# Ahrefs Domain Rating, Backlinks & Traffic Lookup (`vexaloom-labs/ahrefs-domain-rating-backlinks-and-traffic-lookup`) Actor

Look up a domain's public Ahrefs Domain Rating, linking-website count, global rank, and estimated organic traffic, with a mode to fetch just authority or just backlink metrics.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/vexaloom-labs/ahrefs-domain-rating-backlinks-and-traffic-lookup.md
- **Developed by:** [vexaloom-labs](https://apify.com/vexaloom-labs) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.49 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Ahrefs Domain Rating, Backlinks & Traffic Lookup

Scrape **AhrefsTop** website profiles — the public pages Ahrefs publishes at `ahrefs.com/websites/<domain>` — for Domain Rating, linking websites, search traffic, traffic value, keyword counts, top keywords, countries, competitors, similarly ranked sites and monthly history. Six modes cover full profiles, lean authority/backlink/traffic subsets, nine competitor cards per domain, and the AhrefsTop global, country and category rankings. No Ahrefs account, cookie or API key is needed.

### What this actor does

- **Six modes:** `domain`, `authority`, `backlinks`, `traffic`, `competitors`, `topWebsites`
- **Full public profile:** Domain Rating, linking websites and their monthly change, site title and description, global/country/category ranks and changes, organic traffic, traffic value, keyword count and the data month
- **Deeper sections:** top 5 keywords, top 5 traffic countries, top 5 competing websites, similarly ranked sites, and monthly traffic/value plus linking-website history (typically 10+ years)
- **Competitor rows:** one flat row per competitor card with description, ranks, traffic, traffic value, pages and Domain Rating
- **Rankings:** the global top 1000 (100 rows per page), country and category top 100 lists, combined country + category lists, and monthly trending up/down
- **Safe inputs and output:** `www` and non-`www` hosts are both tried, duplicate domains are removed, every request is capped by `maxItems`, and empty fields are omitted instead of written as `null`

### Output per website record

Used by `domain`, `authority`, `backlinks` and `traffic`. Each mode returns its own subset.

- `type` — always `ahrefs_website_stats`
- `domain` — the normalised domain or host you requested
- `resolvedDomain` — the exact host AhrefsTop served
- `sourceUrl` — the public Ahrefs page the record came from
- `scrapedAt` — ISO 8601 collection timestamp
- `notFound` — `true` when AhrefsTop has no page for either host form
- `fetchError` — a short failure reason (`HTTP 403`, `HTTP 429`, `timeout`, `network`) when no page could be read; no metrics are invented
- `domainRating` — Domain Rating (0–100)
- `linkingWebsites` / `linkingWebsitesText` — distinct linking websites, numeric and as displayed
- `referringDomainsDelta` / `referringDomainsDeltaDirection` — month-over-month change and `increase`/`decrease`
- `siteTitle`, `siteDescription` — the site name and description shown on the profile
- `descriptionMeta` — the description from the page's structured metadata
- `globalRank` / `globalRankChange` — worldwide traffic rank and its monthly move
- `countryRank`, `countryRankCountry` / `countryRankChange` — country rank, country name and move
- `category`, `categoryRank` / `categoryRankChange` — category name, rank and move
- `organicTraffic`, `organicTrafficText` / `organicTrafficChange` — estimated monthly organic visits, display text and change
- `trafficValueUsd`, `trafficValueText` / `trafficValueChangeUsd` — estimated monthly traffic value in USD and its change
- `organicKeywords` / `organicKeywordsText` — estimated organic keyword count
- `asOf`, `trafficMonth`, `dataMonth` — snapshot month (display), traffic month and machine-readable `YYYY-MM` data month
- `topKeywordCountry`, `topKeywords[]` — country used for the keyword table; each keyword has `keyword`, `volume`, `volumeChange`, `traffic`, `trafficChange`, `position` and `positionChange`
- `topCountries[]` — `country`, `visits`, `visitsChange`, `share` (percent)
- `topCompetitors[]` — `domain`, `traffic`, `trafficChange`, `pages`
- `similarlyRanked[]` — `domain`, `traffic`, `trafficChange`, `rank`, `rankChange`; only when the requested site is actually in the worldwide top 1000
- `trafficHistoryMonthly[]` — `month`, `organicTraffic`, `trafficValueUsd`
- `linkingWebsitesHistory[]` — `month`, `linkingWebsites`

