Long Tail Pro vs Ahrefs

What is Long Tail Pro?

Long Tail Pro is a powerful keyword research tool designed to help online entrepreneurs identify long-tail keywords with low competition. These phrases are typically three to five words long, often less competitive than generic terms, yet they can drive highly targeted traffic to your website. 

Created by Spencer Haws, Long Tail Pro is known for its simple and user-friendly interface, making it an excellent choice for beginners and experienced marketers. You can generate hundreds of potential keywords in seconds and analyze them based on factors such as competition level, search volume, CPC (Cost Per Click), and relevancy, which saves time and effort. 

Here are some of Long Tail Pro’s key features:

• Keyword research – Provides extensive data on search volumes, competition, and profitability for various keywords.
• Rank Value – Calculates how profitable a keyword will likely be for your website.
• SERP analysis – Provides in-depth analysis of the top-ranking pages for any keyword.
• Rank Tracker – Monitors the ranking of your website for chosen keywords in real-time.
• Backlink Analysis – Provides insights about the quality and quantity of backlinks, which can help in strategy planning.
• Custom Difficulty Targets – Allows you to set custom difficulty thresholds for keyword suggestions.
• Cloud-based – All data is accessible on any device thanks to cloud storage.

When it comes to the user interface, both Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs have done an outstanding job of making their platforms very user-friendly, easy to understand, and navigate, even for beginners.

However, the platforms still have a few differences that are worth mentioning. 

User Interface in Long Tail Pro

Long Tail Pro offers a simple and clean interface. It’s incredibly user-friendly, allowing you to navigate and find the tools and features you need easily. The dashboard has the key tools on the left side. There, you’ll find tools, such as Keyword Research, Rank Tracking, SERP Analysis, Backlink Analysis, and Site Audit, which make it easy to access. 

A “Help” icon is always available in the bottom-right corner of the screen, providing instant assistance when required. 

User Interface in Ahrefs

Ahrefs provides a more comprehensive data presentation than Long Tail Pro, which makes its interface more complicated for beginners. The moment you log in, the dashboard presents an overview of various metrics for your domain, such as backlinks, organic keywords, different metrics, and more.

While it could be slightly overwhelming initially, the well-structured layout and detailed tooltips make the learning curve manageable. 

VERDICT:

Both Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs interfaces do an excellent job of making the user experience as good as possible.

Long Tail Pro seems to do an excellent job for those who are new to SEO and are primarily interested in keyword research, while Ahrefs seems well-suited for more experienced users seeking a comprehensive overview of various SEO metrics. 

So, who wins the UI/UX round?

It depends on what you’re looking for: simplicity or comprehensiveness.

Neither one is inherently better; it’s all about your specific needs and level of SEO expertise.

Backlink analysis is a core component of any effective SEO strategy. Knowing who’s linking back to your site gives you valuable insight into your website’s authority in the digital space.

But what is the difference between Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs in this aspect?

Let’s take a deep dive into it.

Backlink Analysis with Long Tail Pro

Long Tail Pro isn’t just about keyword research. It also offers a basic but competent backlink analysis tool. When you input a URL into the system, it will generate a backlink report containing key information about all the backlinks to your website. The report will provide data such as domain ratings, do-follow or no-follow, anchor text, and more. 

While Long Tail Pro can be effective for smaller sites or blogs that are just getting started with SEO, it’s important to note that it might not offer the in-depth analysis of backlink data required for larger, more established sites or for individuals whose primary focus is backlink analysis. 

Backlink Analysis with Ahrefs

When it comes to backlink analysis, Ahrefs is often called the gold standard. It has an extensive link database and provides detailed backlink profiles. You can visualize important information like referring domains, anchor text distribution, and the overall strength of your backlink profile. 

Unique to Ahrefs is its ability to crawl and index new links incredibly fast compared to many other tools out there. This means that your backlink data is always up-to-date, allowing you to act quickly if any issues arise.

Additional features like their link intersect tool allow you to spy on competitor backlinks and find more link opportunities for your site. 

VERDICT:

Ahrefs offers a much more accurate and extensive backlink analysis tool than Long Tail Pro. While both can provide valuable information, if backlink analysis is your top priority, you may find Ahrefs more suitable for your needs.

Keyword research is the bread & butter of any SEO tool.
But how do Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs perform here? 

Long Tail Pro: Keyword Research

Unsurprisingly, Long Tail Pro specializes in long-tail keyword research. What’s special about this tool is its keyword competitiveness score. This score gives you a quick snapshot of how hard it will be to rank for a specific keyword, making it easier to decide which keywords to choose. 

Besides that, Long Tail Pro also offers unique features like Long Tail Bootcamp, a free SEO course for beginners to learn keyword research and PPC Analysis for competitive keywords. 

Ahrefs: Keyword Research

Ahrefs, on the other hand, is a powerhouse for keyword research, using a keyword database of over 10 billion. It provides a ton of data about each keyword, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and parent topic. 

Unique to Ahrefs is the tool called ‘Keywords Explorer,’ which allows you to see the actual number of clicks on search results. This feature is rarely available on other platforms.

VERDICT:

While both tools offer excellent keyword research features, Ahrefs shines brighter with a more extensive keyword database and unique features.

If long-tail keyword research is your top priority, Long Tail Pro might be the best option for you.

In the world of SEO, rank tracking is crucial. It allows you to monitor your website’s position in search engine results for specific keywords. But when it comes to rank tracking, which software performs better: Long Tail Pro or Ahrefs?

Let’s dive in. 

