B2B SaaS blog success: A case study of Ahrefs
Discover how Ahrefs succeeded in the highly competitive B2B SaaS blogging market.
May 14, 2024
Ahrefs Introduction
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO tool that has become essential for digital marketers, SEO professionals, and website owners aiming to enhance their online visibility and search engine rankings.
Founded in 2010 by Dmytro Gerasymenko, Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO toolset that provides users with a wealth of data to analyze and improve their website's performance in search engines. The team is based in Singapore, but the founder and C-level executives are from Ukraine, which is quite surprising. Despite not being native English speakers, they have succeeded in this field and made history in the SEO world alongside SEMrush (NYSE: SEMR).
As of 2022, Ahrefs achieved an ARR of $120 million although the exact ARR today is unknown. Ahrefs is a bootstrapped company, meaning it has grown without external funding, which is relatively rare in the tech industry today. In this article, let’s dive deep into how Ahrefs succeeded as a bootstrapped company through SEO and content marketing.
Ahrefs main indicators (only for /blog)
We analyzed the Ahrefs blog using Ahrefs. They have a Domain Rating of 91, which is the same as Wikipedia's, indicating a very high Domain Rating. They also have 384,000 backlinks from high-authority sites such as WordPress, GitHub, and Shopify. Additionally, they have 109,000 organic search keywords on Google, including “SEO,” “affiliate marketing,” and “marketing funnel.”
Let’s look at this as a time series. Their first significant traffic was in November 2015 with 182 organic visits. Since then, their organic traffic (orange line) has increased exponentially. During the COVID-19 pandemic, from late 2020 to early 2022, the traffic dipped but surged again after mid-2022.
Look at their organic traffic now! They have 6,273 keywords in the top 3 SERP positions on Google, including “how to write a blog post,” “meta keywords,” and “SEO audit.”
In the United States, they have high traffic for keywords such as “high ticket affiliate marketing,” “SEO,” and “keyword research.”
Ahrefs blog deep dive
Frequency of blogging
As of May 2024, Ahrefs has published a total of 688 articles. When was their first article? It was back in November 2015, almost 10 years ago. They posted their first article on November 12, 2015, followed by their second article three months later. The third article came out seven months after that, indicating a long gap between initial posts.
Ahrefs started consistent blogging after February 2017. Since then, 683 articles have been published, averaging about eight articles per month, or roughly two articles per week. This aligns closely with Stratabeat’s report, which found that publishing 5-8 blog posts per month increased Google Top 10 organic ranking keywords by 47.9%, compared to a 10.8% increase for those blogging 1-4 times monthly.
UI of blog
Below is the basic user interface of the Ahrefs blog, with an example post by Si Quan Ong. At the top of the post, you can see the title, author, and even the reviewer. On the left, there is a table of contents, and on the right, you can find details about the author and a link to their personal page.
If you scroll down, you can see the article’s performance metrics, such as organic traffic and linking websites, analyzed by Ahrefs. You can also subscribe to Ahrefs’ newsletter!
At the bottom of the content, you can see more details about the author and related content. Look at the newsletter image! The letter image pops up, adding a charming touch.
CMS of blog and Meta tag
Ahrefs uses WordPress as their CMS (Content Management System). They utilize several WordPress plugins, including Yoast SEO, a3 Lazy Load, and Autoptimize.
If you examine the meta tags of their posts, including the canonical tag, you will notice they are well-optimized. The title tag matches the blog title, and the description is clear and easy to understand. The heading tags are well-organized and logical.
Other things
Ahrefs' blog focuses on three main subjects: “SEO,” “Marketing,” and “Data & Studies.”
They have a dedicated team of nine people known as “The Blog Squad.”
Conclusion
What sets Ahrefs apart is their exclusive reliance on content and SEO for success. Unlike many companies, they have achieved remarkable results without conversion tracking, A/B testing, or even Google Analytics. This approach highlights the power of high-quality content in generating leads and building a strong online presence.
Content is crucial for B2B SaaS companies in attracting and converting leads. Ahrefs exemplifies effective content marketing by creating valuable, insightful, and actionable content. Their success story underscores the importance of content in digital marketing and offers a blueprint for other B2B SaaS companies.
Ahrefs' strategy shows that consistent, high-quality content can drive traffic, enhance brand authority, and generate leads without advanced analytics or testing tools. Businesses aiming to replicate Ahrefs' success should focus on understanding their audience's needs, producing relevant content, and optimizing it for search engines. Ahrefs' journey demonstrates that the right content strategy can lead to significant growth and success in the competitive B2B SaaS market.
Share article
Join the Inblog newsletter today!