Mode subsets: `authority` returns identity, Domain Rating/linking websites and their history; `backlinks` returns the same link-focused subset; `traffic` returns ranks, traffic, keywords, countries and traffic history; `domain` returns everything.

### Output per competitor record

Used by `competitors`. One row per competitor card, up to 10 per requested domain.

- `type` — always `ahrefs_competitor`
- `sourceDomain` — the domain whose competitor page was read
- `domain` — the competitor domain
- `sourceUrl`, `scrapedAt`
- `notFound` / `fetchError` — only when the source page could not be read
- `siteDescription` — the competitor's description
- `globalRank`, `globalRankChange`
- `countryRank`, `countryRankCountry`, `countryRankChange`
- `category`, `categoryRank`, `categoryRankChange`
- `organicTraffic`, `organicTrafficChange`
- `trafficValueUsd`, `trafficValueChangeUsd`
- `pages`
- `domainRating`

### Output per top-website record

Used by `topWebsites`. One row per ranked or trending website.

- `type` — always `ahrefs_top_website`
- `sourceUrl`, `scrapedAt`
- `rank`, `rankChange`
- `domain`
- `category`
- `organicTraffic`, `organicTrafficText`, `organicTrafficChange`
- `rankingScope` — the requested scope: `global`, the country slug, the category slug, or `country/category` (for example `united-states`, `reference`, `united-states/reference`); on a country page, trending rows are country-level (see Limitations)
- `rankingType` — `ranking`, `trending_up` or `trending_down`
- `rankingPage` — 1–10 for the global ranking, 1 for country/category and trending
- `notFound` / `fetchError` — only when the ranking page could not be read

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | string | `domain` | `domain` (full profile), `authority` (DR + linking sites), `backlinks` (link summary + history), `traffic` (ranks/traffic/keywords/countries), `competitors` (one row per competitor), `topWebsites` (AhrefsTop rankings). Legacy values `full`, `authority_only` and `backlinks_only` are still accepted and mapped |
| `domains` | array | – | Domains or full URLs for every mode except `topWebsites`. `www` and non-`www` are both tried; duplicates are removed |
| `includeHistory` | boolean | `true` | Include monthly traffic/value and linking-website history (mode=domain/authority/backlinks/traffic) |
| `includeKeywords` | boolean | `true` | Include the top 5 keywords (mode=domain/traffic) |
| `includeCountries` | boolean | `true` | Include the top 5 traffic countries (mode=domain/traffic) |
| `includeCompetitors` | boolean | `true` | Include the top 5 competitors on the profile (mode=domain) |
| `maxItems` | integer | `50` | Hard cap on rows across all requested domains or ranking pages (1–1000) |
| `topWebsitesCountry` | string | `worldwide` | Country ranking (mode=topWebsites). `worldwide` uses the global top 1000 |
| `topWebsitesCategory` | string | `all` | Category ranking (mode=topWebsites); combine with a country for that country's category list |
| `topWebsitesRanking` | string | `ranking` | `ranking`, `trending_up` or `trending_down` (mode=topWebsites) |
| `topWebsitesPage` | integer | `1` | Starting global ranking page from 1 to 10 (mode=topWebsites); country/category/trending expose one page |

#### Example: full profile with every section

```json
{
  "mode": "domain",
  "domains": ["wikipedia.org", "www.nhs.uk"],
  "maxItems": 2
}
```

