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If you're new to Ahrefs and want to run your first SEO audit, the fastest path is: open Site Explorer, enter your target URL, review the Overview for a health snapshot, then dig into Organic Keywords, Top Pages, and Site Audit to find specific problems. From there, build a short prioritized to-do list instead of trying to fix everything at once.

This tutorial walks through that workflow using a realistic starting scenario, explains what the numbers mean, and shows how to turn findings into actions.

Before You Start: Pick a Narrow Scope

A common beginner mistake is auditing an entire large website on day one. The reports become overwhelming, and you can't tell which issues matter.

Instead, choose one of these starting points:

• A single important page (your homepage or a key product/service page)
• A small site (under ~50 pages, e.g., a personal blog or small business site)
• One section of a bigger site (e.g., /blog/)

For this tutorial, assume you're auditing a small business site with about 30 pages. The same steps scale up later.

You'll need an Ahrefs account to follow along. Ahrefs offers paid plans, and pricing and feature limits change over time, so check the current Pricing page for what's included in each tier before committing.

Step 1: Enter Your Target in Site Explorer

Site Explorer is Ahrefs' core tool for analyzing any website or URL.

1. Open Site Explorer from the top navigation.
2. In the search box, paste your domain (e.g., example.com).
3. Choose the Exact URL or Domain mode depending on scope. For a full-site view, use Domain or Prefix; for a single page, use Exact URL.
4. Press Enter.

You'll land on the Overview report. Don't try to absorb everything — focus on four numbers first.

Reading the Overview Snapshot

Important caveat: Ahrefs' traffic and keyword numbers are estimates based on its own data. They won't match Google Search Console or your analytics exactly. Treat them as directional, not absolute.

Step 2: See What You Already Rank For

Go to Organic Keywords in the left sidebar. This shows queries where your site appears in search results.

Sort by Traffic (descending) to see which pages bring the most estimated visitors. Then look for:

• Keywords ranking in positions 4–15 — these are often the easiest wins. A small content or on-page improvement can push them onto page one.
• Keywords with high volume but low position — potential opportunities if the topic is relevant.
• Irrelevant keywords — if you rank for something off-topic, it may signal thin or mismatched content.

Write down 5–10 of the position 4–15 keywords. These become your first optimization targets.

Step 3: Find Your Best and Weakest Pages

Open Top Pages. This ranks your URLs by estimated organic traffic.

Look for two things:

1. Your top performers — understand what topics and formats work. Can you create more content like this?
2. Pages with traffic but poor rankings — these may need on-page fixes (title, headings, internal links).

If a page gets zero traffic and targets a topic you care about, it's a candidate for a rewrite or consolidation.

Step 4: Run a Technical Site Audit

Now move to Site Audit. This crawls your site and flags technical and on-page issues.

1. Click Site Audit → New project.
2. Enter your domain and set crawl settings (default is usually fine for a small site).
3. Start the crawl and wait for it to finish.

Once complete, you'll see a Health Score and a list of issues grouped by category.

Which Issues to Fix First

Not all issues are equal. Prioritize in this order:

Ignore low-impact warnings (like minor meta description length) until the big items are handled.

Step 5: Turn Findings Into a To-Do List

You now have raw data. Convert it into a short, actionable list. Example:

1. Fix 3 broken links found in Site Audit.
2. Rewrite title tags on 5 pages with duplicate titles.
3. Improve 4 pages ranking in positions 6–12 by adding missing subtopics and internal links.
4. Remove or update 2 thin pages with no traffic.

Keep the list to 5–10 items max for your first audit. Finishing a short list beats starting a long one.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Chasing every red flag. Site Audit flags many minor issues. Fix what affects rankings and users first.
• Trusting estimates as exact numbers. Ahrefs data is modeled, not measured from your analytics.
• Auditing a huge site too early. Start small to learn the interface.
• Ignoring search intent. A page can be technically perfect but still fail if it doesn't match what searchers want.
• Forgetting to re-crawl. After fixes, run Site Audit again to confirm improvements.

Where to Go Next

Once your first audit is done:

• Compare with competitors using Site Explorer's Competing Domains and Content Gap reports.
• Track keyword rankings over time with Rank Tracker.
• Explore backlink opportunities in the Backlinks and Link Intersect reports.
• Set up recurring Site Audit crawls so new issues surface automatically.

Your first audit isn't about perfection — it's about building a repeatable habit: enter a target, read the key reports, pick the highest-impact fixes, and act. Do that once a month and your site's health compounds.

Arborsculpture is the practice of shaping living trees—through bending, pruning, grafting, and guiding their growth over years—so they eventually hold a designed form such as a chair, bench, archway, spiral, or heart. Rather than carving dead wood, the artist works with the tree's own growth, and the structure becomes stronger and more permanent as the wood thickens. The related terms pleaching, tree shaping, espalier, and inosculation describe specific techniques or traditions within this broader idea.

The vocabulary: what each term actually means

These words are often used interchangeably, but they are not identical. Knowing the difference helps you describe what you want and understand what an artist is offering.

