Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an SEO and marketing platform offering site audits, keyword research, content analysis, and competitive insights to improve search rankings and drive organic traffic
Verdict
Common use cases
- Audit competitor backlink profiles before outreach
- Track domain authority changes over time
- Research keyword volume across target markets
- Identify link-building opportunities at scale
- Validate SEO impact of content campaigns
Integration
- Vendor
- Ahrefs
- Category
- other
- Auth
- API_KEY
- Tools
- 40
- Composio slug
ahrefs
Tools
- Backlinks stats retrieval
Retrieves comprehensive backlink statistics for a specified website or url using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides crucial data for seo analysis, including the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and potentially t
- Batch Url Analysis
Performs a batch analysis on multiple urls or domains using ahrefs' powerful seo metrics. this endpoint allows users to retrieve key seo data for up to 100 targets simultaneously, streamlining the process of analyzing multiple websites or p
- Domain rating for site explorer
Retrieves the domain rating (dr) for a specified domain. domain rating is an ahrefs metric that measures the strength and authority of a website's backlink profile on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. this endpoint should be used when you
- Domain rating history
Retrieves the historical domain rating (dr) data for a specified domain over time. this endpoint is part of ahrefs' site explorer tool and provides insights into how a domain's authority has changed. it's useful for tracking the impact of s
- Explore keywords overview
Retrieves a comprehensive overview of keyword data from ahrefs' keywords explorer tool. this endpoint provides essential insights for seo professionals and content strategists, offering a summary of key metrics such as search volume, keywor
- Explore keyword volume by country
Retrieves the search volume data for specified keywords across different countries using ahrefs' keywords explorer tool. this endpoint allows users to obtain accurate search volume information, helping in keyword research and content strate
- Explore linked domains of a site
Retrieves a list of external domains that the specified target website or url links to, using ahrefs' site explorer functionality. this endpoint is crucial for analyzing a website's external linking structure, which can provide insights int
- Explore matching terms for keywords
The keywords explorer matching terms endpoint retrieves a list of keyword phrases that match or contain the specified keyword from ahrefs' vast database. this tool is part of ahrefs' keyword explorer functionality and is designed to assist
- Fetch all backlinks
Retrieves a comprehensive list of backlinks for a specified website or url using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides detailed information about the backlink profile of the target, including the source urls, link attributes, a
- Fetch broken backlinks data
Retrieves a list of broken backlinks for a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint helps identify and analyze backlinks that are no longer functional, potentially affecting the website's seo performance. it should
- Fetch competitors overview
Retrieves a comprehensive overview of competitor data in relation to keyword rankings and organic search performance. this endpoint is part of ahrefs' rank tracker feature and provides a comparative analysis of your website against multiple
- Fetch rank tracker overview
The getranktrackeroverview endpoint retrieves a comprehensive summary of keyword rankings and seo performance data from ahrefs' rank tracker tool. it provides a high-level overview of a website's ranking positions, serp features, and perfor
- Fetch site explorer referring domains
Retrieves a list of domains that have backlinks pointing to a specified target website. this endpoint is essential for conducting comprehensive backlink analysis, allowing users to identify and evaluate the sources of incoming links to thei
- Fetch total search volume history
Retrieves the historical total search volume data for specified keywords using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint allows users to track and analyze the search popularity trends of specific terms over time, which is crucial for seo st
- Get serp overview
Retrieves a comprehensive overview of search engine results pages (serp) data for specified keywords or queries. this endpoint provides valuable insights into search performance, including historical data, search intent analysis, and detail
- Get site audit projects
Retrieves a list of site audit projects associated with the authenticated ahrefs account. this endpoint allows users to access and manage their site audit projects, which are essential for identifying technical and on-page seo issues across
- Get site explorer country metrics
Retrieves country-specific site explorer metrics for a given website from ahrefs. this endpoint provides valuable insights into a website's performance across different countries, including data on organic traffic, keyword rankings, and bac
- Get site explorer linked anchors external
The site-explorer-linked-anchors-external endpoint retrieves data about external anchor texts linking to a specified target website. this tool is essential for analyzing the backlink profile of a domain, understanding the context in which o
- Get url rating history
Retrieves the historical url rating data for a specified url over time. this endpoint provides insights into how a url's seo strength has changed, allowing users to track the impact of their seo efforts or analyze competitors' url performan
- Linked anchors explorer
Retrieves information about internal linked anchors for a specified website using the ahrefs api. this endpoint provides data on anchor text used in internal links and the number of outgoing links associated with each anchor. it's particula
- List best by external links
