Ahrefs

Overview

What it does

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO platform that provides powerful tools for backlink analysis, keyword research, competitive intelligence, and site auditing. Access real-time SEO data, track rankings, analyze competitor strategies, and discover content opportunities to improve your search engine visibility.Key Features:

Backlink analysis and monitoring
Keyword research and difficulty scoring
Competitor analysis and benchmarking
Site auditing and health monitoring
Rank tracking across search engines
Content gap analysis
Domain metrics and authority scoring
Top pages and content performance
Keyword rankings and visibility
Organic traffic estimates

Use Cases

SEO Research: Discover keyword opportunities, analyze search volume and difficulty, track keyword rankings, identify content gapsCompetitive Intelligence: Monitor competitor backlinks, analyze their top-performing content, discover their keyword strategies, benchmark performanceLink Building: Find backlink opportunities, analyze link quality, monitor new and lost backlinks, track referring domainsContent Strategy: Identify high-traffic content opportunities, analyze top-performing pages, discover trending topics, optimize existing content

Ahrefs maintains one of the largest backlink databases in the industry, crawling over 8 billion pages daily to provide accurate, up-to-date SEO intelligence.

Quick Start

Get your API key

Obtain your Ahrefs API key from your account dashboard.API Access:

Available on Ahrefs subscriptions (Lite, Standard, Advanced, Enterprise)
API access may require specific plans or add-ons
Check your plan details at ahrefs.com/api

To find your API key:

Log in to your Ahrefs account
Navigate to Account Settings
Find the API section
Copy your API key

Contact Ahrefs support if you don’t see API access in your account settings, as it may require a plan upgrade or add-on.

Add to NimbleBrain Studio

In NimbleBrain Studio:

Navigate to Connections in the sidebar
Click Browse Catalog
Search for “Ahrefs”
Click Install
Enter your API key in the AHREFS_API_KEY field
Click Save & Connect

Your API key is securely encrypted and stored. NimbleBrain never shares your credentials.

Test your connection

In your Studio chat, try this prompt:

"Analyze the backlink profile for example.com"

You should see:

Domain metrics and authority scores
Backlink statistics
Referring domains data
Top backlinks and their quality

Other test prompts:

“What are the top keywords for [your-domain.com]?”
“Show me the top pages for [competitor-domain.com]”
“Find keyword opportunities related to [topic]”

Look for detailed SEO metrics to confirm your Ahrefs connection is working properly.

Available Tools

The Ahrefs connection provides comprehensive SEO analysis tools organized into the following categories:

Backlink Analysis

Backlink Operations

Analyze and monitor backlinks pointing to any domain or URL.

Tool	Description
`AHREFS_GET_BACKLINKS`	Retrieve backlinks for a target URL or domain with filtering options
`AHREFS_GET_REFERRING_DOMAINS`	Get list of domains linking to your target
`AHREFS_GET_NEW_BACKLINKS`	Monitor recently acquired backlinks
`AHREFS_GET_LOST_BACKLINKS`	Track lost or removed backlinks
`AHREFS_GET_BROKEN_BACKLINKS`	Identify broken backlinks pointing to your site

Example Usage:

"Show me all new backlinks to mysite.com from the last 30 days"

"Analyze the quality of referring domains linking to competitor.com"

Backlink metrics include Domain Rating (DR), URL Rating (UR), traffic estimates, and link attributes (dofollow/nofollow).

Keyword Research

Keyword Operations

Research keywords, search volume, difficulty, and ranking opportunities.

Tool	Description
`AHREFS_KEYWORD_RESEARCH`	Research keywords with volume, difficulty, and CPC data
`AHREFS_GET_KEYWORD_DIFFICULTY`	Get keyword difficulty score and SERP analysis
`AHREFS_GET_KEYWORD_IDEAS`	Discover related keyword opportunities
`AHREFS_GET_SEARCH_VOLUME`	Get search volume data across multiple search engines
`AHREFS_GET_KEYWORD_RANKINGS`	Track keyword position for a domain

Example Usage:

"Find keyword ideas related to 'digital marketing tools' with search volume over 1000"

"What's the keyword difficulty for 'best CRM software'?"

Keyword difficulty ranges from 0-100, with higher scores indicating more competitive keywords requiring stronger backlink profiles to rank.

