Ahrefs Competitor Analysis: What It Is & How to Use It
Ahrefs competitor analysis is a set of features inside the Ahrefs SEO platform that lets you see how competitors rank in Google, where their backlinks come from, and which keywords drive their traffic. Instead of guessing why a competitor outranks you, you get data on their exact strategy - so you can replicate what works and spot gaps they miss.
What Ahrefs Competitor Analysis Shows You
1. Organic Search Performance
See how much traffic a competitor gets, which pages rank highest, and which keywords send visitors. The Organic Search report shows estimated monthly traffic, top-ranking pages, and search positions for thousands of keywords. Use this to identify content topics worth targeting.
2. Backlink Profile
The Backlinks section reveals who links to a competitor, what anchor text they use, and whether links are dofollow or nofollow. Key metrics include:
- Referring domains (RD): Total unique sites linking to them
- Domain Rating (DR): Ahrefs' 0-100 score of link authority
- Anchor text distribution: What keywords people use when linking
Strong backlink profiles explain why certain pages rank. If a competitor has 500 referring domains and you have 50, link building becomes the priority.
3. Content Gaps
The Content Gap tool compares your site to up to 10 competitors and shows keywords they rank for but you don't. Filter by search volume, keyword difficulty, and position to find quick wins - topics where you can create better content and capture traffic competitors already proven valuable.
4. Competing Domains
The Competing Domains report lists sites that rank for similar keywords. Use this to confirm who your true SEO competitors are (often different from brand competitors) and discover new domains to monitor.
5. PPC & Paid Keywords
See which keywords competitors bid on in Google Ads, estimated ad spend, and the landing pages they use. If a competitor pays for a keyword, it likely converts - prioritize those terms for organic content too.
When to Use Ahrefs Competitor Analysis
- Keyword research: Find proven topics competitors already rank for
- Link building: Identify sites that link to competitors but not you
- Content strategy: See which formats (guides, tools, comparisons) earn traffic and links
- Market entry: Benchmark your site's authority (DR, backlinks) against established players
- Ongoing monitoring: Track competitors monthly to catch new tactics early
How to Get Started
- Open Site Explorer in Ahrefs and enter a competitor's domain
- Review Organic Search to see their top pages and keywords
- Check Backlinks to understand their link profile
- Run Content Gap to find keywords you're missing
- Export data and prioritize opportunities by traffic potential and difficulty
For a full step-by-step walkthrough of manual competitor analysis with Ahrefs - including backlink gap analysis, featured snippet opportunities, and technical SEO checks - see our complete Ahrefs competitor analysis guide.
Automate Competitor Tracking
Manual analysis takes 4-6 hours per cycle. Toffu automates Ahrefs competitor monitoring with weekly reports on backlink changes, new ranking keywords, and actionable opportunities - so you spend 15 minutes reviewing instead of hours digging.