How to run a site audit in Ahrefs

Running a site audit in Ahrefs helps you identify technical SEO issues that could affect your rankings. In just a few steps, you can scan your website, uncover errors, and prioritise fixes to improve performance and visibility.

1. Log in to Your Ahrefs Account

Go to https://ahrefs.com and log in to your account.
From the top navigation menu, click on Site Audit under the “Tools” dropdown.

2. Add a New Project

Click the + New Project button.
Enter your website’s domain (e.g., https://www.yourwebsite.com).
Click Continue.

3. Verify Your Domain

Choose a verification method (e.g., Google Search Console, DNS record, HTML file upload, or HTML tag).
Follow the on-screen instructions for your selected method.
Once verified, click Verify and proceed.

4. Configure Crawl Settings

Choose the crawl scope (e.g., entire domain, subdomain, or specific URL prefix).
Set the number of pages to crawl (depending on your Ahrefs plan).
Select the crawl source (AhrefsBot, Site Explorer, Google Search Console, or a custom list of URLs).
Adjust advanced settings if needed (e.g., user agent, crawl speed, JavaScript rendering).
Click Continue.

5. Schedule the Crawl

Choose how often you want Ahrefs to run the audit (e.g., daily, weekly, or monthly).
If you only need a one-time audit, keep the default settings.
Click Save or Create Project.

6. Start the Site Audit

Once the project is created, Ahrefs will automatically begin crawling your website.
You can monitor progress from the Site Audit dashboard.

7. Review Your Site Audit Report

After the crawl is complete, click on your project.
Review the Health Score at the top of the dashboard.
Navigate through the reports such as:
- Errors (critical issues to fix first)
- Warnings (important but less critical issues)
- Notices (minor improvements)
Click on any issue to see affected URLs and recommended fixes.

8. Export and Prioritise Fixes

Use the Export button to download reports (CSV or PDF).
Prioritise fixing high-impact errors first (e.g., broken links, noindex pages, slow-loading pages).
Re-run the audit after implementing fixes to track improvements.

What is Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolset designed to help marketers, SEO professionals, and website owners improve their search engine visibility. It offers a wide range of features, including keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, content exploration, and site auditing. The Site Audit tool specifically focuses on technical SEO, scanning your website to identify issues that may impact crawlability, indexability, and overall performance in search engines.

When you run a site audit in Ahrefs, the platform uses its own crawler (AhrefsBot) to analyse your site in a similar way to how search engines do. It highlights critical errors, warnings, and notices, helping you prioritise what needs fixing. Whether you’re managing a small business website or a large e-commerce store, Ahrefs provides clear, actionable insights to improve your technical SEO and maintain a healthy website.

Benefits of using Ahrefs to run a site audit

Running a site audit in Ahrefs helps you quickly identify and fix technical SEO issues that may be holding your website back. It gives you clear insights, prioritised recommendations, and measurable progress over time.

1. Clear Health Score Overview

Ahrefs provides a simple Health Score that gives you an instant snapshot of your website’s technical SEO condition. Instead of manually reviewing hundreds of issues, you can quickly understand how healthy your site is overall. This makes it easier to communicate performance to clients, managers, or stakeholders and track improvements after fixes are implemented.

2. Prioritised Issue Reporting

The tool categorises issues into Errors, Warnings, and Notices, helping you focus on what matters most. Critical issues like broken pages, redirect chains, or crawl errors are clearly flagged. This structured reporting saves time and ensures you tackle high-impact problems first, rather than wasting effort on minor optimisations.

3. Ongoing Monitoring and Scheduling

Ahrefs allows you to schedule regular crawls, meaning your site is continuously monitored. This is especially useful for growing websites where new pages, plugins, or updates may introduce technical issues. Automated audits help you stay proactive, catch problems early, and maintain consistent SEO performance.