Buying an Ahrefs subscription can break your bank if you’re starting up. However, Ahrefs offers several free tools to help beginners and pros alike. In this article, we’ll examine each of these tools and how they can supercharge your SEO strategy for free.

Here is the list of all the Free SEO Tools by Ahrefs-

1. Keyword Generator
2. Keyword Difficulty Checker
3. Backlink Checker
4. Broken Link Checker
5. Website Authority Checker
6. Website Traffic Checker
7. SERP Checker
8. YouTube Keyword Tool
9. Amazon Keyword Tool
10. Bing Keyword Tool
11. Ahrefs SEO WordPress Plugin
12. Ahrefs SEO Toolbar
13. Ahrefs Webmaster Tool

Let’s unlock your site’s potential and climb the search engine ranks together!

Free SEO Tools by Ahrefs (13 Tools for Marketing)

Keyword Generator

The Keyword Generator by Ahrefs is a game-changer for anyone looking to optimize their website’s content with the right keywords.

This tool is designed to provide a list of keyword suggestions based on the seed keyword you enter. It’s beneficial for discovering long-tail keywords to drive targeted site traffic.

Functionality Overview

When you input a seed keyword into the Keyword Generator, it quickly churns out hundreds of related keywords and essential data like search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost per click (CPC) for PPC campaigns. Additionally, this makes it easier to gauge which keywords are worth targeting in your SEO efforts.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

To get the most out of the Keyword Generator:

1. Start with a broad keyword and gradually narrow down your search based on the metrics provided.
2. Focus on keywords with a manageable difficulty score and decent search volume.
3. Utilize the filters to tailor the results to your specific needs, whether targeting a local or global audience.

Benefits and Limitations

The Keyword Generator’s primary benefit is its ability to uncover less competitive keywords that can still drive significant traffic. However, one limitation is that the free version provides only a limited number of keyword suggestions and data points. Moreover, for more extensive research, a paid plan might be necessary.

Personal Review

As an SEO expert, I’ve found the Keyword Generator invaluable for kick-starting keyword research, especially for beginners. Moreover, it’s straightforward and user-friendly, and you can pair the data with Google Autosuggest to make informed decisions.

While the free version has its constraints, it’s an excellent starting point for anyone new to SEO or those working on smaller projects.

Keyword Difficulty Checker

The Keyword Difficulty Checker from Ahrefs is a vital tool for assessing the competitiveness of specific keywords. Moreover, it helps you determine how hard it would be to rank for a keyword based on the strength of the current top-ranking pages.

Functionality Overview

This tool scores keywords on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater difficulty. The score is also calculated by analyzing the number of linking domains to the pages that currently rank in the top 10 search results for that keyword.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

To use the Keyword Difficulty Checker effectively:

1. Prioritize checking keywords that are crucial for your SEO strategy.
2. Enter these keywords into the tool to get an instant difficulty score.
3. Compare scores to prioritize keywords you have a realistic chance of ranking.
4. This tool is handy when deciding between similar keywords or fine-tuning your content strategy.

Benefits and Limitations

The most significant benefit of this tool is its ability to quickly provide a realistic snapshot of how difficult it might be to rank for a particular keyword. However, the limitation lies in its focus on just the number of backlinks, without considering other SEO factors like content quality and on-page SEO.

Personal Review

As an SEO expert, I appreciate the Keyword Difficulty Checker’s simplicity and direct approach to assessing keyword competitiveness. Furthermore, it’s beneficial for beginners as it helps set realistic expectations on keyword targets.

While it’s not the only tool you should rely on—since SEO is multifaceted— it’s a valuable part of an overall SEO toolkit, particularly when combined with other analytical tools.

Backlink Checker

The Backlink Checker from Ahrefs is a powerful tool for examining a website’s backlink profile.

It offers valuable insights into a site’s backlink quality and quantity, which is crucial for understanding your link-building effectiveness and competitors’ SEO strategies.