Domain Analysis

Domain Metrics

Analyze domain authority, metrics, and overall SEO health.

Tool	Description
`AHREFS_GET_DOMAIN_METRICS`	Get Domain Rating, backlinks, referring domains, and traffic estimates
`AHREFS_GET_ORGANIC_KEYWORDS`	Retrieve all organic keywords a domain ranks for
`AHREFS_GET_DOMAIN_TRAFFIC`	Estimate organic traffic and top traffic-driving pages
`AHREFS_GET_TOP_PAGES`	Find the highest-traffic pages on any domain
`AHREFS_COMPARE_DOMAINS`	Compare metrics between multiple domains

Example Usage:

"Compare the domain metrics between mysite.com and competitor1.com and competitor2.com"

"What are the top 10 pages driving traffic to competitor.com?"

Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs’ proprietary metric measuring domain authority on a scale of 0-100 based on backlink profile quality.

Site Audit

Site Health

Audit your website for technical SEO issues and optimization opportunities.

Tool	Description
`AHREFS_SITE_AUDIT`	Run comprehensive site audit for technical SEO issues
`AHREFS_GET_AUDIT_ISSUES`	Retrieve specific issues found during site audit
`AHREFS_GET_BROKEN_LINKS`	Find broken internal and external links
`AHREFS_GET_REDIRECT_CHAINS`	Identify redirect chains and loops
`AHREFS_GET_CRAWL_STATS`	Get crawl statistics and coverage data

Example Usage:

"Run a site audit for mywebsite.com and show me critical issues"

"Find all broken links on mysite.com"

Site audits crawl your entire website, which may take time for large sites. Results are typically cached and updated periodically.

Rank Tracking

Position Monitoring

Track keyword rankings and visibility across search engines.

Tool	Description
`AHREFS_TRACK_RANKINGS`	Monitor keyword position changes over time
`AHREFS_GET_RANK_HISTORY`	View historical ranking data for keywords
`AHREFS_GET_VISIBILITY_SCORE`	Calculate overall search visibility
`AHREFS_GET_SERP_FEATURES`	Identify SERP features (featured snippets, etc.)
`AHREFS_COMPARE_RANKINGS`	Compare rankings against competitors

Example Usage:

"Track my rankings for these keywords: [keyword1, keyword2, keyword3]"

"Show me ranking history for 'SEO tools' over the last 90 days"

Set up regular rank tracking for your most important keywords to monitor SEO performance and catch ranking drops early.

Content Analysis

Content Intelligence

Analyze content performance and discover content opportunities.

Tool	Description
`AHREFS_CONTENT_EXPLORER`	Search for top-performing content on any topic
`AHREFS_GET_CONTENT_GAP`	Find keywords competitors rank for but you don’t
`AHREFS_GET_TOP_CONTENT`	Discover most shared and linked-to content
`AHREFS_ANALYZE_CONTENT`	Analyze content metrics for any URL
`AHREFS_GET_SHARERS`	Find who shared specific content on social media

Example Usage:

"Find content gaps between mysite.com and competitor.com"

"Show me the most popular content about 'content marketing' from the last 6 months"

Content Explorer indexes billions of pages and provides metrics like social shares, referring domains, and organic traffic estimates.

Example Workflows

Scenario: Analyze a competitor’s SEO strategy and identify opportunitiesPrompt:

"Analyze competitor.com's SEO performance: domain metrics, top keywords, top pages, and backlink profile. Then compare it to mysite.com and identify gaps"

What happens:

Retrieves domain authority and metrics
Lists top-performing keywords and rankings
Identifies highest-traffic pages
Analyzes backlink profile quality
Compares metrics with your domain
Highlights keyword and content gaps

Time: 10-15 seconds API calls: 4-6 requestsExample Response:

Competitor’s Domain Rating: 65 (vs. yours: 48)
Top 10 keywords they rank for
Their top 5 traffic-driving pages
250 referring domains (vs. yours: 120)
Content gaps: 45 keywords they rank for that you don’t

Follow-up prompts:

“What are the easiest keywords I could target from their list?”
“Show me their newest backlinks from the last month”
“Analyze the content on their top-performing page”

Regular competitor monitoring helps you spot new strategies and opportunities. Check monthly for shifts in their approach.

