If you are looking for a reliable and powerful SEO tool to boost your online visibility, you might be wondering which one to choose between SE Ranking and Ahrefs. Both tools offer a comprehensive set of features to help you with keyword research, rank tracking, backlink analysis, site audit, competitor research, and more. But which one is better for your needs and budget? In this blog post, we will compare SE Ranking and Ahrefs on various aspects, such as pricing, functionality, ease of use, support, and customer reviews. By the end of this post, you will have a clear idea of which tool is the best fit for your SEO goals.
Hey, SEO Enthusiasts! Are you struggling to choose between SE Ranking and Ahrefs for your SEO toolkit?
Everyone has to face the situation when he is on the fence. With four years in the blogging niche, I offer insights to assist you in deciding which tool best enhances your business.
In the battle of “SE Ranking vs Ahrefs”, countless features and capabilities are offered by both platforms, making it essential to make an informed decision to ensure the success of your online marketing strategy.
In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into the world of SE Ranking and Ahrefs, comparing their features, pricing, and more, to help you decide which SEO tool is the perfect fit for your business.
Key Takeaways
SE Ranking vs Ahrefs: Introduction
I’ll be evaluating these SEO tools based on the following key aspects to provide you with a thorough comparison. At the end of this comparison, you’ll have the best SEO tool to fulfill your business needs.
SE Ranking
SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO platform designed for large companies, marketing agencies, and SEO professionals. It was founded by Valery Kurilov in 2013 initially as a keyword rank tracker but offers a wide range of SEO services now, including keyword research, technical SEO audit, backlink analysis, and competitor analysis.
Over the years, the tool has shown significant growth and has a user database exceeding 800,000.
SE Ranking offers several features to its users which include the following-
- Keyword research
- Competitive analysis
- Keyword rank tracking
- Backlinks analysis
- Website audit
- On-Page SEO checker
- SERP analysis
- Content marketing
- Page changes monitoring
- Content Editor
- White label reporting
- Insights
- Local SEO
- Marketing strategy
- SEO agency Pack
Though some of these features are common in every other SEO tool, what makes SE Ranking different from others is its compliance with the latest SERP changes.
It keeps updating its features according to the need for search engine optimization. For instance,
- Keyword Research: it added ranking dynamics, global search volume, and keyword search intent in the past couple of months.
- Insights: this feature is recently included in its SEO arsenal which tells you about the competitors that have jumped to the top 10 of SERPs and analyze your content quality against your competitors.
- Content Marketing Module: this feature is also introduced to the users recently which helps you in writing SEO-optimized content.
- Local SEO Tool: this feature helps SE Ranking stand in the market amidst top SEO giants by providing a robust tool for local SEO users.
Strength of SE Ranking: Keyword Rank Checker
It provides you with the most accurate position of your keywords on search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs, a SaaS company that specializes in web-based SEO tools was founded by Dmitry Gerasimenko in 2011. It has quickly established itself as the premier tool in its field, focusing on providing a specialized service for backlink analysis and finding relevant keywords.
The prime features of Ahrefs include the following:
- Keyword explorer
- Site explorer
- Rank tracker
- Backlinks checker
- Content audit
Similar to SE Ranking, it has also been updated over time, for instance-
- Keyword research: it added a word count in the SERP overview to help the users understand how in-depth content they should write to target that keyword.
- Filter top pages: you can now filter top pages by selecting new, lost, or no change by using the dropdown menu.
- KW explorer: now you can see the ranking of your website for an available keyword in the keyword explorer.
Strength of Ahrefs: Backlinks Checker Tool
It has the largest data for backlinks and offers you insights with the most advanced data.
In the ongoing debate of Ahrefs vs SE Ranking, it’s worth noting that SE Ranking’s subscription cost is lower than the average market level, making it an attractive option.
