stopthebleed.org

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.

ACS Stop the Bleed frames bleeding control training as a public necessity because bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death after injury. The program, run by the American College of Surgeons, cites that 80% of operating room deaths within 24 hours of trauma are due to severe blood loss, and it reports that 17 states have passed bleeding control legislation and that 168 countries are teaching its curriculum. Training matters in this framing because a bystander who knows three basic actions can act before professional help arrives.

The core claim: bleeding is the leading preventable cause of death after injury

The site states plainly that "Bleeding Is the #1 Cause of Preventable Death after Injury." The word "preventable" is the operative one — it means the death was not inevitable given the injury, but resulted from blood loss that could have been controlled.

The supporting statistic on the homepage is specific: 80% of OR deaths within 24 hours of trauma are due to severe blood loss. This points to the early window after injury, when a bystander is most likely to be the only person present who can intervene.

Why bystanders, not just professionals, are the target audience

The program's stated goal is to move people "from bystander to lifesaver." The logic follows from the statistics: if severe blood loss kills within the first 24 hours, and especially in the first minutes, then waiting for emergency services may be too slow. The site says ACS Stop the Bleed "empowers anyone to save a life by learning 3 basic actions to control severe bleeding in an injured person."

The scale claimed is significant — the site says more than 5 million people have been trained, and describes itself as "the largest global provider of bleeding control training." It also identifies itself as "the original U.S. Department of Defense STOP THE BLEED® partner."

What the program points to as evidence of impact

Beyond statistics, the site uses three types of evidence:

The News & Advocacy section carries accounts such as a Georgia instructor who used an ACS Stop the Bleed kit to save a stranger after a motorcycle accident, and first responders who used bleeding control skills on one of their own after a training accident. These stories serve as the program's argument that the training transfers to real, unplanned emergencies.

How to judge whether this matters for you

The case ACS Stop the Bleed makes rests on three checkable claims: bleeding is the top preventable cause of death after injury, severe blood loss drives most early trauma deaths, and trained bystanders can act using a small set of techniques. If those hold, the practical implication is that training has value anywhere severe injury can occur — which the site treats as everyday emergencies plus man-made and natural disasters.

For the specific steps of the training itself, the course content, and how to find or order materials, see the related questions on finding a course near you, ordering kits and stations, and how the program teaches bystanders to control severe bleeding.

You can order Stop the Bleed kits and ACS Emergency Aid Stations directly through stopthebleed.org — the site has both an Order Kits & Stations section and a Shop entry in its main navigation. The kits are designed so that anyone, trained or not, can control life-threatening bleeding; the Emergency Aid Stations bundle multiple lifesaving tools into one high-visibility hub. Before you buy, decide whether you need individual kits (for a bag, vehicle, or classroom) or a station (for a wall in a hallway, lobby, or jobsite), and how many people each unit needs to cover.

What the two product types are for

The site describes two distinct offerings, and picking the right one is the main decision:

The kit is the portable, single-purpose option. The station is the fixed, shared option. If your goal is "one kit per person" or "one kit per room," go with kits. If your goal is "anyone in this building can find and use this in an emergency," the station's high-visibility design is the point.

Steps to order

1. Go to stopthebleed.org and use the Shop or Order Kits & Stations entry in the top navigation.
2. Choose the product type — kit or Emergency Aid Station — based on the table above.
3. Confirm what's in the kit or station before checkout, so it matches the bleeding-control techniques you expect to use (the site's "How to Control Bleeding" section covers the three core techniques).
4. Decide quantity by counting the locations or people you're equipping, not just the number of buildings.
5. Complete the order through the shop.

The site does not publish pricing on the pages reviewed here, so treat cost as something you confirm in the shop itself rather than assuming a figure.

Should you get trained first?

The site's own framing suggests yes, and it's cheap to do: "Get trained to Stop the Bleed with an ACS course," and you can Find a Course from the homepage. The program says more than 5 million people have been trained, and it positions itself as the original U.S. Department of Defense STOP THE BLEED® partner.

Training matters for a practical reason: a kit you don't know how to open and apply under pressure is just equipment. The site demonstrates the techniques — including work by Megan Quintana, MD, FACS — so you can see what the kit contents are meant to do before you buy.

Why this is worth doing at all

The site's stated rationale is blunt: bleeding is the #1 cause of preventable death after injury, and 80% of operating-room deaths within 24 hours of trauma are due to severe blood loss. It also notes 17 states have passed bleeding control legislation and 168 countries are teaching the program. Those numbers are the argument for putting kits and stations where injuries actually happen — not in a supply closet.

There are also real-world cases on the site: a Georgia instructor used an ACS Stop the Bleed kit to save a stranger after a motorcycle accident; first responders used bleeding control skills on one of their own after a training-exercise neck injury; and crash survivor Vansh Patel became an advocate, saying "tourniquets save lives." These illustrate the intended use case — the kit is for the minutes before professional help arrives.

Common snags

• Buying kits but never training. The site pairs "Get Trained" with "Order Kits & Stations" for a reason; do both.
• One kit for a whole building. A single kit in a large facility may be too far away to reach in time. Match quantity to locations and traffic.
• Skipping the station when visibility is the problem. In a public or shared space, the high-visibility hub is the feature that makes the equipment findable under stress.
• Assuming a price or free shipping. Not stated on the pages reviewed — check the shop.