The 'get best by external links' endpoint retrieves a list of pages from a specified website, ranked by the number of external links pointing to them. this tool is essential for identifying the most authoritative and popular pages on a doma
- Pages by traffic overview
Retrieves a list of pages from a specified website, ordered by their estimated organic search traffic. this endpoint is part of the ahrefs site explorer tool and provides valuable insights into which pages on a website are performing well i
- Retrieve anchor data
Retrieves anchor text data for a specified website or url using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides valuable insights into the anchor text distribution of backlinks pointing to the target url or domain. it helps seo professio
- Retrieve best by internal links
Retrieves data on the best-performing internal links within a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer feature. this endpoint analyzes the internal link structure of the target site and returns a list of the most effective internal lin
- Retrieve crawler ip ranges
Retrieves the list of ip address ranges used by ahrefs' web crawler (ahrefsbot). this endpoint provides essential information for website administrators to identify and potentially whitelist ahrefs' crawler traffic. use this endpoint when y
- Retrieve organic competitors
The getorganiccompetitors endpoint in the ahrefs api provides a comprehensive analysis of websites competing for organic search rankings with a specified target domain. it identifies and ranks competitors based on their keyword overlap and
- Retrieve organic keywords
Retrieves organic keywords data for a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides valuable insights into a website's seo performance by returning a list of keywords for which the site ranks in organic search r
- Retrieve outlinks stats
Retrieves comprehensive statistics about outgoing links (outlinks) from a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides valuable insights into a website's external linking practices, which is crucial for seo ana
- Retrieve paid pages data
Retrieves information about paid pages (ppc advertising) for a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides valuable insights into a website's paid search strategy, including the keywords they're targeting, ad
- Retrieve public crawler ips
Retrieves a list of ip addresses currently used by ahrefsbot, ahrefs' web crawler. this endpoint provides essential information for webmasters and seo professionals who want to verify the authenticity of requests coming from ahrefs or manag
- Retrieve related terms
The keywords explorer related terms endpoint retrieves a list of related terms for a given keyword using ahrefs' extensive keyword database. this tool is essential for expanding keyword research, finding new content ideas, and identifying p
- Retrieve site explorer keywords history
Retrieves historical keyword performance data for a specified website or domain using ahrefs' site explorer. this endpoint provides insights into how keywords have performed over time, including changes in rankings, search volume, and poten
- Retrieve site explorer metrics
The getsiteexplorermetrics endpoint retrieves comprehensive seo metrics for a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer tool. it provides crucial data such as backlink profile, referring pages, organic keyword rankings, and various othe
- Retrieve site explorer metrics history
Retrieves historical seo metrics data for a specified website over a given time period. this endpoint is part of the ahrefs site explorer tool and provides valuable insights into a website's performance trends. it should be used when analyz
- Retrieve site explorer pages history
The get site explorer pages history endpoint retrieves historical data about specific pages or domains from ahrefs' site explorer. it tracks changes in seo performance over time, including backlinks, organic traffic, and visibility. use thi
- Retrieve site explorer referring domains history
Retrieves the historical data of referring domains for a specified website or url over time. this endpoint is part of ahrefs' site explorer tool and provides valuable insights into the growth or decline of a website's backlink profile. it s
- Retrieve subscription limits and usage
Retrieves detailed information about the current subscription limits and usage for an ahrefs account. this endpoint provides essential data to monitor api consumption, track remaining credits or rows, and manage subscription usage effective
- Retrieve top pages from site explorer
Retrieves data about the top-performing pages of a specified website using ahrefs' site explorer tool. this endpoint provides valuable insights into a site's most successful content based on various seo metrics. it's particularly useful for
- Retrieve volume history
Retrieves the historical search volume data for a specified keyword using ahrefs' keywords explorer tool. this endpoint provides valuable insights into how the popularity of a keyword has changed over time, allowing users to analyze trends,
- Search suggestions explorer
Retrieves search suggestions for a given keyword or phrase using ahrefs' keywords explorer tool. this endpoint provides autocomplete-style suggestions that can help uncover related keywords, long-tail variations, and potential content ideas
Setup
Setup guide
- 11. In Switchy, open your workspace settings and navigate to the Integrations page. 2. Find Ahrefs in the MCP directory and click Connect. 3. You'll be prompted to paste an Ahrefs API key — generate one from your Ahrefs account dashboard under API Access (requires a paid subscription). 4. Paste the key into Switchy and click Authorize. 5. Switchy confirms the connection and lists the 40 available tools. 6. Open any Space, type '@Ahrefs get backlink stats for example.com' and send — if the MCP returns data, you're live. 7. For batch queries (up to 100 URLs at once), format your prompt as a comma-separated list or ask the MCP to analyze a pasted column of domains. 8. Check your Ahrefs account usage dashboard periodically; API calls count against your plan's quota.