SE Ranking vs Ahrefs: Comparison
So far, you have got to know about both tools, what they offer and what is the unique selling point of them. Now, we’ll delve into a head-to-head comparison between SE Ranking and Ahrefs, dissecting their features to determine which emerges as the superior SEO powerhouse.
Keyword Research
Every SEO strategy relies heavily on keyword research, which helps identify the exact keywords people use when searching for a business, product, or content.
Both SE Ranking and Ahrefs offer comprehensive keyword research capabilities for the Google search engine, allowing users to refine searches to specific locations and find profitable keywords.
Upon comparison for keyword research, SE Ranking slightly tops Ahrefs, mainly due to its superior PPC insights. With a more comprehensive keyword database and a focus on providing keywords with genuine traffic for different markets, intents, and regions without any spam, SE Ranking is an excellent choice for users who require in-depth keyword research.
SE Ranking
SE Ranking offers a comprehensive keyword research suite, including a large database, PPC insights, and a user-friendly interface for locating niche keywords. With data available as far back as February 2020 and a focus on keyword difficulty, monthly search volume, and cost-per-click estimation, SE Ranking provides a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes.
You simply need to enter your seed keyword in the SE Ranking keyword research tool, select the target location, and hit the ANALYZE button.
That’s it! Now, you have the most detailed insights into that particular keyword for a specific location. You get the following important metrics about a keyword immediately-
- Keyword difficulty
- Monthly and global search volume
- Keyword search intent
- CPC
When you scroll down the page further, you’ll see bulk keyword suggestions grouped into 3 categories i.e. similar keywords, related keywords, and questions.
The Bulk Keyword Analysis feature allows users to effectively cover thousands of phrases, creating, modifying, and storing keyword lists for various purposes through the Keyword Manager.
On viewing detailed reports of each, you get tons of keyword ideas that you can filter out to get the best and most profitable keyword.
SE Ranking’s keyword analysis does not end here, it also shows you the top 100 URLs ranking for your keyword and ranking dynamics which helps you to analyze which competitors are ranking on top and how to beat them.
More importantly, it gives you insights into PPC campaigns for your keyword that set it apart from Ahrefs. Uncover valuable data, maximize your advertising strategy, and stay ahead in the digital landscape with SE Ranking’s exclusive PPC insights. This is really helpful if you are running PPC campaigns like Google Ads.
SE Ranking’s keyword research features excel at identifying niche keywords in large market segments, providing a simple, intuitive interface.
Ahrefs
While SE Ranking shines with its PPC insights, Ahrefs’ keyword research capabilities concentrate on search volume, keyword difficulty, and monthly clicks, delivering precise search traffic data.
One exclusive feature Ahrefs provides in keyword research is the ratio of clicks to impressions for certain keywords, offering valuable insights into user behavior.
You just need to enter your seed keywords into the Ahrefs Keyword Explorer tool and it offers you valuable insights into your main keyword including-
- keyword difficulty
- monthly search volume
- CPC
- clicks per search
- global search volume
In addition to other important metrics, it gives you an estimated idea of number of clicks a particular query gets.
For example, the keyword “SEO” gets an average amount of 141K searches per month but only 66k users click on it.
This means, that around 46.8% of the search volume gets clicks on it. This is the CPS (clicks per search), which is the ratio of clicks per search, i.e. 0.47 in the above example.
This low amount of clicks is due to the featured snippet showing at the top of the Google SERPs. This featured snippet is standalone and sufficient to end the users’ search journey, so they don’t click further.
Similar to SE Ranking, it also provides you with lists of matching terms, keyword variations in questions, etc.
The keyword explorer tool doesn’t stop here. It provides you with a bird’s eye view of Google SERPs where you can get an idea of how competitive the keyword is that you are targeting.
Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool is another valuable asset, allowing users to identify keywords that are the competitor’s weak link. The Site Explorer tool in Ahrefs is utilized for analyzing the competition, making it an excellent tool for competitor analysis and link-building efforts.
