those topics to attract more traffic to your website.

By using Ahrefs Competitor Analysis, you can gain valuable insights into your competitors’ strategies and improve your own website’s performance. Use these insights to create an action plan and start making changes to your website today.

Step 7: Monitor your progress

After implementing your action plan, it’s important to monitor your progress to see if your changes are having a positive impact on your website’s performance. Ahrefs allows you to track your website’s performance over time and see how it compares to your competitors.

1. Enter your website URL in the search bar and click on “Search.”
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on “Site Explorer.”
3. You’ll see a dashboard that shows you various metrics about your website, such as your Domain Rating and the number of backlinks you have.

Use this dashboard to track your progress over time. Are your backlinks increasing? Is your Domain Rating improving? If you’re not seeing the results you want, adjust your action plan and try again.

Step 8: Continuously improve

Competitor analysis is not a one-time activity. Your competitors are always changing and adapting, and you need to do the same. Continuously monitor your competitors and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Use Ahrefs to track your competitors’ websites and social media profiles on an ongoing basis. Look for new opportunities to improve your own website’s performance, such as targeting new keywords or creating new types of content.

By continuously improving your website and adapting to changes in your industry, you can stay ahead of your competitors and achieve long-term success.

Also Read: How to use ahrefs free keyword tool for keyword research

Conclusion

Ahrefs Competitor Analysis is a powerful tool that can help you gain valuable insights into your competitors’ strategies. By analyzing your competitors’ websites, backlinks, keywords, and social media presence, you can identify areas where you can improve your own website’s performance.

Use the steps outlined in this post to conduct your own competitor analysis using Ahrefs. With these insights, you can create an action plan to improve your website’s performance and achieve long-term success in your industry.