Domain Rating Comparison → Competitive Positioning

Compare domain authority across competitors with Ahrefs and craft positioning messaging with Mavera

Scenario

Compare domain ratings and backlink profiles across your competitors to understand authority gaps, then use Mavera to craft competitive positioning messaging and an authority-appropriate brand voice. The metrics endpoint returns domain rating, total backlinks, referring domains, and organic traffic estimates for any target.

Architecture

Code

Python

import os, requests, time

AH = os.environ["AHREFS_API_TOKEN"]
MV = os.environ["MAVERA_API_KEY"]
MB = "https://app.mavera.io/api/v1"
AH_H = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {AH}", "Accept": "application/json"}
MH = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {MV}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}
DOMAINS = ["yourdomain.com", "competitor1.com", "competitor2.com", "competitor3.com"]

metrics = []
for domain in DOMAINS:
    resp = requests.get("https://api.ahrefs.com/v3/site-explorer/metrics", headers=AH_H,
        params={"target": domain, "select": "domain_rating,backlinks,referring_domains,"
                "organic_traffic,organic_keywords"})
    resp.raise_for_status()
    data = resp.json()
    data["domain"] = domain
    metrics.append(data)
    time.sleep(1)

metrics.sort(key=lambda m: m.get("domain_rating", 0), reverse=True)
landscape = "\n".join(
    f"- {m['domain']} | DR: {m.get('domain_rating', 0)} | backlinks: {m.get('backlinks', 0):,} | "
    f"ref domains: {m.get('referring_domains', 0):,} | traffic: {m.get('organic_traffic', 0):,}"
    for m in metrics)
our = next(m for m in metrics if m["domain"] == DOMAINS[0])
our_rank = next(i for i, m in enumerate(metrics) if m["domain"] == DOMAINS[0]) + 1
print(f"Your DR: {our.get('domain_rating', 0)} (#{our_rank}/{len(DOMAINS)})\n{landscape}")

positioning = requests.post(f"{MB}/mave/chat", headers=MH, json={
    "message": f"Competitive SEO positioning.\n\nLANDSCAPE:\n{landscape}\n\n"
               f"We are: {DOMAINS[0]} (#{our_rank}).\n\nProvide: 1) Authority gap "
               f"2) Backlink strategy 3) Differentiation 4) Messaging positioning "
               f"5) 3 positioning statements",
}).json()
print("\n=== Positioning ===")
print(positioning.get("content", "")[:1500])

bv = requests.post(f"{MB}/brand-voices", headers=MH, json={
    "name": f"Authority Voice — DR {our.get('domain_rating', 0)}",
    "description": f"Voice for DR {our.get('domain_rating', 0)}, #{our_rank} of "
                   f"{len(DOMAINS)}. Confident, data-led, not defensive.",
    "samples": [
        "We test content with real audiences before publishing — that's why it converts.",
        "3,000+ focus group responses shaped this. Others guess. We validate.",
    ],
}).json()
print(f"\nBrand voice: {bv.get('id')}")

Example Output

{
  "landscape": [
    { "domain": "competitor1.com", "domain_rating": 78, "backlinks": 245000 },
    { "domain": "competitor2.com", "domain_rating": 65, "backlinks": 89000 },
    { "domain": "yourdomain.com", "domain_rating": 52, "backlinks": 34000 },
    { "domain": "competitor3.com", "domain_rating": 41, "backlinks": 12000 }
  ],
  "authority_gap": "26 DR points behind leader — closable with focused link building",
  "brand_voice_id": "bv_a1b2c3d4"
}

Error Handling

403 Forbidden on metrics endpoint

Your Ahrefs plan may not include API access to Site Explorer. Verify your subscription tier supports API calls at Ahrefs → Subscription.

Inconsistent DR across calls

Domain Rating updates asynchronously in Ahrefs’ index. If comparing competitors, pull all metrics in the same session to ensure consistent snapshot timing.