{"id":186615,"date":"2025-03-25T10:06:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T15:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=186615"},"modified":"2025-03-25T10:06:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T15:06:59","slug":"python-for-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/python-for-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Python for SEO, Explained for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-txt\">Python can feel intimidating if you\u2019re not a developer. You see scripts flying around Twitter, hear people talking about automation and APIs, and wonder if it\u2019s worth learning\u2014or even <em>possible<\/em>\u2014without a computer science degree.<\/div>\n<p>But here\u2019s the truth: SEO is filled with repetitive, time-consuming tasks that Python can automate in minutes. Things like checking for broken links, scraping metadata, analyzing rankings, and auditing on-page SEO are all doable with a few lines of code. And thanks to tools like ChatGPT and Google Colab, it\u2019s never been easier to get started.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, I\u2019ll show you how to start learning.<\/p>\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why learn Python as an SEO?\" data-section=\"why-learn-python-as-an-seo\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186615-_eezgxi9a2xzk\"><\/a>Why learn Python as an&nbsp;SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>SEO is full of repetitive, manual work. Python helps you automate repetitive tasks, extract insights from massive datasets (like tens of thousands of keywords or URLs), and build technical skills that help you tackle pretty much any SEO problem: debugging JavaScript issues, parsing complex sitemaps, or using&nbsp;APIs.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, learning Python helps&nbsp;you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Understand how websites and web data work <\/strong>(believe it or not, the internet is <em>not <\/em>tubes).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Collaborate with developers more effectively <\/strong>(how else are you planning to generate <em>thousands<\/em> of location-specific pages for that <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/programmatic-seo\/\">programmatic SEO<\/a> campaign?)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Learn programming logic that translates to other languages and tools<\/strong>, like building Google Apps Scripts to automate reporting in Google Sheets, or writing Liquid templates for dynamic page creation in headless CMSs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And in 2025, you\u2019re not learning Python alone. LLMs can explain error messages. Google Colab lets you run notebooks without setup. It\u2019s never been easier.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_186616\" style=\"width: 1468px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186616\" class=\"wp-image-186616\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-1.jpg\" alt width=\"1458\" height=\"1389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-1.jpg 1458w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-1-446x425.jpg 446w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-1-768x732.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1458px) 100vw, 1458px\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-186616\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">LLMs can tackle most error messages with ease\u2014no matter how dumb they may&nbsp;be.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"The core concepts you need to start using Python\" data-section=\"the-core-concepts-you-need-to-start-using-python\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186615-_lqxhn8nlewij\"><\/a>The core concepts you need to start using Python<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be an expert or install a complex local setup. You just need a browser, some curiosity, and a willingness to break things.<\/p>\n<p>I recommend starting with a hands-on, beginner-friendly course. I used<a href=\"https:\/\/replit.com\/learn\/100-days-of-python\"> Replit\u2019s 100 Days of Python<\/a> and highly recommend it.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to understand:<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_41ui6gsl1yr\"><\/a>1. Tools to write and run Python<\/h3>\n<p>Before you can write any Python code, you need a place to do it \u2014 that\u2019s what we call an \u201cenvironment.\u201d Think of it like a workspace where you can type, test, and run your scripts.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing the right environment is important because it affects how easily you can get started and whether you run into technical issues that slow down your learning.<\/p>\n<p>Here are three great options depending on your preferences and experience level:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Replit<\/strong>: A browser-based IDE (Integrated Development Environment), which means it gives you a place to write, run, and debug your Python code \u2014 all from your web browser. You don\u2019t need to install anything \u2014 just sign up, open a new project, and start coding. It even includes AI features to help you write and debug Python scripts in real time. <a href=\"https:\/\/replit.com\/\">Visit Replit.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Google Colab<\/strong>: A free tool from Google that lets you run Python notebooks in the cloud. It\u2019s great for SEO tasks involving data analysis, scraping, or machine learning. You can also share notebooks like Google Docs, which is perfect for collaboration. <a href=\"https:\/\/colab.research.google.com\/\">Visit Google Colab.