What teammates see: by default, memories from Ahrefs are scoped to the Space (PROJECT visibility) - you can mark any memory PRIVATE or share it ORG-wide.
Works well with
Top models
Compatibility data appears once enough Spaces have used this MCP together with a given model.
How Switchy teams use it
Starter prompts
Competitor Backlink Audit
@Ahrefs retrieve backlink statistics for competitorsite.com, including total backlinks, referring domains, and top linked pages.Open in a Space →
Batch Domain Rating Check
@Ahrefs run a batch analysis on these domains and return their domain ratings: example1.com, example2.com, example3.com, example4.com.Open in a Space →
Keyword Volume by Market
@Ahrefs get search volume for 'project management software' in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.Open in a Space →
Domain Authority Timeline
@Ahrefs pull the domain rating history for oursite.com over the past 12 months.Open in a Space →
Outbound Link Discovery
@Ahrefs explore which external domains competitorsite.com links to and return the top 20 by frequency.Open in a Space →
Example outputs
Illustrative - representative of the model's voice and quality, not literal recordings.
@ahrefs show me the backlink profile and domain rating for techcrunch.com — how strong is their link authority compared to last quarter?
TechCrunch.com currently has a Domain Rating of 92/100, with approximately 18.4 million backlinks from 267,000 referring domains. The DR has remained stable at 92 over the past 90 days, showing no significant change from last quarter. The backlink profile includes 2.1 million dofollow links and a healthy mix of editorial and content-driven references. Top referring domains include Twitter, Reddit, and major tech publications. The site maintains strong topical authority in technology and startup coverage.
This example combines backlink stats with DR history to show how Ahrefs tracks link authority over time. Requires an API key with access to Site Explorer endpoints. Note that backlink counts update weekly, not real-time, so recent link changes may not appear immediately.
@ahrefs I'm targeting the keyword 'project management software' — give me search volume across US, UK, and Canada, plus 5 related long-tail variations worth considering.
The keyword 'project management software' shows 33,100 monthly searches in the US, 4,400 in the UK, and 2,900 in Canada. Keyword difficulty is 79/100, indicating high competition. Five promising long-tail variations: 'best project management software for small teams' (1,200 US volume, KD 62), 'free project management software' (8,100 volume, KD 71), 'project management software for construction' (880 volume, KD 54), 'agile project management tools' (2,400 volume, KD 68), and 'project management software with time tracking' (720 volume, KD 58). These variations offer better ranking opportunities while maintaining commercial intent.
This example demonstrates keyword research across multiple markets using Keywords Explorer. The AI synthesizes volume data with difficulty scores to surface strategic opportunities. Search volumes are monthly averages and may fluctuate seasonally. Requires Keywords Explorer API access.
@ahrefs run a batch analysis on these five competitor domains: asana.com, monday.com, clickup.com, notion.so, trello.com — rank them by DR and total referring domains.
Batch analysis complete for 5 domains, ranked by Domain Rating: 1) Notion.so (DR 91, 1.2M referring domains), 2) Asana.com (DR 88, 487K referring domains), 3) Trello.com (DR 87, 312K referring domains), 4) Monday.com (DR 84, 198K referring domains), 5) ClickUp.com (DR 79, 89K referring domains). Notion leads in both authority and backlink diversity, likely due to its broader use case beyond project management. ClickUp, despite lower DR, shows rapid growth with a 12-point DR increase over the past year, suggesting aggressive content and partnership strategies.
Batch analysis lets you compare up to 100 domains simultaneously, ideal for competitive landscape mapping. This example shows how the AI can rank and contextualize raw metrics into strategic insights. API rate limits apply: typically 500 requests per day on standard plans, so plan batch queries accordingly.
