---
title: Ahrefs Tool
description: When the user wants backlink analysis, link gap analysis, competitor link profiles, referring domain data, or link building research.
category: Marketing
sublabel: Local SEO
author: garrettjsmith
tags: 
license: MIT
source: https://github.com/garrettjsmith/localseoskills
---

# Ahrefs Tool

> **Note:** LocalSEOData (`localseodata-tool`) now has `backlink_summary` and `backlink_gap` endpoints. Use LocalSEOData for quick backlink overviews and gap analysis. Ahrefs remains the preferred tool for deep link analysis — anchor text profiles, lost/new links, referring domain details, and content gap analysis.

Ahrefs has an official MCP server. When connected, use it for backlink analysis and link-focused competitive intelligence. Ahrefs has the largest backlink index — it's the authoritative source for link data.

## When to Use Ahrefs vs Other Tools

| You Need | Use Ahrefs | Use Instead |
|----------|-----------|-------------|
| Backlink profile for a domain | ✅ Best backlink database | — |
| Referring domains count/list | ✅ | — |
| Link gap (who links to competitor but not you) | ✅ Best for this | — |
| Lost/broken backlinks | ✅ | — |
| Anchor text analysis | ✅ | — |
| Keyword search volume | ⚠️ Can do it | Semrush (better keyword tool) |
| Keyword gap analysis | ⚠️ Can do it | Semrush (preferred for keywords) |
| Content Explorer (find linkable content) | ✅ Unique to Ahrefs | — |
| Technical site audit | ⚠️ Has one | Screaming Frog (more detailed) |
| SERP data | ❌ | SerpAPI |
| Local pack rankings | ❌ | Local Falcon |
| Citation data | ❌ | BrightLocal |

## Core Workflows

### Analyze a Business's Link Profile

**When:** User asks "why aren't we ranking?" or needs to understand link authority.

**What to pull:**
1. **Domain Rating (DR)**: Overall link authority score (0-100)
2. **Referring Domains**: Unique domains linking to the site (more important than total backlinks)
3. **Backlink list**: Individual backlinks with source, anchor text, follow/nofollow, first seen date
4. **Referring domains by DR**: Quality distribution of linking domains

**How to interpret for local:**
- DR 20-40: Typical for local businesses
- DR 40-60: Strong local site, likely has press or industry links
- DR 60+: Very strong, probably a brand or large multi-location
- Referring domains matter more than total backlinks (10 links from 10 domains > 50 links from 2 domains)
- Local relevance matters: 1 link from a local news site > 10 links from random blogs

**Red flags:**
- Sudden spike in referring domains (could be spam or negative SEO)
- Mostly nofollow links (limited authority transfer)
- Anchor text heavily keyword-stuffed (penalty risk)
- Links from irrelevant or low-quality sites

### Link Gap Analysis (Competitor vs You)

**When:** User wants to find link building opportunities from competitor profiles.

**What to pull:**
1. **Link Intersect**: Domains that link to competitors but NOT to user's site
2. Filter by DR 20+ (skip low-quality)
3. Filter by dofollow links
4. Sort by referring domain authority

**What to look for:**
- Local directories linking to competitors but not you → citation opportunity
- Local news/media sites → PR opportunity
- Industry associations or organizations → membership/sponsorship opportunity
- Local blogs or community sites → content/relationship opportunity
- .edu or .gov sites → high authority, worth extra effort

**How to prioritize opportunities:**
1. Local relevance (local site > random site)
2. Domain authority (DR 30+ preferred)
3. Dofollow status (dofollow > nofollow for SEO, but nofollow still has value)
4. Achievability (directory listings are easy, editorial links take effort)

### Lost Link Recovery

**When:** Rankings dropped and you suspect link loss, or routine maintenance.

**What to pull:**
1. **Lost backlinks** (filtered by recent timeframe)
2. Filter by referring domain DR 20+
3. Check if the linking page is gone (404) or the link was removed

**What to do:**
- Page 404'd → Reach out and ask to update the link
- Link removed → Understand why (content changed? contact changed?)
- Domain expired → Check if link was valuable enough to pursue alternative
- High-DR losses → Priority recovery targets

### Anchor Text Analysis

**When:** Checking for over-optimization or understanding link profile health.

**What healthy local anchor text looks like:**
- Brand name (40-60%): "Smith Plumbing," "smithplumbing.com"
- Generic (15-25%): "click here," "website," "learn more"
- Location-based (10-20%): "plumber in Buffalo," "Buffalo NY plumbing"
- Exact match keywords (under 10%): "emergency plumber" — too much of this is a penalty risk

### Content Explorer (Find Linkable Content Ideas)

**When:** User needs content ideas that attract links.

- Search for topics in your industry + location
- Find content that got the most links in your space
- Analyze what made it linkable (data, tools, guides, local research)
- Create something better for your market

## Key Metrics and What They Mean

| Metric | What It Is | Local SEO Context |
|--------|-----------|-------------------|
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs' authority score (0-100) | Compare to local competitors, not national brands |
| Referring Domains | Unique domains linking to you | The #1 link metric — more unique domains = more authority |
| URL Rating (UR) | Authority of a specific page | Useful for comparing location page authority |
| Dofollow % | Percentage of links passing authority | Below 50% dofollow is weak |
| Anchor text distribution | What text is used in links | Over-optimized anchors can trigger penalties |
| Link velocity | Rate of new links acquired | Steady growth is healthy, spikes are suspicious |

## What to Do Next

| What You Found | Next Action | Skill |
|----------------|-------------|-------|
| Competitor has 3x more referring domains | Build a link acquisition strategy | `local-link-building` |
| Found link gap opportunities (directories) | These are citation opportunities | `local-citations` |
| Found link gap opportunities (editorial/media) | Build targeted outreach campaigns | `local-link-building` |
| Anchor text over-optimized | Diversify with brand and generic anchors going forward | `local-link-building` |
| Lost high-value links | Outreach to recover, then build replacements | `local-link-building` |
| Link profile is fine but still not ranking locally | Links aren't the issue — check GBP, reviews, proximity | `geogrid-analysis`, `gbp-optimization` |
| Need this data in a client report | Include link profile comparison in deliverables | `client-deliverables` |

**Default next step:** Link analysis always raises the question "is this a link problem or something else?" If the link profile is comparable to competitors, the issue is likely GBP, reviews, or relevance — not links.