How Do I Force Ahrefs to Crawl My Site: The Practitioner’s Guide

You just pushed a massive update to your SaaS comparison pages, but Ahrefs is still showing the 404 errors from three weeks ago. Your Site Audit is stale, your backfor SaaS and Build profile isn't reflecting the new redirects, and the stakeholders are asking why the dashboard looks broken. When growth leads ask how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, they aren't looking for a "submit" button that doesn't exist; they are looking for a way to clear the bottleneck between their server and the AhrefsBot.

In the SaaS and build space, where programmatic pages and documentation updates happen in high-velocity sprints, waiting for a passive crawl cycle isn't an option. You need to understand the mechanics of crawl triggers, robots.txt priority, and server-side permissions. This guide moves past the basic "wait and see" advice and digs into the technical levers you can pull to ensure your site is indexed and audited on your timeline. We will cover exactly how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site by optimizing the discovery path and removing the invisible blocks that stall the AhrefsBot.

In our experience, the frustration usually stems from a misunderstanding of how third-party crawlers differ from search Engine best practices crawlers. While Google is incentivized to find your content to serve users, Ahrefs is incentivized by data efficiency. If your server sends mixed signals, AhrefsBot will simply move on to the next billion URLs in its queue. We typically set up "priority lanes" for these bots to ensure that when a developer asks how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, the infrastructure is already primed to respond.

What Is Ahrefs Crawl Management

Ahrefs crawl management is the process of configuring your website’s technical environment to prioritize AhrefsBot's access to your most important URLs. Unlike Google, which has a massive infrastructure for discovery, Ahrefs operates on a specific set of resource-allocation rules. If your site is large, complex, or poorly linked, the bot may deprioritize your updates.

In practice, this means moving beyond simple "allow" rules. It involves managing crawl budget—yes, even for third-party tools—and ensuring that your server doesn't interpret high-frequency crawling as a DDoS attack. When you find yourself asking how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, you are essentially asking how to move your URLs to the front of the AhrefsBot scheduler. We have seen cases where aggressive Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) silently drop 40% of AhrefsBot requests, leading to "Swiss cheese" data where half your site looks offline in the reports.

This differs from Google indexing because Ahrefs is primarily a data aggregator for SEO analysis. While Google cares about user intent, Ahrefs cares about the link graph and technical health. For a deeper look at how crawlers interact with web standards, refer to the Robots Exclusion Standard on Wikipedia or the technical specifications for User-Agents at MDN. If you are dealing with complex server responses during a crawl, consult RFC 9110 for HTTP semantics. Understanding these standards is the first step in [answer](/[answer](/Answer Engine Optimization))ing how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site without triggering security alerts.

How Ahrefs Crawl Discovery Works

To answer how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, you must first understand the journey a URL takes from your CMS to the Ahrefs index.

Seed Discovery and Link Extraction
AhrefsBot starts with a "seed" list of known URLs. It extracts every link on those pages to find new paths. If your new SaaS feature page isn't linked from the homepage or a high-traffic hub, it effectively doesn't exist to the crawler. We often see teams bury new pages four levels deep and then wonder why the bot never arrives.
The Scheduler Queue
Once a URL is discovered, it enters a queue. Ahrefs prioritizes URLs based on Domain Rating (DR), URL Rating (UR), and how often the content typically changes. If you have a low-DR site, your "force" request is essentially a plea for higher priority. This is why high-authority sites see updates reflected in Ahrefs within hours, while newer sites may wait days.
Robots.txt and Permission Verification
Before fetching the HTML, AhrefsBot checks your /robots.txt file. If there is a Disallow rule or a Crawl-delay that is too restrictive, the bot will skip the page. This is the #1 reason why people ask how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site—they have accidentally blocked the very tool they are trying to use.
The Fetch and Render Cycle
AhrefsBot requests the page. If your site is a heavy JavaScript SPA (Single Page Application), the bot needs to render the content to see the for SaaS: The Practitioner's. If your server is slow or the JS execution times out, the crawl fails. Modern headless frameworks often require a pre-rendering solution like Prerender.io to assist bots that aren't as sophisticated as Googlebot.
Data Processing and Index Update
After the fetch, the data is parsed. This is where your new meta titles and A Practitioner's Guide for are recorded. There is often a lag between the "fetch" and the data appearing in the Ahrefs UI. This delay can range from 15 minutes to 24 hours depending on the current load on Ahrefs' global processing clusters.
Recrawl Frequency Calibration
Ahrefs learns how often your site updates. If you only update once a month, the bot will visit less frequently. To "force" a faster cadence, you need to signal frequent, high-quality updates through your sitemap. