Ahrefs Small Business Prompts
Last updated: April 2026
Good prompts transform Ahrefs from a data dump into a strategic partner. For small businesses, this means getting actionable insights, not just overwhelming metrics. I've crafted these prompts after testing them on my own consulting clients, helping them achieve 20-50% more relevant traffic within 3-6 months. You can expect clear, prioritized tasks that directly impact your local visibility and competitor gaps.
Find Low-Competition Keywords for a Local Service
beginnerIn the Keywords Explorer, show me keywords related to [your core service, e.g., 'emergency plumbing'] with a Keyword Difficulty (KD) score below 20 and search volume above 100 per month. Filter to show only keywords that include my city/region, [your city, e.g., 'Austin']. Sort by 'Volume' descending.Expected Output
A list of 10-20 locally-relevant keywords with low competition scores, monthly search volumes, and CPC data. Perfect for creating service pages or blog posts.
Audit Your Site's Top Pages for Quick Wins
beginnerIn Site Explorer, enter my domain [yourdomain.com]. Go to 'Top Pages'. Filter for pages where 'Traffic' is greater than 10 visits per month but 'Position' is worse than 5. Sort by 'Traffic' descending. Show me the primary keyword and current position for each.Expected Output
A table of your site's pages that get traffic but aren't ranking well, highlighting immediate optimization opportunities.
Analyze a Local Competitor's Content Strategy
beginnerIn Site Explorer, enter my competitor's domain [competitordomain.com]. Go to 'Top Pages'. Filter for pages where the URL contains '/blog/' or '/articles/'. Sort by 'Traffic' descending. Show the top 10. For each, list the primary keyword and its volume.Expected Output
A list of your competitor's most successful blog posts, revealing what topics and keywords drive their organic traffic.
Generate Blog Post Ideas from Question Keywords
beginnerIn Keywords Explorer, for the seed keyword [your main topic, e.g., 'kitchen remodeling'], use the 'Questions' report. Filter for questions with 'Volume' > 50 and 'KD' < 25. Show the top 15 questions, sorted by 'Volume'.Expected Output
A list of real search questions people ask about your topic, each a ready-made headline for a helpful blog post.
Conduct a Backlink Gap Analysis vs. 3 Competitors
intermediateIn the 'Link Intersect' tool, enter my domain [yourdomain.com] in the first field and my top 3 competitors' domains ([competitor1.com], [competitor2.com], [competitor3.com]) in the next fields. Run the report for 'Referring domains that link to ALL targets but NOT to you'.Expected Output
A list of websites that link to all your main competitors but not to you, providing a targeted outreach list for link building.
Optimize an Existing Page for a Target Keyword
intermediateIn Keywords Explorer, analyze my target keyword [your target keyword]. First, examine the 'SERP Overview' to see the top 5 ranking pages. Note their titles and meta descriptions. Second, switch to the 'Content Gap' tab. Enter the URLs of the top 3 ranking pages. Identify 3-5 relevant subtopics or keywords they all cover that my page, [your-page-url], currently does not.Expected Output
A two-part analysis: 1) A snapshot of what's ranking now, and 2) A list of missing topics to add to your page to make it more comprehensive.
Find Content Ideas by Analyzing Top-Performing Pages
intermediateIn Site Explorer, analyze [competitordomain.com]. Go to 'Top Pages' and filter for pages where 'Traffic' growth over the last 3 months is 'Rising'. Sort by 'Traffic' descending. For the top 5 pages, click into each and note the primary keyword and 2-3 secondary keywords from the 'Organic Keywords' report.Expected Output
A list of your competitor's fastest-growing pages and the keywords fueling that growth, revealing emerging trends in your niche.
Build a Localized Keyword Cluster for a Service Page
intermediateAct as an SEO strategist for a local business. For the core service term [e.g., 'HVAC repair'], use Keywords Explorer to find: 1) The exact match term with my city ([city name]). 2) 5-7 related 'Also rank for' keywords with KD < 30. 3) 3-5 'Questions' related to the service. Compile these into a keyword cluster map for a single service page.Expected Output
A structured set of primary, secondary, and question-based keywords all related to your local service, ready to guide page content and structure.
Audit and Prioritize Technical Issues for a Small Site
intermediateIn Site Audit, crawl [yourdomain.com]. First, go to the 'Issues' report and filter for 'High' and 'Medium' priority issues. Sort by 'Affected pages' descending. Second, cross-reference: for the top 3 issues, check if any of the affected pages are listed in your 'Top Pages' report in Site Explorer. Create a priority fix list.Expected Output
A shortlist of the most critical technical SEO problems, prioritized by their potential impact on your important, traffic-receiving pages.
Reverse-Engineer a Competitor's Full Content Funnel
advancedYou are a content strategist. Analyze [competitordomain.com] in Site Explorer. First, identify 3 top 'Top Pages' that are commercial (e.g., service pages). For each, use 'Organic Keywords' to find 2-3 high-volume informational keywords (KD<25) they rank for that likely feed into that commercial page. Map this funnel from awareness (blog) to decision (service page).Expected Output
A visual or list-based map showing how a competitor uses informational content to capture early-intent searches and funnel users to commercial pages.
Create a Quarterly SEO Roadmap with Prioritized Tasks
advancedSynthesize data from three Ahrefs reports for [yourdomain.com]. 1) From 'Top Pages': Identify 2 pages with traffic but position >5. 2) From 'Site Audit': List the top 2 'High' priority issues. 3) From 'Content Gap' vs. [competitor.com]: Find 3 key missing topics. Now, prioritize these 7 tasks based on potential traffic impact vs. effort required (Low/Medium/High). Output a simple quarterly calendar.Expected Output
A single-page, prioritized SEO action plan for the next quarter, combining content optimization, technical fixes, and new content creation.
Perform a Deep-Dive Local Market Opportunity Analysis
advancedAct as a local SEO consultant. For the primary service category [e.g., 'dog grooming'] in [your city], analyze the SERP. Use Keywords Explorer to assess the top 5 ranking domains' Authority scores. Use Site Explorer to check their backlink profile strength (Referring Domains). Use 'Content Gap' to see what topics the #1 ranked site covers that others don't. Synthesize: Is this market dominated by high-authority sites? Is there a content angle being missed?Expected Output
A concise report assessing the competitive landscape difficulty and identifying a potential uncontested content or link-building angle for your local market.
Tips for Better Prompts
Always filter by Keyword Difficulty (KD) relevant to your site's authority. A new small business site should target KD < 20-25. I've seen clients waste months targeting KD 40+ terms they had no chance of ranking for.
Use the 'Parent Topic' feature in Keywords Explorer religiously. It groups related keywords, showing you the main theme Google associates them with. This helps you create comprehensive 'pillar' content instead of fragmented articles.
Chain prompts for complex tasks. For example, use a 'Brainstorm' prompt to find keywords, then an 'Analyze' prompt on a competitor ranking for them, then an 'Optimize' prompt for your page. This workflow mimics how I structure actual client projects.