Functionality Overview

This tool analyzes the backlinks pointing to any URL or domain, displaying data such as the total number of backlinks, the number of referring domains, the domain rating, and the best pages by backlinks. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive view of how websites gain authority through external links.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Enter the URL or Domain: Start by inputting your website or a competitor’s website into the tool.
2. Review the Backlink Data: Assess the backlinks report, focusing on the source and quality of the links. Identify high-authority and relevant sites linking back to the target.
3. Analyze Link Quality: Look for links from reputable sites within your industry, as these are more beneficial for SEO.
4. Plan Your Strategy: Use insights to improve your backlink strategy or replicate successful competitor tactics.

Benefits and Limitations

The Backlink Checker’s primary benefit is its ability to provide detailed insights into any site’s backlink structure, which is essential for crafting effective SEO strategies.

However, its limitation is that some data points are available only through a paid subscription, which can restrict deeper analysis for users on the free plan.

Personal Review

It’s user-friendly and immensely beneficial for beginners looking to understand the basics of backlink quality and how it affects website ranking.

Moreover, while the tool is robust, those serious about a comprehensive backlink strategy might consider upgrading to access Ahrefs’s paid backlink checker.

Broken Link Checker

The Broken Link Checker by Ahrefs is an essential tool for maintaining your website’s health by identifying and fixing broken links, which can negatively impact user experience and SEO performance.

Functionality Overview

This tool scans your website to detect links that lead to non-existent or error pages (404 errors). Additionally, it provides a detailed report that includes the URLs of the broken links, the pages on which they appear, and the nature of the link error. Moreover, this lets you quickly identify and rectify issues that could hurt your site’s credibility and search engine ranking.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Enter Your Website URL: Input your site’s URL to initiate the scan.
2. Review the Report: Analyze the list of broken links provided. It categorizes each link by issue type, making it easier to prioritize repairs.
3. Fix the Links: Navigate to the identified pages and replace or remove the broken links.
4. Recheck Regularly: Use the tool to scan your website periodically, ensuring no new broken links have developed over time.

Benefits and Limitations

The primary benefit of the Broken Link Checker is improving site navigation and SEO by removing harmful dead links. However, the tool’s limitations include its dependence on website crawl limits and potentially missing some links if they are dynamically generated.

Personal Review

I highly recommend the Broken Link Checker for website owners, especially beginners. Furthermore, it’s straightforward and practical, providing clear guidance on maintaining a healthy link structure.

Moreover, this tool is precious for large websites where manually checking each link would be impractical. While it covers most needs for large sites with thousands of pages, consider combining it with other comprehensive site audit tools for best results.

Website Authority Checker

The Website Authority Checker from Ahrefs is a tool designed to estimate the strength and reputation of a website’s overall SEO and online presence by calculating its domain rating.

Functionality Overview

This tool assesses a website’s authority based on several factors, including the quality and quantity of backlinks, the strength of referring domains, and overall link profile health. Moreover, it outputs a domain rating (DR) score on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater authority.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Input the Website URL: Enter the URL of the website whose authority you want to check.
2. Analyze the Domain Rating: The tool will provide a DR score. Review this score to gauge the site’s authority.
3. Compare Scores: For competitive analysis, compare your website’s DR scores with competitors’ sites to understand where you stand in your niche.
4. Plan Improvement Strategies: If your DR is low, consider strategies to enhance your link profile, such as acquiring more high-quality backlinks.

Benefits and Limitations

The Website Authority Checker’s benefit is its quick assessment of a site’s perceived trustworthiness and strength in the eyes of search engines, which is crucial for SEO strategy.

However, the limitation is that the DR score is a relative measure and doesn’t factor in other SEO metrics like content quality or user engagement.

Personal Review

As an SEO expert, I find the Website Authority Checker helpful in providing a quick snapshot of a website’s authority. Furthermore, it’s particularly beneficial for beginners to know how well their site might perform in search rankings and identify improvement areas.

