BrightEdge vs. Ahrefs: Everything You Need to Know

Most businesses know the value of SEO.

According to the State of Content Marketing and SEO report from GrowthBar, 91 percent of business-to-business (B2B) marketers say SEO is a top three digital marketing channel for their business.

What’s more, 84 percent use an SEO tool for their content and SEO processes.

What does this tell us? Well, it shows B2B marketers believe SEO is imperative to online success.

You might think SEO sounds like hard work, and you’d be right. However, there are a ton of tools to help with the heavy lifting.

Instead of discussing every SEO software out there, I’m using this post to focus on BrightEdge vs. Ahrefs.

I’ll talk you through a detailed comparison so you can decide which one is right for you.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Main Points

Here’s a breakdown of this post’s main points:

• BrightEdge and Ahrefs are industry-leading SEO tools offering keyword research, backlink analysis, and content optimization capabilities.

• While BrightEdge’s feature set focuses more on content optimization and on-page SEO, Ahrefs is perhaps best known for its comprehensive backlink features and on-page SEO focus.

• Ahrefs offers plans starting at $99, while BrightEdge tailors its pricing to the precise needs of each subscriber.

• Both BrightEdge and Ahrefs receive generally positive reviews from users, with BrightEdge earning nods for its user support, responsiveness, and software data visualization. Ahrefs users speak glowingly of the platform’s backlink tracking features, keyword research tools, and insightful data.

• Capable alternatives to BrightEdge and Ahrefs include Ubersuggest, Moz, and Semrush.

At a Glance: BrightEdge vs. Ahrefs

Both the BrightEdge SEO tool and Ahrefs are popular solutions offering an extensive range of features to boost your organic search rankings.

Which is the better tool for you? Let’s review some of the critical elements of BrightEdge vs. Ahrefs:

Features and Functionality

Both BrightEdge and Ahrefs provide an array of SEO tools, but the choice between them ultimately depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

BrightEdge: Its notable features include keyword research, backlink analysis, content optimization, schema tagging, vocabulary creator, and more.

Ahrefs: Its top features include keyword research, backlink analysis, site auditing, competitor keyword analysis, rank tracking, and more.

Backlink Analysis

Both platforms offer robust backlink analysis features, providing valuable insights into your backlink profile and those of your competitors.

BrightEdge: BrightEdge backlink capabilities include analysis tools for full backlink profiles and management. Its customizable dashboards let you view or track backlink trends over time and conduct tracking and data analysis for anchor text, category, page score, and more. You can also track domains and get notifications when backlinks are active.

The software also integrates with the backlink databases from Majestic and Moz.

Ahrefs: Ahrefs features extensive backlink capabilities and an index of 14 trillion websites. This makes it the most comprehensive index of live backlinks available. It also gives you access to seven-plus years of data.

Use the backlink profile to see which sites link to competitors and measure the quality of the links.

Keyword Research

If it’s keyword research you’re after, both tools perform well.

BrightEdge: The BrightEdge software gives you relevant keywords, keyword suggestions, search volume data, and keyword difficulty analysis.

Its keyword report measures changes to the search engine results page (SERP) layout, tracks competitors’ keyword rankings, and provides keyword tracking and performance monitoring.

You can use the keyword reporting feature to get ideas for fresh content. Just click on a keyword to get recommendations for the content you aim to rank for.

Additionally, you can plug your chosen keywords into BrightEdge’s StoryBuilder feature to see how your efforts are paying off. Use StoryBuilder to create data-driven dashboards that offer insight into your site’s performance and inform content decisions.

Ahrefs: This platform’s Keywords Explorer is robust, providing keyword suggestions, search volume data, keyword difficulty analysis, and SERP analysis.

It has an extensive keyword database and helps you identify valuable keywords for your SEO campaigns.

In addition, you can use filters to find and prioritize the best keywords.

Cost

The platforms’ pricing structures differ.