#### Example: authority and backlink checks only

```json
{
  "mode": "authority",
  "domains": ["stripe.com", "github.com", "openai.com"],
  "includeHistory": true,
  "maxItems": 3
}
```

#### Example: nine competitor rows per domain

```json
{
  "mode": "competitors",
  "domains": ["wikipedia.org"],
  "maxItems": 9
}
```

#### Example: the US reference ranking, then trending sites

```json
{
  "mode": "topWebsites",
  "topWebsitesCountry": "united-states",
  "topWebsitesCategory": "reference",
  "topWebsitesRanking": "ranking",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

```json
{
  "mode": "topWebsites",
  "topWebsitesRanking": "trending_up",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

### Use cases

- **SEO audits** — pull a client's Domain Rating, traffic, traffic value, keyword count and rank movement in one request
- **Link-building prospecting** — compare linking-website counts and trends across a candidate list before outreach
- **Competitor benchmarking** — export nine competitor cards per domain with traffic, traffic value, pages and DR
- **Market research** — download the global top 1000 or a country/category top 100 for lead scoring and segmentation
- **Portfolio monitoring** — schedule repeat runs and track monthly search traffic, traffic value and referring-site history
- **Content and keyword research** — see the exact keywords a site earns the most traffic from, with volume, position and monthly change

### Limitations

- **Ranking caps:** the global ranking exposes ranks 1–1000 (ten pages of 100). Country, category and combined country + category rankings expose up to 100 rows; combined lists can be shorter when the source has fewer matches (for example, United States + Reference has 3). Trending exposes 10 rows per direction.
- **Country trending:** on a country page the trending lists are country-level; the category filter applies only to the ranking table. On the worldwide page, category trending is category-specific.
- **Conditional ranks:** global rank is printed only for sites in the worldwide top 1000 (`>1000` is omitted). Country, category and keyword-count fields appear only when the source publishes them.
- **Stale data on quiet sites:** some low-traffic profiles stop updating. `dataMonth` reports the real latest month rather than implying the data is current.
- **Public profile surface only:** detailed backlink rows, top pages, keyword ideas, keyword difficulty/SERP, broken links, XML sitemaps and AI visibility are not included. Ahrefs' free tools for those require a Cloudflare Turnstile challenge, and the official free API requires an API key.
- **Third-party estimates:** traffic, traffic value and keyword figures are Ahrefs' estimates, not analytics from the site owner.

### FAQ

**Do I need an Ahrefs subscription or API key?** No. The actor reads the same public website profiles and rankings that any visitor can see on AhrefsTop. There is no login, cookie or token.

**What is AhrefsTop?** It is Ahrefs' public ranking site. Opening `ahrefs.com/websites/<domain>` redirects there; the actor reads the destination page directly.

**Why are some fields missing from a record?** Ahrefs only prints some values conditionally. A site outside the global top 1000 has no `globalRank`, a site without a country rank has no `countryRank`, and some profiles have no keyword count. Empty fields are omitted, never filled with `null` or a sentinel.

**Why is `dataMonth` older than this month for some domains?** Ahrefs stops refreshing profiles it considers inactive. The field shows the latest month the source actually publishes, so you can judge freshness instead of assuming the numbers are current.

**How many rows can `topWebsites` return?** Up to 1000 for the global ranking (start at page 1 and use `maxItems` up to 1000), up to 100 for a country, category or combined country + category list (combined lists can be shorter), and up to 10 for trending up or trending down.

**Can I combine a country and a category?** Yes. Set both `topWebsitesCountry` and `topWebsitesCategory`; the actor reads the combined list, which is capped by the source at 100 rows.

**Do `www` and non-`www` domains both work?** Yes. The actor tries the exact host first and falls back to the other form only when the first returns no page. `resolvedDomain` tells you which host was used.

