I’ve seen a lot of people suggesting Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz for backlink research. Some say Semrush is better when it comes to pure data. For example, I read that their AS metric is harder to manipulate, and they report way more referring domains and backlinks compared to Ahrefs in some tests. But I’ve also heard that Ahrefs is much easier to use.
What’s been your experience recently? Which one would you recommend for backlink research? Or is there another tool you think is better?
Ahrefs and Semrush are great for finding backlinks, but for actually building them, you’ll need to reach out to website owners and ask for links in return.
MaryJane said:
Ahrefs and Semrush are great for finding backlinks, but for actually building them, you’ll need to reach out to website owners and ask for links in return.
Yeah, I didn’t mean building backlinks in this case. I’m only interested in research and analysing data.
Both offer free trials, so you could try them out and see what works for you. Semrush has tons of features, but many are behind a paywall, and it can get pricey. Ahrefs is simpler and easier to pick up, but it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Semrush.
@ken
Only Semrush does free trials now, and it’s 14 days. I was thinking of trying it, but I wanted to hear from others first.
I’d go with Ahrefs for backlink research. It’s pretty straightforward to use.
Are you researching backlinks for competitors? There are some decent free tools for that.
oliviamartin said:
Are you researching backlinks for competitors? There are some decent free tools for that.
Which free tools would you recommend?
I find Ahrefs better for keywords and Semrush better for analysing competitors.
I used Semrush’s free trial and cancelled before being charged. During the trial, I did loads of keyword research and saved everything for later. It’s a good strategy if you’re on a tight budget.
Out of the three:
Semrush is my favourite.
Most tools don’t focus on backlink data like Majestic does. Their link graph feature is unique and lets you see multiple tiers of links. Instead of going for links your competitors already have, you can target the ones in their tier 2 or tier 3.
Semrush all the way.
Layla said:
Semrush all the way.
Let me know your website’s niche if you need more ideas.
Ahrefs is better for off-page SEO in my opinion.
Check out Linkomatic.ai.
Ahrefs all the way.
Have you looked at this new tool? https://www.seotic.co
Try URL Profiler. It’s easy to learn and reasonably priced. It can save you a lot of time if you’re doing outreach.