However, Ahrefs has a few drawbacks when it comes to PPC analysis, as it does not provide any PPC features. Despite this, Ahrefs remains a strong contender in the keyword research arena, offering comprehensive coverage of multiple search engines and platforms.
Backlink Analysis Showdown
Backlink analysis, crucial for SEO, aids in assessing the strength and quality of a website’s link profile. Both SE Ranking and Ahrefs provide backlink analysis features, though with distinct capabilities. In this category, Ahrefs has a clear advantage, offering 10-15% more links than SE Ranking, and a reputation as the most dependable backlink analysis tool among SEO professionals.
However, SE Ranking’s backlink checker is not to be underestimated, as it is comparable to Ahrefs’ well-regarded backlink analysis capabilities. In this direct comparison, Ahrefs may prove more beneficial for businesses whose primary marketing strategy is link-building.
SE Ranking: Backlink Analysis
SE Ranking’s backlink analysis, encompassing trust score, dofollow/nofollow ratio, and assorted graphs, offers a thorough snapshot of a website’s backlink profile. The backlink checker also includes metrics such as the number of anchor texts on the site, the ratio between no-follow and do-follow links, and referring domains. Filters can be applied to the referring domains report. Sort by DT (domain trust) from high to low to obtain the most pertinent data. This allows us to view all the websites of the highest authority linking to the target website.
For businesses looking to identify new link-building opportunities, SE Ranking’s Backlink Gap Analyzer can help uncover domains that link to competitor domains but not to your own, providing valuable data on how to increase your link juice and improve your domain authority in Google and other search engines.
Ahrefs: Backlink Analysis
With its in-depth insights, vast link index, and quicker data retrieval, Ahrefs’ backlink analysis stands as a strong competitor in this category. With nearly 4 trillion links in its database, Ahrefs provides 10-15% more links than SE Ranking, solidifying its reputation as the go-to tool for backlink analysis.
The Site Explorer tool in Ahrefs is utilized for analyzing a website’s backlink profile and observing competitors’ backlinks, offering valuable insights for link building and optimization of organic search results performance compared to competitors. Ahrefs also enables users to evaluate their competitors’ link-building strategy and uncover domains that have not yet been tapped by their business, providing a unique advantage in the world of backlink analysis.
Site Audit Comparison
Site audits, crucial for spotting and correcting technical SEO issues on a website, guarantee optimal performance and search engine rankings. Both SE Ranking and Ahrefs offer site audit tools, with each platform providing unique features and capabilities, including site connection analysis.
This comparison will evaluate their ability to spot and rectify website issues, aiding your decision for the tool best suited to your needs.
SE Ranking: Site Audit
SE Ranking’s site audit feature is automated and comprehensive, providing a complete report and SEO health score along with important fixes to optimize your website. The site audit offers a range of features, including:
Running a website audit to identify both major and minor issues
Proposing optimization solutions
Specifying audit frequency and limits
Providing on-page SEO audits for individual web pages
To review the errors impacting the SEO health of a website in SE Ranking’s site audit report, users can visit each section of the report to view important and semi-important errors, as well as click on the link icon next to each error to display all the pages with that specific error.
After resolving all the important errors, users can initiate a fresh audit and review the latest audit report for any reappearance of the fixed errors, ensuring that their website remains optimized and error-free.
Ahrefs: Site Audit
Ahrefs’ site audit tool:
is slower and less comprehensive
focuses on basic on-page SEO and indexability issues
is designed to assist users in recognizing and rectifying fundamental SEO issues on their website
ensures that their online presence remains optimized and competitive
Ahrefs Site Audit provides the following features:
Redirect chains
Custom user-agents
Segmentation
Domain comparison
Batch analysis
Link intersect
Health score for your website
Although Ahrefs’ site audit may not be as comprehensive as SE Ranking’s, it still serves as a valuable tool for maintaining a website’s technical SEO performance.
