How to Use Ahrefs for B2B SaaS Competitor Analysis

Written by: Aaron Rovner, Founder, Saas Hero | Last updated: July 4, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Ahrefs data drives pipeline when you follow a repeatable 6-stage workflow that connects competitor insights to commercial keywords and CRM revenue.
• The workflow starts by confirming real SERP competitors, tagging keywords by intent, and setting a Share of Voice baseline before running any gap analysis.
• Content Gap and Top Pages reports should be filtered for pricing, alternatives, and comparison terms, and keywords in positions 11–20 with high CPC deliver the fastest wins.
• Backlink gaps close faster when you target domains that already link to multiple competitors, starting with unlinked brand mentions before any cold outreach.
• Share of Voice gains are validated against closed revenue through GCLID and UTM tracking; SaaSHero can run this workflow as your embedded growth team and connect every insight to Net New ARR.

Stage 1: Confirm Competitors and Configure Rank Tracker

Purpose: Establish a verified competitor set and a baseline visibility benchmark before any gap analysis begins.

Ahrefs actions: Enter your domain in Site Explorer and open the Competing Domains report. Ahrefs surfaces domains that share the most keyword overlap with your site, but algorithmic overlap does not always match real search behavior. Cross-reference this list against real SERP rivals by searching 10–15 commercial queries in incognito and noting recurring domains, which often include review sites or directories that outrank direct product competitors. After you confirm which domains actually appear for your target queries, add the final 3–5 competitors to Rank Tracker alongside your target keywords, segmented by intent bucket: pricing, alternatives, and vs. queries.

Required inputs: Your domain, 3–5 competitor domains, seed keyword list. Output: Verified competitor set and baseline Share of Voice percentage per keyword group.

B2B SaaS example: A mid-market HR Tech platform discovers that a review aggregator consistently outranks direct competitors for “[Category] software for remote teams” queries. That aggregator joins the competitor set for content gap analysis even though it is not a direct product rival.

Tip: Ahrefs Rank Tracker supports keyword tagging by intent. Tag every keyword as Pricing, Alternatives, VS, or Category from day one so Share of Voice reports stay segmented by commercial intent instead of blending all traffic.

Stage 2: Run Content Gap Analysis on High-Intent Queries

Purpose: Surface competitor keywords your site misses, filtered for commercial and transactional intent.

Ahrefs actions: In Site Explorer, open the Content Gap tool. Enter your 3–5 verified competitors in the top fields and your domain in the “But the following target doesn't rank for” field. Export the full list, then apply filters that include only keywords with action words such as demo, trial, buy, or hire, commercial modifiers such as pricing, cost, or quote, and comparison signals such as vs, alternative, or review. Remove navigational and student-intent queries before you score any opportunity.

Required inputs: Verified competitor domains and your domain. Output: Filtered list of gap keywords with volume, keyword difficulty (KD), and current ranking position.

B2B SaaS example: A procurement SaaS runs Content Gap against three competitors and surfaces “[Competitor A] pricing,” “[Competitor B] alternatives for enterprise,” and “[Category] software vs spreadsheets.” Each query contains a clear commercial modifier and does not appear in the client’s current keyword profile.

Common mistake: Sorting gap reports by volume alone produces a list dominated by broad informational terms. BOFU content converts at approximately 25 times the rate of top-of-funnel blog posts (4.78% vs 0.19% in one analysis of 64 posts), so filter for funnel stage before you consider volume.

Stage 3: Use Top Pages and Paid Traffic to Find Conquest Pages

Purpose: Identify which competitor pages generate the most organic and paid traffic so you can build targeted conquesting landing pages for the same searchers.

Ahrefs actions: For each competitor domain in Site Explorer, open Top Pages sorted by estimated traffic. Note page types, since pricing pages, comparison pages, and alternatives pages usually sit at the top for high-intent SaaS queries. Then open the Paid Traffic report to identify keywords where competitors maintain active ad spend, because high ad spend concentration indicates proven conversion value. Cross-reference organic top pages with paid keywords to find terms worth targeting across both channels.

Required inputs: Competitor domains from Stage 1. Output: Prioritized list of competitor page types and paid keywords to replicate or outperform.

B2B SaaS example: A CX software company finds that a competitor’s “[Competitor] vs Zendesk” page drives 4,200 monthly visits and the competitor also bids on “Zendesk alternatives” in paid search. Both signals confirm strong commercial intent and justify building a dedicated conquesting page.

Troubleshooting: When a competitor’s top pages show low estimated traffic despite high rankings, check the Paid Traffic report for the same URLs. Some competitors suppress organic click data by bidding aggressively on branded terms, which masks the true demand volume.

Stage 4: Score Keyword Gaps by Intent and Revenue Potential

Purpose: Score every gap keyword against pipeline impact so content and ad budget focus on the highest-revenue opportunities first.