Rank Tracking with Long Tail Pro

Long Tail Pro does provide a rank tracker, but it’s rather basic compared to some other tools.

The rank tracking is limited to daily updates for your chosen keywords. Even if it’s good enough, it might not update as often as some users want.

Moreover, Long Tail Pro does offer rank tracking for Google, Bing, or Yahoo Search, which is a notable plus. 

Rank Tracking with Ahrefs

Ahrefs, on the other hand, offers far more comprehensive rank-tracking features. The software automatically updates keyword positions every 24 hours. Ahrefs also tracks your average position, visibility, traffic, and keyword movements, offering an in-depth understanding of your SEO progress. 

Here’s a tip: if you’re unsure which keywords to track, Ahrefs can also give you suggestions based on your website’s organic search traffic. Nice, isn’t it? 

VERDICT:

When it comes to rank tracking, Ahrefs clearly stands out with more robust and detailed features. If rank tracking is a high priority, – Ahrefs might be your preferred choice. 

When making an investment in an SEO tool, it’s key to consider how smoothly it will integrate with your existing workflow and other digital marketing tools you frequently use.

The easier these tools work together, the more efficient your strategy becomes. 

Long Tail Pro: Integration and Compatibility

Long Tail Pro doesn’t offer direct integration with any other tool. While it focuses primarily on keyword research, it may not necessarily require wide-ranging integrations like more all-around SEO platforms. 

However, its data can be easily exported as a CSV file, giving you the flexibility to use your findings in other applications or tools of your choice, whether it is web analytics, contact management, or other SEO tools. 

Ahrefs: Integration and Compatibility

While Ahrefs doesn’t have many integration options, it does provide a straightforward integration with Google Analytics. Its integration with Google Search Console provides additional data on impressions, clicks, average position, and other vital metrics directly in Ahrefs’s interface. Like with Long Tail Pro, you can export Ahrefs data as a CSV or PDF file. 

For users who picked an Agency Plan, Ahrefs provides API support.

This feature is designed mainly for developers looking to integrate Ahrefs Index data into their applications.

VERDICT:

Given these points, neither tool outshines the other in terms of integration, however, Ahrefs does stand slightly taller, given its direct link to Google Analytics, Search Console, and API support. 

Metrics are the compass guiding your SEO strategy. If the information is not accurate, it may lead to poor decisions and decrease your SEO ranking.

Let’s learn more about the accuracy of Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs data.

Long Tail Pro’s SEO Metrics

Long Tail Pro primarily relies on Google’s Keyword Planner data to provide keyword metrics. While this data is sourced directly from Google, it is important to note that it may not always reflect the most up-to-date information.

Additionally, Long Tail Pro’s keyword competitiveness metric is based on Moz’s Domain Authority, which may not align perfectly with the actual competition levels on search engines.

Ahrefs’ SEO Metrics

On the other hand, Ahrefs has its own web crawler, allowing it to gather large amounts of data directly from the web. This gives Ahrefs the advantage of providing more real-time and comprehensive SEO metrics.

Ahrefs’ keyword difficulty metric, for example, takes into account factors such as the number of referring domains and the strength of those domains, providing a more accurate assessment of keyword competitiveness.

VERDICT:

Ultimately, the accuracy and reliability of SEO metrics can vary depending on various factors, such as the specific keyword or website authority.

The best decision here would be to use both Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs in conjunction with each other to cross-reference and validate the accuracy of data.

When you’re faced with challenges or complexities while using these tools, isn’t it good to know that reliable customer support is there to turn things around? 

Here, I put Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs customer support under the microscope.

Long Tail Pro’s Customer Support

When it comes to customer support, Long Tail Pro offers email and chat-based support. They also maintain a comprehensive knowledge base filled with guides, FAQs, and tutorials. 

They will respond to everything within 24 hours during the week; however, their support hours are limited on weekends.

Ahrefs’ Customer Support

On the contrary, Ahrefs holds a slight advantage here. Not only do they provide email support, but they also have live chat support available 24/5.

They run an extensive knowledge base, including video tutorials on how to use the tool, articles, and even free marketing and SEO courses.

VERDICT:

To wrap up, both Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs offer comprehensive customer support and provide a seamless user experience. However, Ahrefs performs better due to the fastest responses via chat and an extensive database of free resources.

Long Tail Pro Pricing

When it comes to pricing, Long Tail Pro takes a straightforward approach with three different plans on offer: 

A. Starter Plan

For Beginners and Small Teams. This package is priced at $59.99 per month and is perfect for starting your SEO journey.

In this package, you get:

• 800 Keyword Results per 24 Hours
• 30 Tracked Keywords
• 2 Projects

*PRO TIP: You can save 25% with annual billing. 

B. Pro Plan

For Mid-Sized Businesses. At $89.99 per month, this tool offers more quota and is designed for freelancers or smaller businesses with more established SEO operations.

In this package, you get:

• 2500 Keyword Results per 24 Hours
• 200 Tracked Keywords
• 10 Projects

*PRO TIP: You can save 25% with annual billing. 

C. Agency Plan

For Large Agencies and Enterprises. Priced at $299.99 per month, this plan is specific for businesses that require comprehensive SEO solutions.

In this package, you get:

• 6000 Keyword Results per 24 Hours
• 1000 Tracked Keywords
• 35 Projects

*PRO TIP: You can save 25% with annual billing. 

Some may argue that the prices are higher than other tools on the market. However, it’s important to remember that you’re not just paying for bulk data – you’re also paying for accuracy, which is crucial in the world of SEO.

“Remember, investing in an SEO tool is a decision that can significantly impact your business growth.”