Moreover, while it offers a good starting point, remember that a high DR score alone doesn’t guarantee SEO success; comprehensive SEO efforts are always required.

Website Traffic Checker

The Website Traffic Checker by Ahrefs provides insights into a website’s traffic volume, helping you understand its visibility and reach in the digital space.

Functionality Overview

This tool estimates a website’s total traffic by analyzing the number of visits, the primary sources of this traffic, and the most popular pages.

Additionally, it uses data derived from Ahrefs’ extensive web crawling and direct data integrations, offering a snapshot of how a website attracts visitors.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Enter the Website URL: Start by inputting the URL you want to analyze.
2. Review Traffic Estimates: The tool will provide an overview of monthly visits, traffic sources (like direct, referral, search, and social), and geographic distribution of the audience.
3. Examine Top Pages: Look at the pages that draw the most traffic to get ideas for content that resonates with audiences.
4. Compare Competitors: Use the tool to check traffic on competitor websites to benchmark your performance and identify growth opportunities.

Benefits and Limitations

The benefit of using the Website Traffic Checker is understanding your website’s traffic and the effectiveness of different traffic channels. However, the tool’s limitation is that it provides estimates, not exact figures, and the accuracy can vary based on the available data.

Personal Review

I find the Website Traffic Checker extremely valuable for SEO beginners and professionals. Furthermore, it offers a clear, easily understandable view of a website’s traffic dynamics, which is crucial for planning effective strategies to increase visibility and engagement.

However, I recommend using it alongside other analytic tools for a more comprehensive analysis and a more accurate decision-making process.

SERP Checker

The Ahrefs SERP Checker is a strategic tool for analyzing the search engine results pages (SERP) for any keyword.

Moreover, it provides detailed insights into the competition and the factors influencing rankings

Functionality Overview

Moreover, this tool delivers an in-depth look at the top keyword results, including critical metrics like backlinks, domain ratings, and estimated traffic.

It also provides information on SERP features such as featured snippets, knowledge panels, and local packs that could affect the visibility of your listings.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Input Your Target Keyword: Enter the keyword you wish to analyze into the SERP Checker.
2. Review the SERP Overview: Analyze the metrics for each top-ranking page, such as their backlink profiles and domain ratings.
3. Identify SERP Features: Note any SERP features that appear for the keyword, as these could be opportunities or challenges for your SEO strategy.
4. Adapt Your Strategy: Use the insights gained to tailor your content and SEO strategies to compete effectively for the keyword.

Benefits and Limitations

Additionally, the primary benefit of the SERP Checker is its ability to provide a realistic picture of what it takes to rank for a keyword, helping you fine-tune your SEO tactics.

However, the limitation is that SERP dynamics can change frequently, requiring ongoing analysis rather than a one-time check.

Personal Review

It’s beneficial for beginners because it demystifies why certain pages rank higher and what can be done to improve your page’s ranking. Furthermore, this tool is essential for anyone serious about understanding and improving their search engine performance.

YouTube Keyword Tool

The YouTube Keyword Tool from Ahrefs is explicitly designed to optimize YouTube content. Moreover, this tool helps content creators find keywords that viewers are searching for on YouTube, allowing them to tailor their videos to meet the audience’s interests.

Functionality Overview

This tool generates keywords based on the terms you enter, providing insights into YouTube search volumes, competition levels, and potential traffic you could attract. Furthermore, it also suggests related keywords that can help expand your content’s reach.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

To use the YouTube Keyword Tool effectively:

1. Start by entering keywords related to your video content.
2. Please review the list of suggested keywords and their associated data.
3. Focus on those with high search volumes but lower competition to maximize your visibility.
4. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve your SEO on YouTube.

Benefits and Limitations

A significant benefit of this tool is its ability to uncover niche keywords tailored for YouTube, which can be significantly different from those used in traditional search engines.

However, the tool’s limitation is its basic analytics; you may need access to the full suite of Ahrefs tools for deeper insights.

