Brand report · September 2026

Ahrefs: AI Visibility Report

When buyers ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini about seo crawlers & site audit, Ahrefs ranks #2 of 15, a Visibility Score of 56 in SEO Crawlers & Site Audit (and appears in 3 categories of the index).

These rankings are measured from what the three models know from training, not a live web search. The live-web grounded surface is rolling out across the index. Methodology.

How AI sees Ahrefs

Constantly recommended in SEO, consistently passed over when it counts.

Where it wins. In SEO Crawlers and Site Audit, Ahrefs lands rank 2 with a 76% mention rate, and it holds solid ground in Rank Tracking at 57% mention. Across those two categories it is a near-automatic inclusion when AI models field broad SEO tool questions.

Where it loses. Despite that volume, first-pick rates sit at 5.6% and 1.4% in its two strongest categories, meaning buyers hear the name but the models steer them elsewhere when forced to commit. AI Visibility is a sharper wound: Ahrefs appears in just 1 of 4 queries there and misses the 'Best overall' and 'Enterprise pick' frames entirely, the exact moments where category ownership gets decided.

AI-generated analysis of the September 2026 measurements.

On message

How Ahrefs positions itself vs how AI ranks it

Ahrefs claims SEO Crawlers & Site Audit and the models back it: #2 of 15 there.

The pitch

"Make your business discoverable—in search, AI, and beyond"

Positions in SEO Crawlers & Site Audit

What AI actually says

Strongest #2 · SEO Crawlers & Site Audit

In SEO Crawlers & Site Audit #2 of 15, claim holds

Homepage self-messaging · September 2026 ranking · the biggest gaps across the index →

SEO Crawlers & Site Audit · #2 of 15

56 / 100 flat vs last month

76%

mention rate (72 answers)

4

avg. position

6%

first pick

12%

share of voice

ChatGPT

53

Claude

63

Gemini

52

How the models portray Ahrefs

Being named is not the same as being recommended. Each mention is graded endorsed (a strong pick), listed (a neutral option), or caveated (named with a reservation).

47% 22% 31%

endorsed · 95% band 35–60% listed caveated graded across 55 mentions in SEO Crawlers & Site Audit answers

Prompt themes Ahrefs would want to own

Share of each theme's answers that mention Ahrefs. Hover a row for the exact prompt. Compare shapes on the head-to-head page.

Best overall

9/9

Top tools in 2026

9/9

Startup & small team

9/9 · #1×3

If you could pick one

9/9

Budget & alternatives

9/9

Use-case fit

8/9 · #1×1

Enterprise pick

2/9

Feature-led ask

0/9

Gaps Feature-led ask

Most co-mentioned competitors

Share of Ahrefs's mentions where the AI models name this brand in the same answer. That is the real competitive set in the AI channel.

Screaming Frog

93%

Sitebulb

82%

Semrush

82%

Lumar

47%

JetOctopus

31%

Google Search Console

31%

Head-to-head: Ahrefs vs Screaming Frog

Scores are measured from real AI answers, refreshed monthly. Methodology.

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