BrightEdge: Pricing for BrightEdge is available by custom quote only, as it tailors solutions to your specific needs and requirements.

Ahrefs: Ahrefs offers more transparency, with pricing plans starting at $99 per month for its Lite package, which is ideally suited to small businesses. Packages scale up in cost through Standard ($199), Advanced ($399), and Enterprise ($999) packages.

Using the BrightEdge SEO Tool

SEO can be intimidating, but the BrightEdge SEO tool makes the job much easier. If you’re looking for features and functionalities that make optimizing your website efficient and effective, BrightEdge’s software can get you on the right track.

Features

You’ve already got a brief look at BrightEdge vs. Ahrefs in terms of features. Here’s a more in-depth look at BrightEdge’s key products and features:

Keyword Research: The BrightEdge SEO tool helps you find relevant keywords with high search volumes and low competition.

It also gives insights into keyword trends, search volume data, and competitive analysis. In addition, you can use the HyperLocal feature to search by geographical location and access insights from more than 72,000 cities worldwide.

Use Keyword Reporting for full analysis and recommendations and StoryBuilder to interpret topic demand and content performance.

You can also look for impressions, clicks, estimated visits, and revenue.

Content Optimization: Use the BrightEdge SEO tool to get recommendations for optimizing your content, such as meta tags, heading tags, and content structure. Reports give you prescriptive optimization instructions and on-page and off-page optimization recommendations.

Additionally, its AI-powered insights can suggest new suggestions when adding fresh target keywords or customized SEO rules.

Competitor Analysis: The Share of Voice feature helps uncover competitors’ SEO strategies and performance.

You can use Share of Voice to gain data on competitor rankings, keywords, and backlinks and find content gaps where you can outperform your competition.

Additionally, you can uncover competitor URLs that outperform yours and analyze their content to improve your visibility.

Rank Tracking: Use the BrightEdge SEO software to get real-time data on keyword performance, track progress, and identify trends.

Reporting and Analytics: Access customizable dashboards and reports to consolidate data from various sources.

Mobile SEO Optimization: Use ContentIQ to assess speed, uncover errors, and gain insight into your Share of Voice for mobile.

Other features include tools for mobile keyword optimization and a mobile-first dashboard template to monitor your website performance on mobile vs. desktop.

BrightEdge SEO Cost

BrightEdge customizes its software individually for each business, and pricing depends on various factors, including business size and required features.

You can discuss pricing info over the phone or online.

BrightEdge Reviews

BrightEdge receives positive reviews for user support, responsiveness, and software data visualization.

The keyword research feature, trending tool, and tracking and analysis earn points with users, too.

However, some feel the software has a bit of a learning curve, and other BrightEdge SEO reviews say it’s a bit pricey. 

Using Ahrefs for SEO

Looking for BrightEdge SEO alternatives? Ahrefs could be just what you’re searching for.

Using Ahrefs simplifies optimizing websites, uncovering keyword opportunities, analyzing backlinks, auditing sites, creating engaging content, and tracking performance.

Here’s a detailed overview of its main features.

Features

Keyword Research: Use Ahrefs to explore keyword ideas, search volume, and keyword difficulty, allowing you to identify high-potential keywords to target.

The keyword explorer has a massive database of 7 billion keywords that it updates monthly, and you can save and segment keyword lists. Ahrefs uses 10 sources, including Google, Amazon, and YouTube, to gain keyword data.

Additionally, you can find keyword difficulty scores, estimated number of clicks on keywords, and accurate search volume.

In-Depth Backlink Analysis: With Ahrefs’ backlink tool, you can explore your website’s backlink profile, analyze competitors’ backlinks, and identify valuable link-building opportunities.

The Site Explorer tool lets you see any URL’s organic traffic and backlink profiles. In addition, you can analyze paid traffic performance and website structure.