Rank Tracking Face-off
Rank tracking, a vital element of SEO, enables businesses to monitor their campaigns’ progress and tweak their strategies as needed.
This face-off will pit the rank-tracking features of SE Ranking against Ahrefs, judging their accuracy and functionality.
SE Ranking: Rank Tracking
SE Ranking offers superior rank tracking with more search engines, local SEO features, daily data updates, and better granularity. With compatibility for Google, Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo, as well as Google Maps and YouTube, SE Ranking provides a versatile tool for businesses looking to optimize their keyword rankings. Clear graphs with pertinent data, including competitor distribution in terms of total keyword ranking and changes in monitored keywords, make it easy for users to visualize and understand their rank-tracking performance.
SE Ranking’s local SEO feature offers small businesses the ability to:
Analyze the results of their marketing campaign at a highly granular level, including down to the ZIP code
Receive daily data updates for up-to-date information in dynamic market segments such as innovative technologies, financial services, and cryptocurrencies
Have the most accurate and relevant data at their fingertips
Ahrefs: Rank Tracking
Ahrefs provides rank tracking with sorting by position, but daily updates come at an extra cost and lack the granularity offered by SE Ranking. The Rank Tracker feature offered by Ahrefs is a tool for monitoring keyword rankings and performance over time, allowing users to evaluate the success of their SEO campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
Although Ahrefs’ rank tracking feature provides valuable insights for users, its limitations in terms of granularity and extra costs for daily updates may make it less appealing to some businesses. In the rank tracking face-off, SE Ranking emerges as the more comprehensive and versatile option for businesses looking to optimize their keyword rankings and performance.
Additional Features and Integrations
Beyond the core features discussed, both SE Ranking and Ahrefs bring a variety of extra features and integrations to the table, enhancing their usability and compatibility with other tools. SE Ranking and Ahrefs provide integration with Google tools like Search Console, Analytics, and Data Studio, as well as Google Business Profile, ensuring seamless data access and analysis across platforms.
SE Ranking offers a range of additional features, including:
Keyword rank tracking
SEO auditing and monitoring
Local search optimization
Backlink analysis
Competition research
SE Ranking comparison
Website change monitoring
These additional features and integrations showcase the versatility of both platforms and their commitment to providing comprehensive SEO solutions for businesses of all sizes.
Pricing and Plans
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing an SEO tool is the pricing. How much does each tool cost and what do you get for your money?
Each plan comes with a different number of keywords, websites, and backlinks to track, as well as access to different features and tools. You can also get a special discount if you pay annually.
Pricing often weighs heavily in the decision-making process when selecting an SEO tool. SE Ranking provides flexible pricing plans, a free trial, and options suitable for businesses of all sizes, making it an attractive option for those looking to optimize their SEO strategy without breaking the bank. With a secure proceeding in place, users can confidently invest in this SEO tool.
Ahrefs, on the other hand, has four pricing plans with no free trial, but a strong user database and positive word of mouth.
SE Ranking: Pricing and Plans
SE Ranking offers flexible pricing plans, starting at $55 per month for its Essential plan, which is well-suited for small business owners or bloggers. Other plans include the Pro plan at $109 per month and the Business plan at $239 per month, offering more features and capabilities for users who require additional functionality.
SE Ranking’s tailored options cater to customers who prefer an alternative to the standard subscription format, ensuring that businesses of all sizes can find a plan that meets their needs and budget.
In addition to its flexible pricing options, SE Ranking offers a free trial for users to explore its features before committing to a subscription, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking for an affordable and comprehensive SEO tool.
Ahrefs: Pricing and Plans
Ahrefs has four pricing plans, starting with the Lite plan at $99 per month, which offers basic features and a keyword tracking limit of 500. Although Ahrefs does not offer a free trial, it provides a belief in its quality of work.