Ahrefs actions: Move the filtered gap list from Stage 2 into Keywords Explorer. For each keyword, record monthly volume, KD, CPC as a proxy for commercial value, and SERP page type, where product pages and paid ads dominating the results confirm commercial intent. Apply the prioritization formula (1 ÷ KD) × Traffic Potential × (CPC + 1) so you balance creation effort against revenue potential.

The table below shows how four keyword types score across the main prioritization dimensions. CPC figures come from Google Ads Keyword Planner US exact-match data extracted 29 Jun 2026.

The CPC ranges in this table show why transactional, comparison, and alternatives keywords justify higher content investment, because their $15+ CPC values signal proven commercial value. Use these benchmarks to apply the following decision criteria. Decision criteria: Prioritize keywords where KD sits below your domain rating, volume exceeds 40 monthly searches, and CPC exceeds $15. Terms where you already rank positions 11–20 are the fastest wins, because existing pages can be refreshed instead of built from scratch. As noted in the gap analysis stage, bottom-funnel keywords deliver disproportionate conversion value, which reinforces this focus on commercial intent.

B2B SaaS example: A cybersecurity SaaS identifies “soc 2 compliance software” with 1,300 monthly searches and an $85 CPC as a higher-priority gap than “cybersecurity software” with 14,000 searches and an $18 CPC, because the lower-volume term can show higher conversion behavior than the head term.

Stage 5: Close Backlink Gaps and Capture Referral Traffic

Purpose: Find authoritative domains that link to multiple competitors but not to your site, then prioritize outreach to close the authority gap on high-intent pages.

Ahrefs actions: Open the Link Intersect tool in Ahrefs. Enter your 3–5 competitors in the top fields and your domain in the exclusion field. Review the output, which shows domains linking to two or more competitors but not to you. Filter by Domain Rating, focusing on DR 40+ and strong topical relevance. In Site Explorer, run a Backlink Gap report to compare referring domain counts across the competitor set and quantify the authority deficit on your highest-priority conquesting pages.

Required inputs: Competitor domains, your domain, and target conquesting page URLs. Output: Qualified outreach prospect list ranked by DR and topical fit.

B2B SaaS example: A marketing tech SaaS finds that G2, Capterra, and three industry newsletters link to all four competitors but not to their site. Referral traffic from platforms like G2 and Capterra converts 3–5x faster and delivers 16–25% higher lifetime value than other channels, so these domains become the first outreach targets.

Tip: Use Ahrefs Content Explorer to find unlinked brand mentions, which are pages that reference your product without a hyperlink. This unlinked mention reclamation often converts at 15–40% for outreach because the writer has already shown affinity for the brand, so it becomes the highest-efficiency link-building tactic before you start cold outreach.

Stage 6: Track Share of Voice and Tie It to Revenue

Purpose: Connect Ahrefs ranking movements to CRM pipeline and Net New ARR so every content and link-building investment is validated against closed revenue.

Ahrefs actions: In Rank Tracker, use the Share of Voice metric to measure the percentage of total clicks your domain captures across the tracked keyword set, segmented by the intent tags from Stage 1. Monitor Share of Voice weekly for pricing and alternatives clusters and monthly for broader category terms. Set competitor Share of Voice benchmarks so your gains and losses appear in context.

Revenue connection: Pass GCLID parameters from every paid conquesting campaign into your CRM such as HubSpot or Salesforce. Map organic landing page sessions using UTM parameters tied to the conquesting page URLs built from Stage 3 data. Build a Looker Studio dashboard that joins Ahrefs Share of Voice data with CRM pipeline stage and closed-won ARR by source so you can see which keyword clusters generate Sales Qualified Leads and which clusters only drive traffic.

Attribution note: B2B sales cycles of 60–180 days mean that a ranking gain in month one may not appear as closed ARR until month four. Use cohort-based validation by grouping all deals that touched a conquesting page in a given month and measuring their close rate and ACV against the baseline cohort. Comparison pages often appear disproportionately in closed-won deal journeys relative to their share of the overall content library, which confirms that Share of Voice on comparison terms acts as a leading indicator of pipeline.

Measurement and Validation for ARR Impact

GCLID-to-CRM integration requires that every paid ad click appends a GCLID parameter that a hidden form field on the landing page captures and writes to the CRM contact record at form submission. For organic traffic, UTM parameters on internal links from conquesting pages to demo request forms serve the same function. Attribution in long B2B cycles remains imperfect, so cohort validation over 90-day windows usually proves more reliable than last-click models.

Advanced Variations for Paid and Multi-Vertical Teams

Teams that run paid competitor campaigns alongside organic efforts can feed the same Ahrefs keyword priority list from Stage 4 directly into Google Ads ad groups. Segment campaigns by intent bucket such as pricing, alternatives, and vs, then build dedicated landing pages for each and match headline copy to query intent. Negative keyword hygiene is critical, so exclude the competitor brand name alone to filter navigational searches and preserve budget for evaluative queries only.