Personal Review

I find the YouTube Keyword Tool incredibly useful for content creators looking to increase their visibility on YouTube. It’s straightforward and user-friendly, making it ideal for beginners.

While it offers excellent initial insights, pairing this tool with more comprehensive analytics from Ahrefs can provide a greater advantage for those serious about YouTube growth.

Amazon Keyword Tool

The Amazon Keyword Tool by Ahrefs is tailored for sellers looking to optimize their product listings on Amazon.

Furthermore, this tool helps identify keywords that potential buyers use to search for products on Amazon, enhancing your product’s visibility and sales potential.

Functionality Overview

This tool generates a list of keyword suggestions based on a seed keyword related to your product. Moreover, it provides vital data such as search volume, competition level, and potential for driving sales, helping you select the most effective keywords for your Amazon listings.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Start with a Seed Keyword: Input a primary keyword associated with your product.
2. Analyze the Suggestions: Look at the generated keywords, focusing on those with higher search volumes and lower competition.
3. Select Relevant Keywords: Choose keywords that most accurately describe your product and have a reasonable chance of ranking.
4. Incorporate Keywords: Use these keywords strategically in your product title, description, and backend keywords section in Amazon Seller Central.

Benefits and Limitations

The primary benefit of this tool is its ability to help Amazon sellers find niche keywords that directly drive sales. However, its limitations include potentially limited data on very niche or new market trends without enough historical data.

Personal Review

It’s beneficial for beginners in Amazon selling, providing straightforward insights into how to optimize product listings effectively. While it’s an excellent starting point for keyword research, expanding to more advanced tools can further enhance listing optimization as your business grows.

Bing Keyword Tool

The Bing Keyword Tool from Ahrefs is designed to help optimize content for Bing, the second-largest search engine. Furthermore, this tool provides insights into Bing’s popular keywords, allowing you to tailor your SEO strategies accordingly.

Functionality Overview

This tool provides suggestions based on input keywords and data on Bing search volumes, trends, and competitiveness. Furthermore, it helps identify which keywords could drive the most traffic from Bing searches, which can differ significantly from Google.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Input Your Initial Keyword: Enter a keyword relevant to your content.
2. Study the Keyword Suggestions: Evaluate the provided list for search volume and competition. Look for high-volume keywords with lower competition.
3. Choose Strategic Keywords: Select keywords that align with your content goals and audience.
4. Apply Keywords: To optimize for Bing, use these keywords in your content, titles, meta descriptions, and URLs.

Benefits and Limitations

The primary benefit of this tool is its focus on Bing-specific data, which can lead to opportunities often overlooked by competitors focusing solely on Google. However, the limitation is that trends on Bing might only sometimes mirror those on other platforms, which could affect cross-platform consistency.

Personal Review

I appreciate the Bing Keyword Tool for its specialized focus. It’s also an excellent resource for marketers aiming to tap into the Bing user base, which often has demographics and preferences different from those of Google.

Moreover, the tool is straightforward and particularly useful for beginners looking to expand their reach beyond Google. Its insights are invaluable for crafting a balanced SEO strategy encompassing multiple search engines.

Ahrefs SEO WordPress Plugin

The Ahrefs SEO WordPress Plugin integrates Ahrefs’ powerful SEO tools into your WordPress site management, making it easier to optimize your site directly from your dashboard.

Functionality Overview

This plugin provides actionable SEO insights directly within WordPress. It can audit your website’s content for SEO performance, offer recommendations for improving SEO scores, and even track your site’s ranking progress.

It connects with Ahrefs’ database to pull in data like backlink profiles and keyword rankings specific to your site’s content.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Install the Plugin: Add the Ahrefs SEO Plugin to your WordPress site from the plugin directory.
2. Connect to Ahrefs Account: Link the plugin with your Ahrefs account to start pulling data.
3. Run Site Audits: Use the plugin to perform regular SEO audits that identify issues and opportunities on your site.
4. Implement Recommendations: Follow the SEO suggestions provided by the plugin to optimize your pages and posts.
5. Monitor Performance: Look at your site’s SEO performance directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Benefits and Limitations

The plugin’s primary benefit is its convenience and integration of powerful Ahrefs tools into the WordPress environment, making regular SEO tasks more straightforward and accessible.