Scenario: Find keyword opportunities for a new content piecePrompt:

"I want to write about 'email marketing automation'. Find keyword opportunities with search volume between 500-5000, keyword difficulty under 40, and list related questions people are asking"

What happens:

Searches for related keywords
Filters by volume and difficulty criteria
Identifies question-based keywords
Provides search volume and CPC data
Estimates ranking difficulty
Suggests long-tail variations

Time: 5-8 seconds API calls: 2-3 requestsExample Response:

25 keyword opportunities found
“email automation tools” - 2,400 vol, KD 35
“best email automation software” - 1,800 vol, KD 38
“how to automate email campaigns” - 900 vol, KD 28
Related questions: “What is email marketing automation?” etc.

Follow-up prompts:

“Which of these keywords have featured snippets?”
“Show me the top-ranking pages for ‘email automation tools’”
“What’s the content gap for these keywords between me and competitors?”

Target keywords with KD scores you can realistically rank for based on your domain’s authority and backlink profile.

Scenario: Monitor and analyze your backlink profilePrompt:

"Audit my backlink profile for mysite.com: show me new backlinks from the last 30 days, lost backlinks, and identify any low-quality or toxic links"

What happens:

Retrieves recent backlinks
Identifies lost backlinks
Analyzes link quality metrics
Flags potentially toxic links
Provides referring domain stats
Highlights follow vs. nofollow ratio

Time: 8-12 seconds API calls: 3-4 requestsExample Response:

15 new backlinks acquired (12 dofollow, 3 nofollow)
8 backlinks lost
3 potentially toxic links identified (DR < 10, spam domains)
Total referring domains: 245 (+7 this month)
Average DR of new links: 42

Follow-up prompts:

“Show me details on the highest quality new backlink”
“Which pages on my site gained the most backlinks?”
“Create a disavow file for the toxic links”
“Compare my backlink growth to competitor.com”

Regularly monitor lost backlinks to identify and fix broken links or reclaim valuable link equity through outreach.

Scenario: Discover content opportunities and optimize existing contentPrompt:

"Find the top-performing content about 'project management software' from the last year. Show me what makes them successful: backlinks, social shares, word count, and ranking keywords"

What happens:

Searches Content Explorer for topic
Filters by recency (last year)
Retrieves top-performing articles
Analyzes success metrics
Identifies ranking keywords
Provides content insights

Time: 6-10 seconds API calls: 2-3 requestsExample Response:

Top 10 articles found
Average word count: 3,500 words
Average backlinks: 85 referring domains
Common ranking keywords per article: 120+
Top SERP features: Featured snippets, People Also Ask
Most successful format: Comparison articles and listicles

Follow-up prompts:

“Analyze the keyword strategy of the top article”
“What content gaps exist in this topic?”
“Show me who’s linking to these top articles”
“Find similar topics with less competition”

Study top-performing content to understand what works, then create superior content that’s more comprehensive, updated, or better optimized.

Scenario: Audit your website for technical SEO issuesPrompt:

"Run a comprehensive site audit for mywebsite.com and prioritize the issues by severity. Focus on critical errors affecting rankings"

What happens:

Crawls entire website
Identifies technical issues
Categorizes by severity
Provides issue descriptions
Suggests fixes
Generates health score

Time: 15-30 seconds (varies by site size) API calls: 2-3 requestsExample Response:

Overall Health Score: 78/100
Critical Issues (5): Broken internal links, duplicate content, missing meta descriptions
Warnings (12): Slow page speed, large images, redirect chains
Recommendations: 301 redirects for broken links, optimize images, add meta descriptions

Follow-up prompts:

“Show me all pages with broken links”
“List all duplicate content issues with URLs”
“What are the redirect chains and how do I fix them?”
“Export a prioritized action plan for these issues”

Regular site audits (monthly) help catch issues before they impact rankings. Fix critical issues first for maximum impact.

