> Ahrefs Analytics and GDPR: how its cookieless measurement works, when it can run without a consent banner, transfers to Singapore and your privacy policy. > > Canonical: https://www.flowconsent.com/en/services/analytics/ahrefs-analytics Analytics # Ahrefs Analytics Analytics Ahrefs Analytics (Ahrefs Web Analytics) is the cookieless, privacy first audience measurement product from Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. (Singapore). A single first party snippet posts aggregated page views and referrer data to AWS EU regions and never writes cookies or localStorage on the visitor's device. Under the conditions set by the CNIL, AEPD and other EU regulators, Ahrefs Analytics can usually be deployed without a cookie consent banner, but the international transfer to Singapore must still be documented. [Block Ahrefs Analytics until consent](https://app.flowconsent.com/auth/sign-up?utm_source=flowconsent.com\&utm_medium=referral\&utm_campaign=analytics) · [Scan my site](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/scan) At a glance - Category [Analytics](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/services/analytics) - Consent Analytics - Prior consent Not required - Documented cookies 0 - Third-party domains 3 - Servers Singapore (Ahrefs Pte. Ltd., headquarters); processing on AWS regions, with EU customers served from AWS Frankfurt (eu central 1) and Dublin (eu west 1) Overview ## What does Ahrefs Analytics do? ## **What is Ahrefs Analytics?** Ahrefs Analytics, sometimes called Ahrefs Web Analytics, is a free privacy first audience measurement product from Ahrefs Pte. Ltd., a Singapore based SEO and marketing intelligence company. It is the company's answer to Google Analytics 4 and to other privacy focused tools such as Plausible, Fathom and Simple Analytics. A single first party JavaScript snippet, around 1 KB, is loaded from analytics.ahrefs.com on every page and reports basic visit metrics directly to the Ahrefs backend. The product was designed to be cookieless and to give publishers a way to run analytics without a cookie banner under EU rules. It exposes traffic, top pages, top referrers, devices, countries and basic conversion goals, but does not provide individual user identifiers, cross site tracking or remarketing audiences. ## **Data collected and storage** For each page view, the Ahrefs snippet sends the URL, the document title, the referrer, the screen size, the language, the user agent string and the IP address of the visitor. On the server side, the IP and user agent are combined with a daily rotating salt to derive a short hash that allows session and unique visit counting for one day, after which the hash can no longer be recomputed. No cookies, no localStorage, no IndexedDB and no fingerprinting are written on the visitor's device. EU traffic is processed and stored on AWS Frankfurt (eu central 1) and Dublin (eu west 1). Aggregated reporting data is retained while the property is active; the raw, hashed event data is kept for a limited window for analytics computation. ## **GDPR and ePrivacy implications** Because Ahrefs Analytics never writes anything on the visitor's device, Art. 5(3) ePrivacy (the cookie rule) does not apply. The processing remains personal data processing under the GDPR (the IP is briefly hashed) but the design fits the criteria the CNIL set out in its 2022 guidance for exemption from prior consent (cookieless audience measurement, no cross site tracking, limited purposes, no transfer to third parties for commercial use). The Spanish AEPD, the German federal and Land DPAs and the Italian Garante have published similar reasoning. As a result, most EU publishers can deploy Ahrefs Analytics on legitimate interest with a documented Legitimate Interest Assessment, and disclose the tool in the privacy notice rather than behind a consent toggle. ## **International data transfers** Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. is incorporated in Singapore, which does not have an EU adequacy decision. EU customer data is processed on AWS EU regions, but operational access from Singapore (engineering, support) qualifies as an international transfer. The Ahrefs DPA incorporates the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (modules 2 and 3) and the UK International Data Transfer Addendum. A short Transfer Impact Assessment should note the absence of US style mass surveillance laws in Singapore, the limited categories of data processed (no special category data, no identifiers) and the technical measures (hashing, EU storage) that reduce residual risk. ## **Practical compliance steps** Sign the Ahrefs DPA from your account. Add Ahrefs Analytics to your privacy notice, describing the cookieless design and the transfer to Singapore. Update your Article 30 record. Document a Legitimate Interest Assessment and, if relevant, a Transfer Impact Assessment. The cookie banner is generally not necessary for this tool, but the privacy notice must still inform users. Compliance ## Ahrefs Analytics and the GDPR - Legal