Site Audit and Technical SEO: Discover common technical and on-page SEO errors, such as broken links, duplicate content, or slow page speed. Enter your domain and click Start Audit to find potential ranking issues and suggestions to fix them.

Content Explorer and Topic Research: Ahrefs’ Content Explorer tool lets you discover popular and trending topics and identify linking opportunities from a mega database of more than 14.5 billion web pages. You can analyze content performance metrics such as social shares and backlinks and filter by SEO or social metrics.

Rank Tracking and Competitor Analysis: Track keyword rankings over time with the rank tracking feature to monitor your desktop and mobile rankings for 190 countries. Just add the keywords you want to track. Use Ahrefs to analyze your competitors’ strategies, keywords, and backlink profiles.

Pricing

Ahrefs has plans ranging from Lite to Enterprise, with varying limits on features such as the number of projects, keywords, and backlink analysis. Pricing plans start at $99.

Customer Reviews

As you can see from the reviews, many Ahrefs customers are impressed with its results. Ahrefs gets positive reviews for features like backlinks, keyword research, and insightful data.

Negative reviews mainly focus on pricing, but note that a free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools plan is available.

Choosing the Right SEO Tool for Your Needs

BrightEdge and Ahrefs are popular SEO platforms. Still, it’s worth considering Ahrefs and BrightEdge SEO alternatives to find the best tool for you. Some options include Ubersuggest, Moz, and Semrush.

Ubersuggest

I know, but I had to mention it.

My SEO tool, Ubersuggest, has a user-friendly interface and provides comprehensive keyword research, competitive analysis, site audits, and content ideas.

You can also track your Google rank, check domain authority, and create a project to track your SEO success, making it a worthy alternative to BrightEdge and Ahrefs.

Read my Ubersuggest vs. Ahrefs piece to see how these two tools compare. Also, check out this post on how to use Ubersuggest and my social listening tool, AnswerThePublic, to turbocharge your SEO strategies.

Best for: Affordable plans, keyword research, competitor analysis, and insights for SEO optimization.

Pricing: Ubersuggest offers a free version with limited features if you don’t have the budget for paid SEO software. Otherwise, paid subscriptions for additional tools start at $29 per month.

Moz

Moz provides all the basic functionality you’d expect, like keyword research, on-page optimization suggestions, and backlink analysis. Its free features include keyword and link explorers, competitive research, and domain analysis.

Other free tools are the MozBar Chrome extension for social, search, and page metrics.

Moz Pro has additional tools like crawling and auditing sites, page optimization, and link-finding opportunities.

Best for: Rank tracking, the organic visibility boost, and technical SEO analysis.

Pricing: You can start with a 30-day free trial. Paid subscriptions start at $99 monthly when you pay yearly.

Semrush

Its site auditing, competitor analysis, and keyword research features make Semrush a strong competitor to other SEO tools and a formidable BridgeEdge alternative.

Semrush has more than 20 tools encompassing SEO, advertising, content, social media, and market research.

Semrush’s functionality can help you level up your efforts in on-page and local SEO, competitor SEO analysis, market analysis, competitor analysis, content marketing and creation, and pay-per-click (PPC) keyword research. And that’s just a sampling of what its robust toolset covers.

Best for: Competitor research, site audits, and content optimization.

Pricing: Semrush offers a free account option with limited functionality. After that, pricing starts at $129.95 monthly.

FAQs

Conclusion

It’s hard to argue against using SEO tools.

Whether you’re an online marketer or a business owner, you need help measuring your SEO metrics. Keeping tabs on performance (with the right tools) helps you see if you’re making progress toward your goals or if it’s time to reset and try another track.

Hopefully, this BrightEdge vs. Ahrefs post has helped you narrow your search for the right SEO tool.

However, you shouldn’t feel that you must make a choice immediately. You can always take advantage of free trials to analyze the SEO basics, learn your way around, and then make the final decision.

Which is your favorite SEO tool? Tell us below!