Scenario: Find link building opportunitiesPrompt:

"Find websites that link to competitor1.com and competitor2.com but not to mysite.com. Filter for domains with DR above 40"

What happens:

Analyzes competitor backlinks
Compares to your backlinks
Identifies unique linking domains
Filters by domain authority
Provides contact opportunities
Suggests outreach targets

Time: 10-15 seconds API calls: 3-4 requestsExample Response:

127 link opportunities found
Top prospects (DR 40+): 45 domains
Industry blogs: 18
Resource pages: 12
Guest post opportunities: 8
Broken link opportunities: 7

Follow-up prompts:

“Show me the top 10 prospects by Domain Rating”
“Find contact information for these domains”
“What content did they link to on competitor sites?”
“Identify broken link building opportunities”

Prioritize link building outreach to high-DR domains in your industry. Personalize outreach by referencing the content they linked to for competitors.

Authentication

API Key Required: This connection requires an Ahrefs API key to access SEO data and analysis tools.

Getting Your API Key

Log in to your Ahrefs account at ahrefs.com
Navigate to Account Settings
Find the API or API Access section
Copy your API key
Add it to your Studio connection configuration

API access is included with most Ahrefs subscription plans. Contact Ahrefs support if you don’t see API settings in your account.

Rate Limits & Pricing

Plan Tier	API Limits	Features	Typical Price
Lite	Limited requests	Basic metrics, limited history	$99/mo
Standard	Standard rate limits	Full features, 3 months history	$199/mo
Advanced	Higher limits	Full features, unlimited history	$399/mo
Enterprise	Custom limits	Dedicated support, custom integrations	$999+/mo

API Usage:

Rate limits vary by subscription plan
Typically measured in API units per month
Different endpoints consume different units
Monitor usage in your Ahrefs dashboard
Overage handling varies by plan

Check your specific plan’s API limits in your Ahrefs account settings. Some features may require higher-tier plans.

Managing Your API Key in Studio

Your API key is securely stored in NimbleBrain Studio. To update it:

Go to Connections
Find “Ahrefs” in your connections list
Click Edit or Settings
Update your API key
Click Save

Studio automatically manages the connection. No manual restarts required after updating credentials.

Security Best Practices

Protect Your API Key

Your Ahrefs API key provides access to your account’s data and quota:

Never share your API key publicly
Don’t commit keys to version control
Rotate keys periodically (every 90 days recommended)
Monitor API usage for unexpected activity
Use separate keys for different environments if available
Revoke compromised keys immediately

If your key is compromised, generate a new one immediately in your Ahrefs account settings and update Studio.

Monitor Usage

Track your API usage to stay within limits:

Check usage dashboard in your Ahrefs account regularly
Set up usage alerts if available
Optimize query patterns for efficiency
Cache results when appropriate
Batch requests when possible
Review monthly consumption patterns

Usage optimization tips:

Cache domain metrics that don’t change frequently
Batch keyword research queries
Use filters to reduce unnecessary data retrieval
Schedule regular audits rather than ad-hoc requests

Studio can cache some Ahrefs results. Enable caching in settings to reduce API calls for repeated queries.

Troubleshooting

Invalid API Key

Issue: Authentication failed or invalid API key errorSolutions:

Verify you copied the entire API key without extra spaces
Check if your Ahrefs subscription includes API access
Confirm your account is active and paid
Regenerate API key in Ahrefs settings if necessary
Ensure no special characters were added during copy/paste
Contact Ahrefs support if API access isn’t visible in your account

API access requires an active paid Ahrefs subscription. Free trials may have limited or no API access.

Rate Limit Exceeded

Issue: Too many requests or quota exceededSolutions:

Check your usage in Ahrefs dashboard
Wait for rate limit to reset (typically monthly or hourly)
Upgrade to a higher plan for increased limits
Implement caching for frequently accessed data
Reduce query frequency
Optimize requests to fetch only needed data
Contact Ahrefs about increasing your limits

Monitor usage patterns and adjust query frequency before hitting limits. Plan large research projects around quota reset dates.

No Data Returned

Issue: Query succeeds but returns empty or no resultsSolutions:

Verify the domain or URL is indexed in Ahrefs database
Check if domain is too new (requires crawling time)
Ensure correct domain format (use example.com, not https://example.com)
Try different filters or broader search criteria
Verify the domain has backlinks or ranking keywords
Some niche domains may have limited data

New websites may not have data immediately. Ahrefs needs time to crawl and index new domains and backlinks.