Inosculation is the quiet miracle behind the craft. When two living stems are held in contact and their bark is removed at the contact point, the cambium layers can knit together. Over time the join becomes as solid as a single trunk. This is why a grown chair can bear weight without nails, bolts, or glue.

How a living tree becomes a chair or archway

The process is slow, patient, and guided rather than forced. A general sequence looks like this:

1. Species and site selection. The artist chooses trees suited to the local climate and to bending. Willows, poplars, maples, sycamores, and some fruit trees are common because they grow vigorously and tolerate training. Climate matters: a species that thrives in a mild, wet region may fail in a hot, dry one.
2. Establishing the frame. Young, flexible saplings are planted in a layout that matches the intended form—two rows for an archway, a cluster for a chair, a circle for a spiral.
3. Training and bending. Stems are bent into position and held with temporary supports, ties, or a growing frame. The tree is not coerced beyond what it can tolerate; growth is redirected gradually.
4. Grafting and inosculation. Where stems meet, the artist may encourage them to fuse. This creates the structural joints.
5. Pruning and shaping. Side branches are removed or redirected to concentrate growth where the form needs it. This repeats season after season.
6. Waiting. This is the defining feature. A recognizable chair or archway can take many years to mature, and the piece keeps changing after that.

Because the timeline is measured in years, not weeks, commissioning a piece is closer to planting a long-term relationship than ordering furniture.

Typical forms and where they make sense

• Chairs and benches. Grown seating works as garden focal points, memorial pieces, or sculptural furniture. It is living, so it belongs outdoors or in a climate-controlled indoor space with enough light.
• Archways and tunnels. These frame paths, gates, and garden entrances. They can also support climbing plants.
• Spirals and hearts. Purely sculptural forms that demonstrate the technique and serve as landmarks or photo points.
• Living fences and screens. Pleached or espaliered rows provide privacy and structure while remaining alive.

A practical rule: match the form to the space and the climate first, then to aesthetics. A heart-shaped tree in a windy, exposed site will struggle regardless of how good the design is.

Commissioning a custom living-tree piece

If you are considering a commission, the conversation usually moves through a few stages. Exact terms, lead times, and prices depend on the artist and the project, so treat the following as a framework rather than a quote.

1. Initial inquiry

Describe your site: climate, sunlight, soil, available space, and how the piece will be used. Photos and rough dimensions help. Mention whether the piece is for a private garden, a public space, or a memorial.

2. Feasibility and species discussion

The artist assesses whether your climate and site can support the intended form, and which species are realistic. This is where expectations get calibrated—some forms are simply not viable in some regions.

3. Design and scope

You agree on the form, approximate mature size, and the level of ongoing care required. Clarify who maintains the tree during establishment and after handover.

4. Timeline and booking

Because growth cannot be rushed, booking often involves scheduling planting and then years of intermittent shaping visits. Ask what the milestones look like and what happens if a tree fails.

5. Agreement and care plan

A written scope should cover species, form, site preparation, maintenance responsibilities, and what "complete" means for a living, changing artwork.

Practical considerations before you commit

• Time to maturity. Expect years, not months. A young planting may need a decade or more to read clearly as its intended form.
• Climate and species. Choose trees proven in your region. Vigorous, flexible species are easier to train; slow-growing or brittle ones are harder.
• Long-term care. Living sculptures need pruning, watering during establishment, and occasional re-training. Neglect can undo years of shaping.
• Structural limits. A grown joint can be remarkably strong, but load-bearing seating still depends on species, age, and design. Discuss weight and use with the artist.
• Site permanence. A living piece is difficult to move. Plan its location carefully.
• Permits and safety. Public installations may require approvals, and any structure people sit or climb on should be assessed for safety.

The ecological angle

Because the artwork is a growing tree, it continues to photosynthesize, store carbon, and support soil life for as long as it lives. This is the ecological appeal of arborsculpture: the object sequesters carbon rather than emitting it during manufacture. A grown bench or archway is, in effect, a long-term carbon sink that also happens to be functional art.

That said, it is worth being precise. The carbon benefit comes from the tree's ongoing growth and the fact that the wood is not burned or left to decay quickly. It is not a substitute for forests, and a single sculptural tree stores a modest amount of carbon compared with a stand of trees. The value is partly symbolic and educational—it demonstrates that useful objects can be grown rather than built.

Common questions

Is arborsculpture the same as bonsai? No. Bonsai miniaturizes trees in containers. Arborsculpture typically grows trees at or near full size and shapes them into functional or sculptural forms.

Do the trees get hurt? Well-practiced bending and grafting work with the tree's growth rather than against it, but any training involves stress and pruning wounds. Skilled timing and species selection reduce risk.

Can I do this myself? Yes, at a small scale. Start with a flexible species, a simple form like a small arch or spiral, and expect to learn over several seasons. For a large or load-bearing piece, working with an experienced grower is safer.

How do I start a commission? Contact the studio with your site details, intended form, and timeline. Expect a feasibility discussion before any design or booking.

Arborsculpture rewards patience. The core idea is simple—guide a living tree into a shape and let time do the building—but the execution depends on climate, species, careful grafting, and years of attention. If you want a chair, bench, or archway that grows stronger as it ages, the first step is an honest conversation about your site and how long you are willing to wait.