However, its limitations might include dependency on an Ahrefs subscription for full functionality and potentially high resource usage on your hosting server.

Personal Review

As an SEO expert, I find the Ahrefs SEO WordPress Plugin incredibly useful for integrating SEO deeply into the daily management of WordPress sites. It’s especially beneficial for beginners as it simplifies many complex SEO activities and provides easy-to-follow recommendations.

This tool helps maintain an optimized site with less effort, allowing site owners to focus more on content creation and less on technical SEO details.

Ahrefs SEO Toolbar

The Ahrefs SEO Toolbar is a browser extension that provides instant SEO metrics for web pages and search results as you browse the web.

It’s a convenient way to access critical SEO data without switching between tools.

Functionality Overview

The toolbar displays SEO metrics like Domain Rating (DR), URL Rating (UR), backlinks, referring domains, and estimated traffic for any page you visit. Moreover, it also offers on-page SEO reports, including title and description checks, header tag usage, and social tags.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Install the Toolbar: Download and install the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar in your browser.
2. Browse Web Pages: Navigate to any webpage to see real-time SEO metrics directly in your browser.
3. Conduct On-page Analysis: Optimize individual webpage elements using the on-page SEO features.
4. Check Competitor Metrics: Quickly compare your site’s metrics against competitors as you browse their pages.

Benefits and Limitations

The primary benefit is the convenience of accessing SEO data instantly without leaving your browser. The limitation is the accuracy of real-time data can sometimes vary, and the toolbar might slow down browser performance slightly.

Personal Review

As an SEO expert, I appreciate the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar’s ease of use and immediate access to essential SEO data. It’s beneficial for beginners who need a straightforward, no-fuss way to integrate SEO into their daily internet usage. Moreover, the toolbar is an excellent first step for anyone new to SEO, offering a practical, hands-on approach to learning SEO metrics.

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (limited access)

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools provide site owners with limited but powerful access to some of Ahrefs’ most useful SEO tools, focusing on site auditing and keyword tracking.

Functionality Overview

Moreover, users can perform site audits and view critical website metrics with limited access. In addition to that, this includes monitoring health scores, identifying common SEO issues, and reviewing backlink data. Furthermore, the tool also provides basic keyword-tracking functionalities.

How to Use the Tool Effectively

1. Sign Up and Verify Ownership: Register for free and verify your site ownership to access the tools.
2. Run a Site Audit: Conduct a site audit to discover SEO issues and potential improvements.
3. Monitor Keywords: Set up keyword tracking to see how your site ranks for targeted terms over time.
4. Regularly Review Reports: Check the insights and progress reports to guide your SEO strategy.

Benefits and Limitations

Moreover, the benefits include free access to high-quality SEO tools typically part of a more expensive suite. Furthermore, the limitations are that some advanced features are locked behind the full Ahrefs subscription, and data might be less comprehensive than in the full version.

Personal Review

The Ahrefs Webmaster Tools are an excellent resource for beginners and those on a tight budget. They provide enough functionality to effectively monitor and improve your website’s SEO health without overwhelming new users with too much complexity. Furthermore, they strike a good balance between simplicity and powerful SEO insights.

FAQs

Summing Up

Hence, Ahrefs offers free SEO tools, each providing valuable insights into keyword generation, link quality, competitive analysis, and more. Additionally, these tools are indispensable for beginners looking to improve their site’s SEO and content strategy. However, the free versions have limitations in data depth and breadth.

Moreover, those seeking advanced features and comprehensive analytics should consider upgrading to Ahrefs’ paid plans. Want to dive deeper into SEO and marketing? Read my articles for expert tips and strategies to elevate your online presence.