How Do I Clean Up Ahrefs Reports Before Sending Them to Clients?

If you work in SEO and handle client reporting, you know that raw backlink data can be messy. Spam backlinks not only inflate Ahrefs metrics but also cause confusion and mislead clients about the true health of their link profile. Before submitting Ahrefs reports, cleaning them up is crucial for accuracy and professionalism.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the exact steps I use to clean Ahrefs reports. These include leveraging Ahrefs Site Explorer, using spam backlinks from directories the “Best links” feature with a custom exclusion list, saving custom default views, and understanding filtering vs. disavowing for long term SEO health. I’ll also share a real-world example with 3,192 spam domains identified in a single report — a number that would otherwise skew client perception drastically.

Why Cleaning Ahrefs Reports Matters for Client Reporting

Spam backlinks can seriously inflate both the quantity and quality metrics of a backlink profile shown in Ahrefs. Many SEO tools proudly display huge link counts and appearances from “powerful” domains without highlighting low-quality or spammy ones. This can mislead clients into thinking their link profile is stronger or cleaner than it really is.

For honest client reporting, you want to:

Remove or hide spammy links that will cause false optimism. Focus on relevant, high-quality backlinks that deliver real SEO value. Provide a transparent, professional report that you can back up with data. Save your workspace with cleaned-up views for repeated use and faster reporting.

Step 1: Start With Ahrefs Site Explorer Raw Data

Open Ahrefs Site Explorer for your client’s domain. You’ll see the default backlinks overview, showing metrics like:

Metric What It Means Backlinks Total number of linking pages detected Referring domains Number of unique domains linking in Domain Rating (DR) Ahrefs estimate of domain authority

Look carefully at referring domains. In one of my recent client audits, I spotted 3,192 spam domains inflating the report — some obviously brand new or expired domains, others clearly link farms (site networks). You do not want best links feature ahrefs to pass this raw data on to a client.

Step 2: Use the "Best Links" Feature With a Custom Exclusion List

Ahrefs’ Best links feature helps spotlight the most impactful backlinks by default. It filters out weaker, less significant links to give a cleaner view. However, it doesn’t catch everything—spam domains can still sneak through.

Here’s how to customize and improve it:

Click the Best links tab within Site Explorer's Backlink section. Export or review the list to spot suspicious domains (e.g. obvious spam, PBNs, expired domains). Maintain a personal blocklist of repeat-offender spam domains (these often appear in multiple client profiles). Use the Referring domains exclude filter to add these spammy domains to your current view's exclusion list.

This process narrows the link list down to quality backlinks, greatly improving client reporting clarity.

Why Your Custom Blocklist Matters

Most spam domains are repeat offenders. I keep a growing blocklist of domains proven harmful or useless over the last 11 years in SEO. Adding this list to filters before sending reports saves hours and stops misleading metric inflation.

Step 3: Save a Default View With Your Filters for Repeatable Reporting

Once you’ve created your ideal filtered view in Site Explorer, you should:

Click the “Save view” button (or similar, depending on UI updates in Ahrefs) to store this filtered list as a default. Name the saved view something clear, like “Best links default – spam removed”. Use this saved view for all future client reports on this domain to maintain consistency and save time.

Saving a default view is a lifesaver, especially when handling multiple clients or domains. It ensures you’re never starting from scratch and that you present consistent findings over time.

Step 4: Understand Filtering vs. Disavowing Links and Why It Matters

There’s a big difference between filtering spam links in your reports, and disavowing domains in Google Search Console or other backlink tools.

Filtering (in Ahrefs reports) Disavowing (Google Search Console) Hides spam domains and links from reports for clearer client deliverables Instructs Google to ignore specified links for ranking calculations Improves reporting accuracy and client trust Improves SEO health and reduces negative ranking impact Does NOT impact actual SEO or link juice Actually affects Google’s processing of links

Filtering is for your eyes and client presentation only. If spam links are damaging SEO, taking the extra step to disavow is necessary too. But never confuse the two – a clean report does not replace proactive link management.

Bonus Tips for Link Cleanup in Ahrefs Reports

Look for PBN footprints: Identical anchor text patterns, repeated domains, or sites with suspicious backlink traffic spikes. Don’t over-filter: Removing too many links can hide important ones. Strike a balance to preserve real link value. Count clicks and time saved: By optimizing your blocklist and saved views, you’ll cut hours off each client report preparation. Watch out for misleading tool claims: Ahrefs metrics are powerful but not perfect. Use manual review to confirm suspicious spam rather than blindly trusting any one filter or spam score.

Conclusion

Cleaning up your Ahrefs backlink reports before sending them to clients is one of the most important tasks you can do to maintain credibility and deliver actionable SEO insights. Spam backlinks inflate metrics, confuse clients, and can hide true link quality.

By using Ahrefs Site Explorer’s “Best links” feature alongside a custom exclusion list, saving default views, and understanding the difference between filtering and disavowing, you take control of client reporting and SEO performance tracking.

If you audit your backlink profiles regularly, you’ll quickly build an extensive personal blocklist — which will save you time and improve data clarity on every project. Remember the importance of balance in filtering, and always aim to deliver honest, meaningful reports your clients can trust.

For instance, spotting and excluding 3,192 spam domains in a single audit can completely change how a client perceives their backlink profile and the SEO strategy moving forward.

Start cleaning your reports today — your clients will thank you for it.