ACS Stop the Bleed (stopthebleed.org) is the American College of Surgeons program that trains ordinary bystanders—not just medical professionals—to control life-threatening bleeding using three basic actions. If you want to know what to do in a bleeding emergency and where to learn it, the site's core answer is: find an instructor-led course through Get Trained, and use the three techniques demonstrated there. The program reports more than 5 million people trained and courses taught in 168 countries, and it identifies itself as the original U.S. Department of Defense STOP THE BLEED® partner.

The three bleeding control actions the site teaches

The site frames the stakes directly: bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death after injury, and 80% of operating room deaths within 24 hours of trauma are due to severe blood loss. Its "How to Control Bleeding" section states that anyone can save a life using three techniques, demonstrated by Megan Quintana, MD, FACS.

The page names the three actions as a set but does not spell out each step in the text captured here. What it does make clear is the intended audience and delivery: the techniques are taught for use by bystanders in an emergency, and the demonstration is the reference point for the mechanics. To get the actual step-by-step hand positions, pressure points, and tourniquet application, you need the course or the demonstration itself rather than the summary page.

Why the bystander framing matters

The program's stated goal is to move you "from bystander to lifesaver." That framing sets expectations for the course: it assumes no medical background, and it is built around the first minutes after an injury, before responders arrive. The site's news stories reinforce this—an instructor who had taught courses for a decade used a Stop the Bleed kit to help a stranger after a motorcycle accident in Georgia, and first responders used bleeding control skills on one of their own after a training accident left him bleeding from the neck.

How to find and take a course

The primary path on the site is Get Trained, which leads to Find a Course. The flow is:

1. Go to stopthebleed.org and select Get Trained.
2. Use Find a Course to locate an instructor-led ACS course near you.
3. Complete the course to learn the three bleeding control actions hands-on.

The site describes its offering as "the premier bleeding control course" and positions itself as the largest global provider of bleeding control training. Courses are taught by instructors, and there is a separate Instructor Portal for people who teach them.

What to expect and what to verify

• Format: The site's language points to instructor-led courses found through Find a Course, not a self-paced online module. Confirm the format when you search.
• Audience: Designed for anyone, including people with no medical training.
• Verification: Because the page does not list course length, cost, or certification details, check those on the individual course listing before you commit.

Kits and stations you can order

Beyond training, the site sells the tools that support the techniques. Order Kits & Stations covers two products:

The site's description says you can "order Stop the Bleed kits," and the navigation includes both Shop and Buy a Kit. Pricing, shipping, and payment details are not stated in the material available here, so treat cost and availability as something to confirm at checkout rather than assuming.

Where the program's claims come from

The site supports its message with program-level numbers: 17 states have passed bleeding control legislation, 168 countries teach ACS Stop the Bleed, and more than 5 million people have been trained. These are the program's own figures and are useful for judging scale and adoption, not as clinical guidance.

For the actual emergency procedure, the site directs you to its demonstration and its courses. If your goal is to be ready to act, the practical next step is to find a course through Get Trained and learn the three actions directly from an instructor.

Go to stopthebleed.org and use the Find a Course link to search for a nearby ACS Stop the Bleed course; instructors and course organizers use the separate Instructor Portal for teaching resources. The site states that ACS Stop the Bleed is taught in 168 countries, so the course search is the right starting point whether you are looking for an in-person class or a course run by a local instructor.

Start with the Find a Course entry point

The ACS Stop the Bleed homepage lists Get Trained as a primary section, with a Find a Course link. That is the intended path for a bystander who wants training rather than teaching materials.

What to do:

1. Open stopthebleed.org.
2. Select Get Trained or Find a Course.
3. Search by your location to see available courses.
4. Check the course details before registering — the site notes that courses are delivered by many different providers, so format, language, and schedule can vary by listing.

Expected result: you get a list of courses you can register for, or contact information for the organizer running them.

If you cannot find a local course

Course availability depends on whether an instructor or organization near you is running classes. If the search returns nothing close by:

• Widen your search area and check again later — new courses are added as instructors schedule them.
• Look at the News & Advocacy section, which describes how ACS Stop the Bleed has been delivered across the country after everyday emergencies and disasters; it can point you toward organizations active in bleeding control training.
• Consider whether a nearby hospital, fire department, school, or workplace safety program is hosting a course, since these are common hosts for bystander training.

For instructors: use the Instructor Portal

If you are already an instructor or want to teach, the Instructor Portal is the separate entry point on the site. It is where instructors access teaching resources. This is distinct from the learner-facing course search, so do not use the Find a Course path if your goal is to teach.

What the course teaches

The ACS Stop the Bleed course covers three basic actions to control severe bleeding in an injured person. The site frames the program as turning a bystander into a lifesaver, and states that more than 5 million people have been trained. The core message behind the training: bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death after injury.

Quick reference

Common snags

• No results nearby: course listings depend on local instructors; try a wider radius or check back.
• Confusing the two portals: learners use Find a Course; instructors use the Instructor Portal.
• Assuming one standard format: courses are run by many providers, so confirm the language, duration, and location in the specific listing.
• Browser issues: the site notes it is not compatible with Internet Explorer 11, so use an updated browser if pages do not load correctly.