Ahrefs - Setup & usage
Follow these steps to connect Ahrefs, create connected KPIs, and keep syncs healthy.
Before you connect
Confirm you have admin or integrator access to the Ahrefs account you want to measure.
Connection uses API key.
Only connect accounts your organisation owns or is authorised to report on.
Create the key in Ahrefs
Sign in to Ahrefs as a workspace owner or admin.
Open Account settings → API keys.
Create a key, set a monthly limit if you want one, and copy it. Ahrefs shows the key once.
Connect in Elevale
Open Workspace Settings → Integrations, find Ahrefs, and paste the API key.
Elevale checks the key before saving it.
Create KPIs
On KPIs & Dashboards, create a Connected KPI, choose Ahrefs, and pick a data point.
Organic, backlink, and paid metrics use the domain you enter on the KPI.
Rank Tracker, Site Audit, and Web Analytics metrics ask you to pick the matching Ahrefs project.
Weekly sync is enough for most SEO reviews. Rank Tracker and Site Audit update when Ahrefs finishes a crawl.
Troubleshooting
Invalid key - create a new key in Ahrefs and connect again. Keys expire after one year.
No projects listed - the Rank Tracker, Site Audit, or Web Analytics project must already exist in Ahrefs.
Usage limit - raise the key limit in Ahrefs or wait until the monthly allowance resets.
Create connected KPIs
On KPIs & Dashboards, create a KPI, choose Connected, and pick your Ahrefs connection.
Select a data point from the catalog (see the Data points article in this folder for the full list).
Set a sync frequency. An initial sync runs after save; use Resync on the KPI card for on-demand updates.
Review last sync time and error messages on the KPI detail page. Reconnect in Integrations if auth expires.
Sync frequency guidance
Daily - traffic, ads, engineering, and operational metrics reviewed weekly.
Weekly - summary KPIs for leadership dashboards.
Monthly / quarterly - finance and board-level accounting metrics.
Match frequency to how often you review the metric. Use Resync after configuration changes.
Disconnect and data retention
Disconnect from Workspace Settings → Integrations to revoke stored credentials and stop scheduled syncs.
Previously synced KPI history remains until you delete or convert those KPIs.
Subprocessors and data handling: Subprocessors and integrations