Multi-vertical SaaS teams should run separate Content Gap reports per vertical ICP, because keyword intent and competitor sets differ meaningfully between HR Tech buyers and Cybersecurity buyers. No evidence supports a 67% conversion lift from mapping keywords to buying committee roles, while reported lifts instead include +156% from semantic SEO intent mapping and 41% higher close rates from stakeholder mapping.

Checklist Recap and Next Steps

• Stage 1: Verify your competitor set through Competing Domains and a SERP audit, then configure Rank Tracker with intent tags.
• Stage 2: Run Content Gap filtered for commercial modifiers and remove navigational and TOFU noise.
• Stage 3: Audit competitor Top Pages and Paid Traffic to identify conquesting page targets.
• Stage 4: Score gaps using (1 ÷ KD) × Traffic Potential × (CPC + 1) and prioritize positions 11–20 for quick wins.
• Stage 5: Run Link Intersect and start with unlinked mention reclamation before any cold outreach.
• Stage 6: Connect Rank Tracker Share of Voice to CRM pipeline through GCLID and UTM tracking, then validate ARR by cohort each quarter.

Executing this workflow every month requires Ahrefs proficiency, CRM integration expertise, and consistent capacity to build and iterate conquesting landing pages, which many growth teams lack in-house. SaaSHero runs this exact 6-stage workflow as an embedded growth team on a month-to-month retainer with no long-term lock-in and reporting anchored to Net New ARR rather than impressions. Clients like TripMaster have added $504,758 in Net New ARR in a single year using this approach.

SaaSHero’s retainer model handles the full workflow, from Ahrefs setup to tracking and conquesting page builds, so your team can focus on closing the pipeline that this system generates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to set up this 6-stage workflow in Ahrefs?

The initial setup, which covers verifying competitors, configuring Rank Tracker with intent tags, and running the first Content Gap and Link Intersect reports, typically takes several hours for a team already familiar with Ahrefs. The heavier lift comes later, when you build conquesting landing pages, configure GCLID-to-CRM tracking, and establish the Looker Studio dashboard. Most B2B SaaS teams complete the full first-cycle setup within a few weeks, while SaaSHero usually compresses this work into the first 30 days of a retainer engagement, including tracking setup and the first conquesting page going live.

Which team roles are needed to run this workflow?

The workflow spans three functional areas. An SEO or growth analyst handles Ahrefs data extraction, gap scoring, and Rank Tracker monitoring. A content or conversion specialist builds and iterates the conquesting landing pages. A marketing operations or RevOps resource configures GCLID capture, UTM parameters, and CRM pipeline attribution reports. At smaller companies, one generalist often covers all three areas, which increases execution time and reduces how often you can refine the program. SaaSHero’s retainer model provides all three functions under a single flat monthly fee, which removes coordination overhead.

How does this workflow scale differently for early-stage versus enterprise SaaS?

Early-stage SaaS companies under $2M ARR should narrow the competitor set to two or three direct rivals and focus Stage 4 prioritization on keywords with KD below 35 and volume above 40 monthly searches, targeting winnable gaps instead of high-authority terms. The conquesting page count should start at three to five pages that cover the highest-CPC alternatives and pricing queries. Enterprise SaaS teams that run multi-vertical campaigns should run separate Content Gap reports per ICP vertical, segment Rank Tracker by product line, and map keywords to buying committee roles such as economic buyer, technical evaluator, and end user so conquesting content addresses each stakeholder’s evaluation criteria.

How often should this workflow be repeated?

The full 6-stage workflow should run on a monthly cadence for Rank Tracker and CRM pipeline review and on a quarterly cadence for a complete Content Gap refresh, Backlink Gap delta analysis, and cohort ARR validation. Competitor keyword profiles shift as rivals publish new content, adjust paid campaigns, and earn new backlinks. Running the workflow quarterly keeps the conquesting roadmap aligned with current competitive dynamics instead of a static snapshot. SaaSHero executes the monthly and quarterly cadences as part of every retainer engagement, with findings delivered in a shared dashboard instead of a static PDF report.

What if our CRM is not set up to capture GCLID or UTM data from conquesting pages?

GCLID capture requires a hidden form field on every landing page that reads the GCLID URL parameter and writes it to the CRM contact record at form submission. Most CRM platforms, including HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive, support this natively or through a lightweight JavaScript snippet. UTM parameters for organic conquesting traffic follow the same pattern, since you append source, medium, and campaign parameters to internal links pointing from conquesting pages to demo request forms and then map those parameters to CRM deal records. Without this infrastructure, Share of Voice gains in Ahrefs cannot connect to closed revenue and the workflow produces traffic data instead of ARR data. SaaSHero’s onboarding process includes full tracking setup as part of the initial engagement fee before any campaign or content work begins.

SaaSHero can also audit your current Ahrefs and tracking setup, then identify your highest-value competitor keyword gaps and build a month-to-month conquesting roadmap centered on Net New ARR.