Use-case deep-dives
When Ahrefs beats manual research for content planning
A 3-person content team at a B2B SaaS company publishes 8 blog posts a month and needs to know which topics competitors rank for that they don't. The Ahrefs MCP wins here because the batch URL analysis and matching terms tools let you compare your domain against 3-4 competitors in one Switchy thread, then pivot to keyword volume by country if you're targeting EMEA or APAC markets. The domain rating history tool shows whether a competitor's recent traffic spike is durable or a fluke. This setup works until you're analyzing more than 10 competitors at once—at that scale, the 100-URL batch limit means you're better off exporting to a spreadsheet. If your content calendar lives in Notion or Linear and you want to auto-tag posts with keyword data, connect this MCP in a Switchy workflow that writes back to those tools.
Why this MCP suits monthly client reporting cycles
A 6-person SEO agency runs monthly audits for 12 clients and needs backlink stats, domain rating trends, and linked domain lists without logging into Ahrefs 12 times. The Ahrefs MCP centralizes that work in Switchy: one thread per client, pulling backlink stats and DR history in the same conversation where you draft the report or update the client's Google Sheet. The API key auth means junior analysts can run audits without sharing the agency's Ahrefs login. The trade-off is response time—if a client asks a follow-up question during a call, the MCP's API latency (2-4 seconds per tool call) is slower than clicking around the Ahrefs UI. This MCP is the right call when the work is async and the output feeds into a deliverable, not when you're doing live exploratory analysis with the client on Zoom.
When 40 tools overwhelm a solo founder's workflow
A solo founder building a niche SaaS product wants to validate that 20 landing page keywords have enough search volume to justify the content investment. The Ahrefs MCP can pull keyword volume by country and matching terms, but 40 available tools is overkill for this scenario—most founders will use 3-4 tools max and ignore the rest. The MCP works if you're already paying for Ahrefs and want to skip the UI, but if you're choosing between an Ahrefs subscription and a cheaper keyword tool, the MCP doesn't change that math. The buying threshold: if you're running keyword research more than twice a week and you're layering it with other data (like pulling GitHub issues or Slack feedback in the same Switchy thread), the integration saves 15 minutes per session. Below that frequency, just use the Ahrefs web app.
Frequently asked
What does the Ahrefs MCP do in Switchy?
It pulls SEO data from Ahrefs directly into your Switchy workspace — backlink profiles, domain ratings, keyword volumes, and competitor analysis. Instead of switching tabs to check rankings or export CSVs, your team asks questions like 'show me backlinks for example.com' and gets structured answers. The MCP wraps 40 Ahrefs API endpoints, so you can run batch URL analysis or track domain authority over time without leaving the chat.
Do I need an Ahrefs API key to connect this MCP?
Yes. The MCP uses API key authentication, so you need an active Ahrefs subscription that includes API access — typically the Advanced plan or higher. You paste the key into Switchy once during setup. Ahrefs doesn't use OAuth here; the key grants read-only access to your account's data. If your team shares one Ahrefs login, one person can connect it and everyone in the workspace benefits.
Can the Ahrefs MCP write or update campaigns in my Ahrefs account?
No. The MCP is read-only. It retrieves backlink stats, keyword volumes, domain ratings, and historical data, but it can't create projects, add keywords to tracking lists, or change settings in your Ahrefs dashboard. If you need to configure a new site audit or adjust crawl settings, you still do that in Ahrefs directly. The MCP is for analysis and reporting, not account management.
How is this different from exporting CSV reports from Ahrefs?
The MCP answers ad-hoc questions in natural language without manual exports. Instead of downloading a backlink report, filtering columns in Excel, then sharing a screenshot, you ask 'which domains link to both us and competitor X' and get a structured reply. It's faster for exploratory analysis and keeps the data in context with the rest of your workspace. You still use Ahrefs' UI for deep-dive audits or custom dashboards.
Who on the team should connect the Ahrefs MCP?
Whoever holds the Ahrefs API key — usually your SEO lead or head of growth. Once connected, everyone in the Switchy workspace can query Ahrefs data without needing their own login. The MCP doesn't consume extra Ahrefs seats, but API rate limits apply to your account tier. If you hit limits during heavy batch analysis, coordinate with the key owner to upgrade or throttle requests.