When you start blogging or running a website, at some point you will learn about SEO (search engine optimisation). SEO is the process of optimising your site so that people searching the internet for the information and services you provide can find you.
And when you start learning about SEO, Ahrefs is probably one of the first SEO services you will hear about.
Since you’re reading this post, you probably have already heard of it.
Ahrefs calls itself an "all-in-one SEO toolset", and it’s certainly well regarded amongst website owners and SEO professionals as one of the best (if not the best SEO tool).
You can use it to audit your site for SEO problems, it can help you find keyword ideas (the words/questions/phrases people type into search engines), and you can use it to research competitors and check your rankings.
But it doesn’t come cheap. Plans start at $99 a month!
I’ll be totally up front with you and say that if you’re looking for a free trial for Ahrefs - there isn’t one. I don’t know that there ever has been.
And, if you are looking for a 7 day trial of Ahrefs for $7 - that used to be available but, at the time of writing this post, it’s gone.
Bummer!
But I titled this post ”4 alternative ways you can trial Ahrefs”. So while there is no official trial, I’m going to show you 4 unconventional options you can use to see if Ahrefs is the best tool for you before stumping up $99 minimum for a month's access.
Let’s call this the unofficial Ahrefs trial.
1. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
Ahrefs might not have a free trial, but it does have a (limited) free plan.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for website owners and gives you access to the site explorer and site audit features of Ahrefs.
You can do things like check your website for SEO issues, know what keywords you are ranking for, and what backlinks you have picked up.
It doesn’t have the same features as a paid account, and you get reduced access to the features that are included. But from a trial perspective, you get an Ahrefs account. You can log in and get a feel of the software and some of its features.
If you hate it, you’ve saved yourself $99 (a month!). And if you love it, there’s enough information included to get you started on improving your website's SEO (for free!).
2. Ahrefs Free Tools
You only get limited access to site explorer and site audit features in the free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools account (section 1 above). Still, it’s free, so we can’t complain!
But you can get limited access to other Ahrefs features too.
And you don’t even need an account.
It’s not even a secret.
I mean, they don’t shout about it - it’s not in the top navigation menu. But they don’t hide it either, they are all proudly linked in the footer, and on the Free SEO Tools page.
After all, they want to give you a taste of what they can offer so that you do sign up and become a paying customer.
Ahrefs provide free tools for generating keyword ideas and difficulty, backlinks, and SERP and keyword rankings.
But just like the free Webmaster Tools, the free Ahrefs tools are limited. For example, the Free Keyword Tool only shows you the top keywords (and you can only see keyword difficulty for the first 10).
But this is a free trial, just enough to get you started and get a feel for the software.
3. Ahrefs Academy
So far, you've had a glimpse of what Ahrefs offers through a free plan and some free tools. But maybe you want to see what a full account looks like and how to use it.
If you want to see how some of the tools work in a paid account, Ahrefs has created a few training courses so you can do just that. And you don’t need to be a paying user* to access them.
They call it the Ahrefs Academy. The academy includes courses about SEO, but it also has training to show you all the features of Ahrefs (and how to use it).
One of the courses is helpfully named How to use Ahrefs, and they are also bringing out a Ahrefs Certification Course.
*You do need an Ahrefs account to access the Ahrefs Certification Course, but it can be a free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools account (see part 1).
These courses are top quality and well worth your time. Even if you’re not looking to use Ahrefs, you can get some valuable SEO knowledge to put into action.
I’ve done the blogging for business course and it was packed full of useful information, especially if you are just getting started.
So this is my unconventional Ahrefs trial. I hope it helps you explore Ahrefs and figure out if you like it. I know I do. Once you have gone through the steps above you will be ready to hit the ground running and make full use of a paid plan (if you do decide to upgrade).