Ahrefs is a powerful tool for tracking backlinks and improving SEO rankings. However, ensuring that your backlinks are indexed in Ahrefs is crucial for accurately assessing your website’s authority. In this article, we’ll explore the best practices for getting your backlinks indexed in Ahrefs effectively.
1. Ensure Your Backlinks Are From Indexed Pages
Ahrefs only indexes backlinks from pages that are already indexed by Google. If your backlink comes from a page that isn’t indexed, it won’t appear in Ahrefs.
Solution:
- Check if the linking page is indexed using
site:domain.com/page-url
in Google. - Encourage the website owner to submit their page to Google Search Console.
2. Use High-Quality and Relevant Backlinks
Backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites get indexed faster and have more SEO value.
Solution:
- Aim for backlinks from reputable sites with high domain authority.
- Avoid spammy or low-quality sites that might not get indexed.
3. Speed Up Crawling and Indexing
You can take several steps to encourage Ahrefs and Google to crawl and index your backlinks faster.
Solution:
- Share the backlinking page on social media platforms.
- Use internal linking on the referring domain to boost discoverability.
- Request indexing via Google Search Console if you control the backlinking site.
4. Monitor Your Backlinks with Ahrefs
Ahrefs provides tools to track which backlinks are indexed and which are missing.
Solution:
- Regularly check Ahrefs’ Backlink Explorer to monitor indexed backlinks.
- Use the Lost Backlinks report to identify and recover missing links.
5. Build Contextual and Dofollow Links
Not all backlinks are treated equally; contextual and dofollow links have a higher chance of getting indexed.
Solution:
- Prioritize dofollow backlinks over nofollow links for better indexing.
- Ensure backlinks are placed within the content, not footers or sidebars.
Conclusion
Getting your backlinks indexed in Ahrefs requires a proactive approach, from acquiring high-quality backlinks to ensuring they come from indexed pages. By following these best practices, you can improve your website’s SEO performance and ensure that Ahrefs accurately tracks your backlink profile.