How to Compare This Year to Last Year in Ahrefs

Want to track your SEO progress year-over-year? Ahrefs makes it simple to compare your website’s performance between different time periods. You can analyze traffic changes, keyword rankings, backlink growth, and competitor movements by using the date comparison feature available across multiple Ahrefs tools.

Setting Up Date Comparisons in Site Explorer

Start by entering your domain in Site Explorer. Look at the top of the overview report. You’ll see a date selector near the graph. Click on it. Select “Compare” mode instead of the default single date range. Choose your current period first. Then select the same period from last year. The system automatically calculates the differences for you. Your graphs now display two overlapping lines. The percentage changes appear right next to each metric. Green means growth. Red indicates decline.

Comparing Organic Traffic Performance

Navigate to the Organic Search section in Site Explorer. This is where the magic happens for traffic analysis. The traffic graph shows both periods simultaneously. Hover over any date to see exact numbers from both years. Pay attention to the overall trend line, not daily spikes.

Check these specific metrics:
– Total organic traffic
– Number of ranking keywords
– Traffic value
– Top page performance

Export the data if you need detailed analysis. The CSV file includes all comparison metrics.

Analyzing Keyword Ranking Changes

Head to the Organic Keywords report. This reveals which keywords gained or lost positions. Sort by traffic to focus on keywords that matter. Look for patterns in your losses. Did algorithm updates affect specific keyword types? Did competitors overtake certain positions? The “Position changes” column shows exact movement. A keyword jumping from position 15 to position 3 represents massive progress. Document these wins. Create keyword groups to analyze themed performance. E-commerce sites might group by product categories. Service businesses could organize by service types.

Tracking Backlink Growth

Switch to the Backlinks report in Site Explorer. Year-over-year link velocity tells you if your link building efforts work. Focus on referring domains rather than total backlinks. One site giving you 100 links matters less than 100 sites giving you one link each.

Check the quality metrics too:
– Average DR of linking sites
– Dofollow vs nofollow ratio
– Anchor text diversity
– Lost backlinks rate

Notice any dramatic drops? You might have lost important links that need recovery.

Monitoring Competitor Progress

Your growth means nothing if competitors grow faster. Set up tracking for your top 3-5 competitors. Use the Competing Domains report. Add the same date comparison filters. See who gained the most ground. The Traffic Share feature visualizes market share changes. Watch how the pie shifts between players. Identify which competitor strategies might be worth studying. Export monthly snapshots for ongoing tracking. Build a competitive intelligence dashboard.

Using Rank Tracker for Precise Comparisons

Rank Tracker offers the most accurate year-over-year position tracking. But there’s a catch. You need historical data already tracked. Set up your projects now if you haven’t already. Future you will thank present you. The Overview tab shows average position changes. The Competitors tab reveals visibility shifts across your market. Pretty powerful stuff for strategic planning. Custom date ranges let you compare specific periods. Maybe you launched a campaign in March last year. Compare March-to-March performance directly.

Creating Custom Reports

Build a standardized YoY report template. Include these sections:
– Executive summary with key wins/losses
– Traffic growth percentages
– Top gaining/declining pages
– Keyword portfolio changes
– Link acquisition rate
– Competitor movement analysis

Schedule these reports monthly. Consistency in reporting builds trust and demonstrates progress even during slow periods.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Don’t compare incomplete periods. Comparing January 1-15 this year to full January last year skews results. Account for algorithm updates. Major Google updates can cause artificial variations. Note these dates in your analysis. Remember that Ahrefs data improves over time. Their crawler gets better. This might show artificial “growth” in some metrics. Watch for website changes. Did you redesign your site? Change URL structures? These events affect comparisons.

Taking Action on Your Findings

Data without action is just numbers on a screen. Create specific action items from your comparisons. Traffic dropped for certain pages? Investigate why. Update the content. Build more links. Improve user experience. Competitors gaining ground? Analyze their new content. Study their link building tactics. Adapt what works for your strategy. Some keywords showing consistent growth? Double down. Create supporting content. Build topic clusters around winners.

Making YoY Analysis a Habit

Schedule monthly comparison reviews. Put them in your calendar. Treat them like important meetings. Share findings with your team or clients. Celebrate wins together. Address challenges collaboratively. Build a historical database. The longer you track, the more patterns emerge. Three years of data reveals trends invisible in shorter periods. Year-over-year comparison in Ahrefs transforms raw data into strategic insights. It separates real growth from random fluctuations. Start tracking today, and you’ll build an invaluable performance history that guides smarter SEO decisions tomorrow.