How to analyze backlinks with Site Explorer on Ahrefs

intermediate 12 min read Updated 2026-03-13

Quick Answer

Enter your target domain in Ahrefs Site Explorer, review the Overview for key backlink metrics like referring domains and DR, then drill into reports like Best by Links, Backlinks, and Referring Domains to identify issues such as low-quality links, 404 errors, or over-optimized anchors. Use filters like dofollow and DR sorting, export data for analysis, typically taking 15-30 minutes.

Prerequisites

Active Ahrefs paid subscription
Target domain or URL to analyze
Basic familiarity with Ahrefs interface
Stable internet connection
Excel or Google Sheets for exports (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access Site Explorer and enter target domain

Log into your Ahrefs account and navigate to Site Explorer in the main dashboard. Enter the root domain (e.g., example.com), and select targeting mode: use prefix (e.g., example.com/blog/) for a subdomain or section, or *.domain/* (e.g., *.example.com/*) for the entire site. The default view loads the Overview report with high-level backlink metrics like total backlinks, referring domains (RD), and Domain Rating (DR).

Pay attention to 'www' in URLs; use exact modes like subdomain or path for precise scoping.

Review Overview report for backlink profile

In the Overview report (default view), examine key metrics: Backlink Count (total links), Referring Domains (unique linking domains), and DR (site authority based on backlinks). Filter or sort as needed to assess profile strength without further navigation.

Overview 2.0 filters out unrecrawled backlinks for more accurate data.

Analyze top-performing pages with Best by Links

Click Best by links in the left sidebar. Sort by Referring Domains (RD) column in descending order to identify pages attracting the most links. Filter for issues like 404 errors using the search bar or filters, then sort by RD. Use Best by links growth for pages gaining links recently (e.g., past 30 days).

Inspect links in Backlinks report

From Overview or Best by links, click Backlinks in the left sidebar. Filter out nofollow links by toggling Dofollow only, sort by DR low-to-high to spot low-quality links, or search for specifics like domain name, anchor text, referring page title, or URL. View details including anchor text, linking domain DR, and target URL.

Start with all-time range and dofollow/nofollow toggle off.

Evaluate referring domains for quality

Switch to Referring domains report via left sidebar. Apply dofollow filter, sort by DR low-to-high to surface low-quality sites at the top. Check for diversity and spammy patterns; export data (CSV) for further analysis in Google Sheets.

Look for DR <20 as potential spammers.

Check anchor text distribution

Navigate to Anchors report in the left sidebar. Export top 100 rows to CSV, copy the 'Anchor text' column, and paste into Keywords Explorer to sort by CPC high-to-low. This detects over-optimized commercial anchors.

Export limits top rows to conserve credits.

Detect footprints with Referring IPs

Go to Referring IPs report. Sort by Domains column descending to group links by C-class IP networks, revealing shared hosting or PBN footprints (e.g., many domains from one IP linking to your site).

Optional: Perform competitor intersect analysis

For deeper insights, enter competitor domains in Link Intersect report under Site Explorer. View overlapping backlinks to identify shared opportunities.

Useful for link building strategies.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

"No index data available" or empty Overview/Backlinks reports

Wait 15-30 minutes for Ahrefs to crawl/index; switch modes (e.g., <code>domain.com/*</code> for full site vs. <code>domain.com/blog/</code> prefix); re-enter URL exactly.

Overwhelming or spammy results hiding good links

Filter Backlinks by <strong>dofollow</strong> only, sort Referring Domains by <strong>DR low-to-high</strong> to surface low-quality sites; exclude nofollow links.

Free plan limitations (top 100 backlinks only)

Upgrade to a paid Ahrefs subscription for unlimited Site Explorer access and full data.

Incorrect metrics due to URL mode

Verify search mode: use subdomain (<code>*.domain/*</code>), domain, path (prefix), or exact URL; include 'www' if applicable.

Slow loading or crawl issues

Ensure stable internet; verify site ownership for faster crawls if analyzing your own domain.

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