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name: Ahrefs Automation description: "Automate SEO research with Ahrefs -- analyze backlink profiles, research keywords, track domain metrics history, audit organic rankings, and perform batch URL analysis through the Composio Ahrefs integration." requires: mcp: - rube

Ahrefs Automation

Run Ahrefs SEO analytics directly from Claude Code. Analyze backlink profiles, research keywords, track domain authority over time, audit organic keyword rankings, and batch-analyze multiple URLs without leaving your terminal.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/ahrefs

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Setup

1. Add the Composio MCP server to your configuration:

   https://rube.app/mcp
   

2. Connect your Ahrefs account when prompted. The agent will provide an authentication link.
3. Most tools require a target (domain or URL) and a country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2). Some also require a date in YYYY-MM-DD format.

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Core Workflows

1. Site Explorer Metrics

Retrieve comprehensive SEO metrics for a domain including backlink counts, referring domains, organic keyword rankings, and traffic estimates.

Tool: AHREFS_RETRIEVE_SITE_EXPLORER_METRICS

Key parameters:

• target (required) -- domain or URL to analyze
• date (required) -- metrics date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• country -- ISO country code (e.g., us, gb, de)
• mode -- scope: exact, prefix, domain, or subdomains (default)
• protocol -- both, http, or https
• volume_mode -- monthly or average

Example prompt: "Get Ahrefs site metrics for example.com as of today in the US"

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2. Historical Metrics Tracking

Track how a domain's SEO metrics have changed over time for trend analysis and competitive benchmarking.

Tools: AHREFS_RETRIEVE_SITE_EXPLORER_METRICS_HISTORY, AHREFS_DOMAIN_RATING_HISTORY

For full metrics history:

• target (required) -- domain to track
• date_from (required) -- start date in YYYY-MM-DD
• date_to -- end date
• history_grouping -- daily, weekly, or monthly (default)
• select -- columns like date,org_cost,org_traffic,paid_cost,paid_traffic

For Domain Rating (DR) history:

• target (required), date_from (required), date_to, history_grouping

Example prompt: "Show me the monthly Domain Rating history for example.com over the last year"

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3. Backlink Analysis

Retrieve a comprehensive list of backlinks including source URLs, anchor text, link attributes, and referring domain metrics.

Tool: AHREFS_FETCH_ALL_BACKLINKS

Key parameters:

• target (required) -- domain or URL
• select (required) -- comma-separated columns (e.g., url_from,url_to,anchor,domain_rating_source,first_seen_link)
• limit (default 1000) -- number of results
• aggregation -- similar_links (default), 1_per_domain, or all
• mode -- exact, prefix, domain, or subdomains
• history -- live, since:YYYY-MM-DD, or all_time
• where -- rich filter expressions on columns like is_dofollow, domain_rating_source, anchor

Example prompt: "Get the top 100 dofollow backlinks to example.com with anchor text and referring DR"

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4. Keyword Research

Get keyword overview metrics and discover matching keyword variations for content strategy.

Tools: AHREFS_EXPLORE_KEYWORDS_OVERVIEW, AHREFS_EXPLORE_MATCHING_TERMS_FOR_KEYWORDS

For keyword overview:

• select (required) -- columns to return (volume, difficulty, CPC, etc.)
• country (required) -- ISO country code
• keywords -- comma-separated keyword list
• where -- filter by volume, difficulty, intent, etc.

For matching terms:

• select (required) and country (required)
• keywords -- comma-separated seed keywords
• match_mode -- terms (any order) or phrase (exact order)
• terms -- all or questions (question-format keywords only)

Example prompt: "Find keyword variations for 'project management' in the US with volume and difficulty"

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5. Organic Keywords Audit

See which keywords a domain ranks for in organic search, with position tracking and historical comparison.

Tool: AHREFS_RETRIEVE_ORGANIC_KEYWORDS

Key parameters:

• target (required) -- domain or URL
• country (required) -- ISO country code
• date (required) -- date in YYYY-MM-DD
• select -- columns to return (keyword, position, volume, traffic, URL, etc.)
• date_compared -- compare against a previous date
• where -- rich filter expressions on keyword, volume, best_position, intent flags, etc.
• limit (default 1000), order_by

Example prompt: "Show all organic keywords where example.com ranks in the top 10 in the US"

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6. Batch URL Analysis

Analyze up to 100 URLs or domains simultaneously to compare SEO metrics across competitors or site sections.

Tool: AHREFS_BATCH_URL_ANALYSIS

Key parameters:

• targets (required) -- array of objects with url, mode (exact/prefix/domain/subdomains), and protocol (both/http/https)
• select (required) -- array of column identifiers
• country -- ISO country code
• output -- json or php

Example prompt: "Compare SEO metrics for competitor1.com, competitor2.com, and competitor3.com"

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Known Pitfalls

• Column selection is required: Most Ahrefs tools require a select parameter specifying which columns to return. Omitting it or using invalid column names will cause errors. Refer to each tool's response schema for valid identifiers.
• Date format consistency: Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format. Some historical endpoints return data at the granularity set by history_grouping, not by exact date.
• API unit costs vary: Different columns consume different unit amounts. Columns marked with "(5 units)" or "(10 units)" in the schema are more expensive. Monitor API usage when requesting expensive columns like traffic, refdomains_source, or difficulty.
• Batch limit is 100 targets: AHREFS_BATCH_URL_ANALYSIS accepts up to 100 targets per request. For larger analyses, split into multiple batches.
• Filter expressions are complex: The where parameter uses Ahrefs' filter expression syntax, not standard SQL. Consult the column descriptions in each tool's schema for supported filter types and value formats.
• Deprecated offset parameter: The offset parameter was deprecated on May 31, 2024. Use cursor-based pagination or adjust limit instead.
• Mode affects scope significantly: Setting mode to subdomains (the default) includes all subdomains, which can dramatically increase result counts compared to domain or exact.

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Quick Reference

| Tool Slug | Description | |---|---| | AHREFS_RETRIEVE_SITE_EXPLORER_METRICS | Current SEO metrics for a domain/URL | | AHREFS_RETRIEVE_SITE_EXPLORER_METRICS_HISTORY | Historical SEO metrics over time | | AHREFS_DOMAIN_RATING_HISTORY | Domain Rating (DR) history | | AHREFS_FETCH_ALL_BACKLINKS | Comprehensive backlink list with filtering | | AHREFS_FETCH_SITE_EXPLORER_REFERRING_DOMAINS | List of referring domains | | AHREFS_GET_SITE_EXPLORER_COUNTRY_METRICS | Country-level traffic breakdown | | AHREFS_BATCH_URL_ANALYSIS | Batch analysis of up to 100 URLs | | AHREFS_EXPLORE_KEYWORDS_OVERVIEW | Keyword metrics overview | | AHREFS_EXPLORE_MATCHING_TERMS_FOR_KEYWORDS | Matching keyword variations | | AHREFS_EXPLORE_KEYWORD_VOLUME_BY_COUNTRY | Keyword volume across countries | | AHREFS_RETRIEVE_ORGANIC_KEYWORDS | Organic keyword rankings for a domain | | AHREFS_RETRIEVE_SITE_EXPLORER_KEYWORDS_HISTORY | Historical keyword ranking data | | AHREFS_RETRIEVE_TOP_PAGES_FROM_SITE_EXPLORER | Top performing pages by SEO metrics | | AHREFS_GET_SERP_OVERVIEW | SERP overview for specific keywords |

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