**How fresh is the data?** Ahrefs updates these profiles monthly. `scrapedAt` records when you collected the row, while `asOf`, `trafficMonth` and `dataMonth` describe the source month.

**Is this affiliated with Ahrefs?** No. This is an independent actor that reads publicly available AhrefsTop pages. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ahrefs.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to fetch. `domain` returns the full public profile; `competitors` returns one row per competitor; `topWebsites` returns the AhrefsTop ranking without needing domains. Legacy values `full`, `authority_only` and `backlinks_only` are accepted and mapped to `domain`, `authority` and `backlinks`.

## `domains` (type: `array`):

Domains or full URLs (mode=domain/authority/backlinks/traffic/competitors). `www` and non-`www` forms are both tried. Duplicates are removed.

## `includeHistory` (type: `boolean`):

Include monthly traffic, traffic-value and linking-website history (mode=domain/authority/backlinks/traffic).

## `includeKeywords` (type: `boolean`):

Include the top 5 keywords table (mode=domain/traffic).

## `includeCountries` (type: `boolean`):

Include the top 5 traffic countries (mode=domain/traffic).

## `includeCompetitors` (type: `boolean`):

Include the top 5 competing websites on the profile (mode=domain).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on emitted rows across all requested domains or ranking pages.

## `topWebsitesCountry` (type: `string`):

(mode=topWebsites) Country ranking. `worldwide` uses the global top 1000; any other value uses that country's top 100.

## `topWebsitesCategory` (type: `string`):

(mode=topWebsites) Category filter. Combine with a country for that country's category ranking.

## `topWebsitesRanking` (type: `string`):

(mode=topWebsites) Position ranking or the monthly trending up/down list.

## `topWebsitesPage` (type: `integer`):

(mode=topWebsites) Starting global ranking page (1 = ranks 1-100, 10 = ranks 901-1000). Country, category and trending rankings expose one page only.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "domain",
  "domains": [
    "wikipedia.org"
  ],
  "includeHistory": true,
  "includeKeywords": true,
  "includeCountries": true,
  "includeCompetitors": true,
  "maxItems": 1,
  "topWebsitesCountry": "worldwide",
  "topWebsitesCategory": "all",
  "topWebsitesRanking": "ranking",
  "topWebsitesPage": 1
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing website profiles, competitor rows and top-website ranking rows.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "domain",
    "domains": [
        "wikipedia.org"
    ],
    "includeHistory": false,
    "includeKeywords": false,
    "includeCountries": false,
    "includeCompetitors": false,
    "maxItems": 1,
    "topWebsitesCountry": "worldwide",
    "topWebsitesCategory": "all",
    "topWebsitesRanking": "ranking",
    "topWebsitesPage": 1
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("vexaloom-labs/ahrefs-domain-rating-backlinks-and-traffic-lookup").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "domain",
    "domains": ["wikipedia.org"],
    "includeHistory": False,
    "includeKeywords": False,
    "includeCountries": False,
    "includeCompetitors": False,
    "maxItems": 1,
    "topWebsitesCountry": "worldwide",
    "topWebsitesCategory": "all",
    "topWebsitesRanking": "ranking",
    "topWebsitesPage": 1,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("vexaloom-labs/ahrefs-domain-rating-backlinks-and-traffic-lookup").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "domain",
  "domains": [
    "wikipedia.org"
  ],
  "includeHistory": false,
  "includeKeywords": false,
  "includeCountries": false,
  "includeCompetitors": false,
  "maxItems": 1,
  "topWebsitesCountry": "worldwide",
  "topWebsitesCategory": "all",
  "topWebsitesRanking": "ranking",
  "topWebsitesPage": 1
}' |
apify call vexaloom-labs/ahrefs-domain-rating-backlinks-and-traffic-lookup --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/ahrefs-domain-rating-backlinks-and-traffic-lookup"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/gUzxxjRtJtq8KiIiG/builds/1er5MI6BnUASyOt8P/openapi.json