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>VS Code + Python interpreter<\/strong>: If you prefer to work locally or want more control over your setup, install Visual Studio Code and the Python extension. This gives you full flexibility, access to your file system, and support for advanced workflows like Git versioning or using virtual environments. <a href=\"https:\/\/code.visualstudio.com\/\">Visit the VS Code website.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_186617\" style=\"width: 1731px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186617\" class=\"wp-image-186617\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-2.jpg\" alt width=\"1721\" height=\"1656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-2.jpg 1721w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-2-442x425.jpg 442w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-2-768x739.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-2-1536x1478.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1721px) 100vw, 1721px\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-186617\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My blog reporting program, built in heavy conjunction with ChatGPT.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to start here\u2014but long-term, getting comfortable with local development will give you more power and flexibility as your projects grow more complex.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure where to start, go with Replit or Colab. They eliminate setup friction so you can focus on learning and experimenting with SEO scripts right&nbsp;away.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_y7gh6ikvf9n6\"><\/a>2. Key concepts to learn&nbsp;early<\/h3>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to master Python to start using it for SEO, but you should understand a few foundational concepts. These are the building blocks of nearly every Python script you\u2019ll write.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Variables, loops, and functions<\/strong>: Variables store data like a list of URLs. Loops let you repeat an action (like checking HTTP status codes for every page). Functions let you bundle actions into reusable blocks. These three ideas will power 90% of your automation. You can learn more about these concepts through beginner tutorials like<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnpython.org\/\"> Python for Beginners \u2013 Learn Python Programming<\/a> or<a href=\"https:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/python\/\"> W3Schools Python Tutorial<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lists, dictionaries, and conditionals<\/strong>: Lists help you work with collections (like all your site\u2019s pages). Dictionaries store data in pairs (like URL + title). Conditionals (like if, else) help you decide what to do depending on what the script finds. These are especially useful for branching logic or filtering results. You can explore these topics further with the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/python\/python_lists.asp\"> W3Schools Python Data Structures guide<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnpython.org\/en\/Conditions\"> LearnPython.org\u2019s control flow tutorial<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Importing and using libraries<\/strong>: Python has thousands of libraries: pre-written packages that do heavy lifting for you. For example, requests lets you send HTTP requests, beautifulsoup4 parses HTML, and pandas handles spreadsheets and data analysis. You\u2019ll use these in almost every SEO task. Check out<a href=\"https:\/\/realpython.com\/python-requests\/\"> The Python Requests Module<\/a> by Real Python,<a href=\"https:\/\/realpython.com\/beautiful-soup-web-scraper-python\/\"> Beautiful Soup: Web Scraping with Python<\/a> for parsing HTML, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.datacamp.com\/tutorial\/pandas-tutorial-dataframe-python\"> Python Pandas Tutorial<\/a> from DataCamp for working with data in SEO audits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_186629\" style=\"width: 914px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186629\" class=\"wp-image-186629 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/100-days-of-python.gif\" alt width=\"904\" height=\"1080\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-186629\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">These are my actual notes from working through Replit\u2019s 100 Days of Python course.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>These concepts may sound abstract now, but they come to life once you start using them. And the good news? Most SEO scripts reuse the same patterns again and again. Learn these fundamentals once and you can apply them everywhere.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_juipkl2kd3jo\"><\/a>3. Core SEO-related Python skills<\/h3>\n<p>These are the bread-and-butter skills you\u2019ll use in nearly every SEO script. They\u2019re not complex individually, but when combined, they let you audit sites, scrape data, build reports, and automate repetitive work.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Making HTTP requests<\/strong>: This is how Python loads a webpage behind the scenes. Using the requests library, you can check a page\u2019s status code (like 200 or 404), fetch HTML content, or simulate a crawl. Learn more from<a href=\"https:\/\/realpython.com\/python-requests\/\"> Real Python\u2019s guide to the Requests module<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parsing HTML<\/strong>: After fetching a page, you\u2019ll often want to extract specific elements, like the title tag, meta description, or all image alt attributes. That\u2019s where beautifulsoup4 comes in. It helps you navigate and search HTML like a pro.<a href=\"https:\/\/realpython.com\/beautiful-soup-web-scraper-python\/\"> This Real Python tutorial<\/a> explains exactly how it&nbsp;works.