Skip to main content
All CollectionsSite ExplorerTerminology
What is Traffic value and Paid traffic cost in Site Explorer?
What is Traffic value and Paid traffic cost in Site Explorer?

Learn more about the organic and paid traffic value metrics in Site Explorer

May avatar
Written by May
Updated over 3 months ago

Organic traffic value

Organic traffic value in Ahrefs Site explorer

Organic traffic value is the equivalent monthly cost of traffic from all keywords that the target website/URL ranks for organically, if that traffic was paid via PPC instead.

We calculate it based on multiplying the monthly organic traffic of each keyword at it's respective ranking position, by their CPC value. Then, we add up the organic traffic cost of individual keywords that the target website/URL ranks for.

In essence, the number gives you a sense of how valuable a domain’s keyword profile is. Another way to think of it is how much money the target website/URL has saved in terms ranking for keywords organically, instead of buying paid traffic.

Paid traffic cost

Cost, under the Paid search section shows the estimated monthly cost of paid search traffic from all the keywords that a target website/URL ranks for via PPC ads.

Paid keywords is determined when an ad for the target website shows up in Google SERPs for its respective keyword.

We calculate it based on multiplying the monthly paid traffic of a keyword by the CPC value. Then, we add up the paid traffic cost of individual paid keywords.

In short:

  • Organic Traffic value is the estimated monthly cost of traffic from all keywords a site is ranking for if paid for via PPC ads.

  • Paid Traffic value is the estimated monthly cost of traffic from the keywords a site is ranking for via PPC ads.

Checking Traffic value history

Go to Site Explorer > Overview > General > and tick the Organic traffic value box:

Organic traffic value history chart in Site Explorer

If you have Weekly or Monthly selected in this graph's frequency, you need to click Avg. organic traffic value.

Traffic value history chart shows you the history of your target website's or URL's traffic value, plotted on a graph.

You can choose between the time periods, years, countries, add competitors and export the graph.

A similar history chart is also available for Paid traffic cost.

Paid traffic cost chart in Ahrefs Site Explorer
Did this answer your question?