Intermediate
How to analyze structured data implementation on Ahrefs
Quick Answer
Ahrefs doesn't directly analyze structured data implementation, but you can use Site Audit to identify pages with missing schema markup and combine it with third-party tools for comprehensive analysis. Use the Site Audit feature to crawl your website and identify technical SEO issues related to structured data.
Prerequisites
- Active Ahrefs subscription
- Basic understanding of structured data and schema markup
- Knowledge of HTML and JSON-LD formats
- Familiarity with SEO fundamentals
1
Set up Site Audit project
Navigate to Site Audit in the left sidebar and click + New project. Enter your website URL and configure crawl settings. Under Advanced settings, ensure JavaScript rendering is enabled to detect dynamically loaded structured data. Set crawl limits based on your site size and click Start audit.
Tip
Enable JavaScript rendering to catch structured data added via tag managers or dynamic content.
2
Access structured data issues
Once the audit completes, go to All issues tab in your Site Audit project. Use the search filter and type
structured data or schema to find related issues. Look for warnings like Missing structured data or Invalid markup detected. Click on each issue to see affected pages.Tip
Sort issues by severity to prioritize critical structured data problems first.
3
Analyze page-level implementation
Select a specific page from the issues list and click View in Site Explorer. In the page details, scroll to On-page section. While Ahrefs doesn't show raw structured data, you can see meta tags and page elements. Use the HTTP response tab to view source code and manually inspect JSON-LD or microdata implementation.
Tip
Cross-reference with Google's Rich Results Test tool for detailed structured data validation.
4
Monitor competitor structured data
Enter competitor domains in Site Explorer and navigate to Top pages. Select high-performing pages and use SERP overview to see if they have rich snippets. Click View SERP to analyze which competitors appear with enhanced results like star ratings, FAQ snippets, or breadcrumbs.
Tip
Focus on competitors ranking for your target keywords with rich snippets to identify schema opportunities.
5
Track rich snippet opportunities
In Keywords Explorer, search for your target keywords. Look at the SERP overview section and identify results with rich snippets (star ratings, featured snippets, FAQ boxes). Note the SERP features column showing percentage of keywords triggering rich results. Export this data to prioritize schema implementation.
Tip
Target keywords with high rich snippet occurrence but where you currently lack structured data.
6
Set up monitoring alerts
Create a new Alert by going to Alerts in the main menu. Set up Web monitoring alerts for your key pages to track when rich snippets appear or disappear. Configure Ranking alerts to monitor if structured data implementation improves your search visibility for target keywords.
Tip
Set alerts for 2-4 weeks after implementing structured data to measure impact on search results.
7
Generate implementation reports
In your Site Audit project, go to Overview and scroll to Issues over time. Export structured data related issues by clicking Export and filtering for schema-related problems. Create custom reports combining this data with ranking performance from Rank Tracker to measure structured data ROI.
Tip
Schedule monthly reports to track structured data implementation progress and search performance correlation.
Troubleshooting
Site Audit not detecting structured data issues
Ensure JavaScript rendering is enabled in crawl settings and increase crawl depth. Some structured data implementations require full page rendering to be detected properly.
Cannot see competitor structured data details
Ahrefs shows SERP features but not raw schema code. Use Google's Rich Results Test tool alongside Ahrefs data, or inspect competitor page source manually for detailed analysis.
Missing rich snippet tracking data
Rich snippets may not appear immediately after implementation. Allow 2-4 weeks for Google to process changes, and use Keywords Explorer historical data to track SERP feature changes over time.
Structured data alerts not triggering
Rich snippet alerts depend on ranking position changes. Set up broader SERP feature monitoring in addition to specific ranking alerts, and ensure alert frequency matches your update schedule.
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