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reading and writing CSVs<\/strong>: SEO data lives in spreadsheets: rankings, URLs, metadata, etc. Python can read and write CSVs using the built-in csv module or the more powerful pandas library. Learn how with this<a href=\"https:\/\/www.datacamp.com\/tutorial\/pandas-tutorial-dataframe-python\"> pandas tutorial from DataCamp<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Using APIs<\/strong>: Many SEO tools (like Ahrefs, Google Search Console, or Screaming Frog) offer APIs \u2014 interfaces that let you fetch data in structured formats like JSON. With Python\u2019s requests and json libraries, you can pull that data into your own reports or dashboards.<a href=\"https:\/\/realpython.com\/api-integration-in-python\/\"> Here\u2019s a basic overview of APIs with Python<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_186618\" style=\"width: 1752px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186618\" class=\"wp-image-186618\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-3.png\" alt width=\"1742\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-3.png 1742w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-3-644x425.png 644w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-3-768x507.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-3-1536x1013.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1742px) 100vw, 1742px\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-186618\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pandas library is unbelievably useful for data analysis, reporting, cleaning data, and a hundred other things.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Once you know these four skills, you can build tools that crawl, extract, clean, and analyze SEO data. Pretty cool.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Beginner-friendly Python for SEO projects (with code)\" data-section=\"beginner-friendly-python-for-seo-projects-with-code\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186615-_jy08j34cxdgy\"><\/a>Beginner-friendly Python for SEO projects (with&nbsp;code)<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>These projects are simple, practical, and can be built with fewer than 20 lines of&nbsp;code.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_6ydzq0qlndpa\"><\/a>1. Check if pages are using&nbsp;HTTPS<\/h3>\n<p>One of the simplest yet most useful checks you can automate with Python is verifying whether a set of URLs is using HTTPS. If you\u2019re auditing a client\u2019s site or reviewing competitor URLs, it helps to know which pages are still using insecure HTTP.<\/p>\n<p>This script reads a list of URLs from a CSV file, makes an HTTP request to each one, and prints the status code. A status code of 200 means the page is accessible. If the request fails (e.g., the site is down or the protocol is wrong), it will tell you that&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title>\nimport csv\nimport requests\n\nwith open('urls.csv', 'r') as file:\n    reader = csv.reader(file)\n    for row in reader:\n        url = row[0]\n        try:\n            r = requests.get(url)\n            print(f\"{url}: {r.status_code}\")\n        except:\n            print(f\"{url}: Failed to connect\")\n<\/pre>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_rfzbo0gyb75m\"><\/a>2. Check for missing image alt attributes<\/h3>\n<p>Missing alt text is a common on-page issue, especially on older pages or large sites. Rather than checking every page manually, you can use Python to scan any page and flag images missing an alt attribute. This script fetches the page HTML, identifies all &lt;img&gt; tags, and prints out the src of any image missing descriptive alt&nbsp;text.<\/p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title>\n\nimport requests\nfrom bs4 import BeautifulSoup\n\nurl = 'https:\/\/example.com'\nr = requests.get(url)\nsoup = BeautifulSoup(r.text, 'html.parser')\n\nimages = soup.find_all('img')\nfor img in images:\n    if not img.get('alt'):\n        print(img.get('src'))\n\n<\/pre>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_6yj1ex946trn\"><\/a>3. Scrape title and meta description tags<\/h3>\n<p>With this script, you can input a list of URLs, extract each page\u2019s &lt;title&gt; and &lt;meta name=\u201cdescription\u201d&gt; content, and save the results to a CSV file. This makes it easy to spot missing, duplicated, or poorly written metadata at scale \u2014 and take action fast.<\/p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title>\n\nimport requests\nfrom bs4 import BeautifulSoup\nimport csv\n\nurls = ['https:\/\/example.com', 'https:\/\/example.com\/about']\n\nwith open('meta_data.csv', 'w', newline='') as f:\n    writer = csv.writer(f)\n    writer.writerow(['URL', 'Title', 'Meta Description'])\n\n    for url in urls:\n        r = requests.get(url)\n        soup = BeautifulSoup(r.text, 'html.parser')\n        title = soup.title.string if soup.title else 'No title'\n        desc_tag = soup.find('meta', attrs={'name': 'description'})\n        desc = desc_tag['content'] if desc_tag else 'No description'\n        writer.writerow([url, title, desc])\n<\/pre>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186615-_m8af1zrp96ot\"><\/a>4. Using Python with the Ahrefs API<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re an Ahrefs customer with API access, you can use Python to tap directly into our data, fetching backlinks, keywords, rankings, and more. This opens the door to large-scale SEO workflows: auditing thousands of pages, analyzing competitor link profiles, or automating content reporting.