basis Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) for cookieless aggregated audience measurement, because no cookies or comparable identifiers are stored on the visitor's device and only a salted, rotating hash is used. Many EU DPAs (CNIL in France, AEPD in Spain, BfDI in Germany) accept this category of analytics without prior consent, provided the implementation is properly configured. - Risk level low - Applicable regulations GDPR, UK GDPR, ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC, Singapore PDPA, US CCPA/CPRA ### Impact assessment (DPIA) A DPIA is not normally required for Ahrefs Analytics because there are no cookies or local identifiers, no cross site tracking and no profiling. A short legitimate interest balancing test (LIA) is recommended to document the cookieless design and the transfer to Singapore, especially for high traffic publishers and public sector websites. ### Sample text for your banner > We use Ahrefs Analytics (Ahrefs Pte. Ltd., Singapore), a cookieless audience measurement tool that does not set cookies or local identifiers and only sends aggregated, salted data to AWS EU servers. International transfers to Singapore are covered by Standard Contractual Clauses. Details in our privacy policy. Cookies and trackers ## What Ahrefs Analytics sets and contacts - Tracking method Privacy first, cookieless web analytics: a single first party JavaScript snippet loaded from analytics.ahrefs.com or v2.analytics.ahrefs.com that posts page views, referrer, screen, language and a daily rotating salted hash of the visitor IP and user agent to Ahrefs backend; no cookies and no localStorage are written - Server location Singapore (Ahrefs Pte. Ltd., headquarters); processing on AWS regions, with EU customers served from AWS Frankfurt (eu central 1) and Dublin (eu west 1) - Cookieless mode available Yes - Data transferred outside the EU Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. is incorporated in Singapore. Singapore has not received a European Commission adequacy decision. The Ahrefs DPA includes the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (modules 2 and 3) and the UK International Data Transfer Addendum. EU customer data is processed primarily on AWS eu central 1 and eu west 1 regions with limited Singapore based access for support and operations. ### Third-party domains contacted (3) - `analytics.ahrefs.com` - `v2.analytics.ahrefs.com` - `static.ahrefs.com` Questions ## Frequently asked questions about Ahrefs Analytics Can't find your question? Write to us, we answer fast. [Write to us](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/demo) ### What cookies does Ahrefs Analytics set? None. Ahrefs Analytics is cookieless by design. The snippet from analytics.ahrefs.com only sends page view events to the Ahrefs backend and does not write any cookie, localStorage, IndexedDB or fingerprint on the visitor's device. Unique visit counting is done server side using a daily rotating salted hash of the IP and user agent. ### Do I need consent to use Ahrefs Analytics? No, in most EU jurisdictions you do not need prior consent. Art. 5(3) ePrivacy only covers technologies that store information on the visitor's device, which Ahrefs Analytics never does. The cookieless audience measurement exemption confirmed by the CNIL, AEPD and other DPAs applies. You still need to inform users in your privacy notice. ### What is the legal basis for processing data through Ahrefs Analytics? Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) for cookieless aggregated audience measurement. The IP is briefly hashed and never stored in clear text. A short Legitimate Interest Assessment should document the limited purposes and the cookieless design. ### Does Ahrefs Analytics transfer data to third countries? Yes. Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. is incorporated in Singapore, which does not have an EU adequacy decision. EU customer data is stored on AWS Frankfurt and Dublin, but support and engineering staff can access it from Singapore. Transfers are covered by the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK IDTA in the Ahrefs DPA. ### Do I need a DPIA for Ahrefs Analytics? No, a full DPIA is not normally required because there are no cookies, no cross site tracking, no profiling and no special category data. A short Legitimate Interest Assessment is recommended, plus a Transfer Impact Assessment for the Singapore link. ### How do I implement Ahrefs Analytics compliantly? Sign the Ahrefs DPA, add the snippet to your site, configure the property in your Ahrefs account, list Ahrefs Analytics in your privacy notice and Article 30 record, document the LIA and TIA, and skip the cookie banner. Make sure no other Ahrefs script (Site Audit, Site Explorer crawls) is loaded on visitor pages. ### Are there alternatives to Ahrefs Analytics? For cookieless EU friendly analytics: Plausible (Estonia), Fathom (Canada with EU servers), Simple Analytics (Netherlands), Pirsch (Germany), Cabin (Ireland), Matomo Cloud EU. 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