However, Ahrefs’ subscription costs do not include certain essential elements, such as additional users and daily data updates, even in the most expensive plan. This may be a limiting factor for businesses looking for a comprehensive SEO tool that includes all necessary features within its pricing plans.
Customer Reviews
Another difference between SE Ranking and Ahrefs is the customer reviews. Both tools have received positive feedback from their users on various platforms, such as Trustpilot, Capterra, G2 Crowd, Software Advice, etc. However, there are some differences in the ratings and comments that they have received.
For example, SE Ranking has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on 1K reviews. Most users praise its affordability, functionality, ease of use, accuracy, and support. Some users complain about its interface design, speed issues, and lack of some features.
Ahrefs has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on 1K reviews. Most users praise its functionality, data quality, content explorer tool, and support. Some users complain about its high price tag, learning curve, and lack of some features.
Customer Support and Resources
The next difference between SE Ranking and Ahrefs is the support.
Both tools offer various ways to get help and learn more about their features and tools, such as live chat, email support, phone support, knowledge base, blog posts, video tutorials, webinars, and social media channels. However, there are some differences in the quality and availability of their support options.
For example, SE Ranking offers 24/7 live chat support with fast response times and friendly agents.
Ahrefs offers live chat support only during business hours (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm GMT) with longer response times and less personalized service. On the other hand, Ahrefs offers more extensive and detailed resources in their knowledge base and blog posts than SE Ranking.
Customer support and resources are key to ensuring users can effectively use their chosen SEO tool and promptly resolve any issues. Both SE Ranking and Ahrefs offer customer support through email, phone, and live support, ensuring that users can access assistance when needed.
SE Ranking also provides training options and ticketing services, which can be valuable for users who require additional guidance and assistance.
Both SE Ranking and Ahrefs customer support teams are known for their prompt and helpful assistance, ensuring that users have the support they need to effectively manage their SEO campaigns and address any technical issues that may arise.
Another difference between SE Ranking and Ahrefs is the functionality. Both tools offer a wide range of features and tools to help you with various aspects of SEO, such as keyword research, rank tracking, backlink analysis, site audit, competitor research, and more.
However, some features are unique to each tool or that are more advanced in one tool than the other.
For example, SE Ranking has a feature called Page Changes Monitoring that allows you to track any changes on your website or your competitors’ websites and get alerts when something important happens. Ahrefs does not have this feature.
On the other hand, Ahrefs has a feature called Content Explorer that allows you to discover the most popular content for any topic or keyword and see how much traffic and backlinks it gets. SE Ranking does not have this feature.
Conclusion
So which tool should you choose? The answer depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you are looking for a more affordable and user-friendly tool that offers a great set of features and tools for SEO optimization, you might want to go with SE Ranking.
If you are looking for a more advanced and data-driven tool that offers a deeper insight into your content and competitors, you might want to go with Ahrefs.
However, the best way to find out which tool is right for you is to try it out yourself. Both tools offer free trials or demos that allow you to test their features and tools before making a decision.
You can sign up for a free trial of SE Ranking here. Ahrefs has discontinued the 7-day trial for $7. So, you need to subscribe to the lower pricing plan of Ahrefs to test it out.
Don’t miss this opportunity to take your SEO game to the next level with the best SEO tool for your needs. Try out the tools today and see the difference for yourself!
In conclusion, both SE Ranking and Ahrefs offer a plethora of features and tools designed to cater to the needs of businesses of all sizes.
While SE Ranking excels in keyword research, site audit, rank tracking, and pricing options, Ahrefs shines in backlink analysis and offers a more extensive database.
Ultimately, the choice between SE Ranking and Ahrefs will depend on your specific requirements, priorities, and budget. By carefully considering the features, pricing, and support offered by each platform, you can select the ideal SEO tool to help your business achieve online success.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Author
Nitin Dabas is your SEO guide. Expert in keywords, on-page SEO, and link-building, he has boosted rankings for countless clients. Read his blog and join his success stories.