Slow Response Times

Issue: Queries taking longer than expectedSolutions:

Large domain analyses can take 10-30 seconds
Site audits for large sites may take longer
Check your internet connection
Verify Ahrefs API status (check Ahrefs status page)
Reduce the scope of queries (limit results, narrow date ranges)
Break large queries into smaller, focused requests
Try again during off-peak hours

Typical response times:

Domain metrics: 3-5 seconds
Backlink queries: 5-10 seconds
Keyword research: 4-8 seconds
Site audits: 15-60 seconds (depends on site size)
Content Explorer: 5-10 seconds

Cache results for domains you query frequently to improve response times and reduce API usage.

Connection Failed

Issue: Cannot connect to Ahrefs APISolutions:

Verify your internet connection
Check Ahrefs API status page for outages
Ensure API key is correctly entered in Studio
Try disconnecting and reconnecting in Studio
Clear Studio cache and retry
Verify firewall isn’t blocking API requests
Contact Ahrefs support if issue persists

Studio handles all connection management automatically. No manual configuration needed beyond entering your API key.

Incorrect Metrics

Issue: Data seems inaccurate or outdatedSolutions:

Verify you’re analyzing the correct domain/URL
Check the data freshness date in results
Ahrefs updates data on different schedules (backlinks: daily, some metrics: weekly)
Some metrics are estimates, not exact counts
Compare with Ahrefs web interface for verification
Refresh data if cached results are old
Large fluctuations may be legitimate (link gains/losses)

Data freshness:

Backlinks: Updated daily
Domain Rating: Updated weekly
Keyword rankings: Updated based on tracking frequency
Organic traffic: Estimated monthly
Site audits: On-demand or scheduled

Ahrefs metrics are estimates based on their crawl data. Use them for directional insights rather than exact numbers.

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

Track key metrics weekly or monthly
Monitor competitor changes
Set up rank tracking for important keywords
Audit backlink profile monthly
Run site audits quarterly
Review content performance regularly

Data-Driven Strategy

Use keyword difficulty to prioritize targets
Focus on achievable keyword opportunities
Analyze top pages before creating content
Study competitor gaps systematically
Base link building on data, not guesses
Track ROI of SEO efforts

Efficient Usage

Cache frequently accessed domain metrics
Batch keyword research queries
Use filters to reduce unnecessary data
Schedule large audits during off-peak times
Monitor API usage to avoid overages
Focus on actionable insights

Security

Protect your API key
Rotate keys periodically
Monitor for unusual usage
Use separate keys per environment
Revoke compromised keys immediately
Never share credentials

Links and Resources

Ahrefs API Documentation

Official API reference and guides

Ahrefs Help Center

Tutorials, guides, and support articles

Ahrefs Academy

Free SEO courses and training

Ahrefs Blog

SEO insights, case studies, and updates

Need help? Join the NimbleBrain Discord or email [email protected]

Getting Started

Building Automations

Connections

Workspace & Settings

Overview

What it does

Use Cases

Quick Start

Available Tools

Backlink Analysis

Keyword Research

Domain Analysis

Site Audit

Rank Tracking

Content Analysis

Example Workflows

Authentication

Getting Your API Key

Rate Limits & Pricing

Managing Your API Key in Studio

Security Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

Data-Driven Strategy

Efficient Usage

Security

Links and Resources

Ahrefs API Documentation

Ahrefs Help Center

Ahrefs Academy

Ahrefs Blog

Getting Started

Building Automations

Connections

Workspace & Settings

​Overview

What it does

Use Cases

​Quick Start

​Available Tools

​Backlink Analysis

​Keyword Research

​Domain Analysis

​Site Audit

​Rank Tracking

​Content Analysis

​Example Workflows

​Authentication

​Getting Your API Key

​Rate Limits & Pricing

​Managing Your API Key in Studio

​Security Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

Data-Driven Strategy

Efficient Usage

Security

​Links and Resources

Ahrefs API Documentation

Ahrefs Help Center

Ahrefs Academy

Ahrefs Blog

Overview

Quick Start

Available Tools

Backlink Analysis

Keyword Research

Domain Analysis

Site Audit

Rank Tracking

Content Analysis

Example Workflows

Authentication

Getting Your API Key

Rate Limits & Pricing

Managing Your API Key in Studio

Security Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Links and Resources