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you&nbsp;could:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Monitor new backlinks to your site daily and log them to a Google Sheet<\/li>\n<li>Automatically pull your top organic pages every month for content reporting<\/li>\n<li>Track keyword rankings across multiple sites and spot trends faster than using the UI&nbsp;alone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s a simple example to fetch backlink data:<\/p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title>\nimport requests\n\nurl = \"https:\/\/apiv2.ahrefs.com?from=backlinks&amp;amp;target=ahrefs.com&amp;amp;mode=domain&amp;amp;output=json&amp;amp;token=YOUR_API_TOKEN\"\nr = requests.get(url)\ndata = r.json()\nprint(data)\n<\/pre>\n<p>You\u2019ll need an Ahrefs API subscription and access token to run these scripts. Full documentation and endpoint details are available in the<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.ahrefs.com\/docs\/api\/reference\/introduction\"> Ahrefs API docs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Free Python scripts for SEOs from Patrick Stox\" data-section=\"free-python-scripts-for-seos-from-patrick-stox\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186615-_bjllrfh4pi90\"><\/a>Free Python scripts for SEOs from Patrick Stox<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/patrickstox\">Patrick Stox<\/a>, aka Mr Technical SEO, is always tinkering with Python, and he\u2019s made tons of free tools and scripts freely available in Google Colab. Here are a few of my personal favorites:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Redirect matching script:<\/strong> This script automates 1:1 redirect mapping by matching old and new URLs via full-text similarity. Upload your before-and-after URLs, run the notebook, and let it suggest redirects for you. It\u2019s incredibly helpful during migrations. <a href=\"https:\/\/colab.research.google.com\/drive\/18lMkaRHK__eNM6m5FpoyhGDlDAYr3a6P?usp=sharing\">Run the script here.<br>\n<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Page title similarity report:<\/strong> Google often rewrites page titles in search results. This tool compares your submitted titles (via Ahrefs data) with what Google actually displays, using a BERT model to measure semantic similarity. Ideal for large-scale title audits. <a href=\"https:\/\/colab.research.google.com\/drive\/1mg3DTWVkgX0KHD3Hx2Y3WyMAUDjdm3cB?usp=sharing\">Run the script here.<br>\n<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Traffic forecasting script:<\/strong> Featured in our SEO Forecasting guide, this script uses historical traffic data to predict future performance. Great for setting expectations with clients or making the case for continued investment. <a href=\"https:\/\/colab.research.google.com\/drive\/1oJ2gD5w3EyTc12O39GzKiNL8wAiNGsSz?usp=sharing\">Run the script here.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_186619\" style=\"width: 1811px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186619\" class=\"wp-image-186619\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-4.png\" alt width=\"1801\" height=\"1199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-4.png 1801w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-4-638x425.png 638w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-4-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186615-4-1536x1023.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1801px) 100vw, 1801px\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-186619\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Patrick\u2019s scripts in&nbsp;Colab.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Learn more about this forecasting script in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-forecasting\/\">Patrick\u2019s guide to SEO forecasting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-186615-_4psp2b5ttqph\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Python is one of the most impactful skills you can learn as an SEO. Even a few basic scripts can save hours of work and uncover insights you\u2019d miss otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>Start small. Run your first script. Fork one of Patrick\u2019s tools. Or spend 30 minutes with Replit\u2019s Python course. It won\u2019t take long before you\u2019re thinking: why didn\u2019t I do this sooner?<\/p>\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/lookerstudio.google.com\/u\/0\/reporting\/7f1e5232-16ca-4d23-89c9-a6df711aac66\/page\/zaR1B?s=03\">List of great SEO-specific scripts<\/a> from tons of contributors<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jcchouinard.com\/python-for-seo\/\">Complete python for SEO guide<\/a> by JC Chouinard<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/realpython.com\/\">RealPython<\/a> for hands-on Python tutorials<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\">13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\nGot questions? <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/thinking_slow\">Ping me on Twitter<\/a>.\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But here\u2019s the truth: SEO is filled with repetitive, time-consuming tasks that Python can automate in minutes. Things like checking for broken links, scraping metadata, analyzing rankings, and auditing on-page SEO are all doable with a few lines of code.<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[457],"class_list":["post-186615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Python for SEO, Explained for Beginners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Python can automate tons of SEO busywork, and thanks to tools like ChatGPT and Google Colab, it\u2019s never been easier to get started.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/python-for-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Python for SEO, Explained for Beginners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Python can automate tons of SEO busywork, and thanks to tools like ChatGPT and Google Colab, it\u2019s never been easier to get started.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/python-for-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-25T15:06:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" 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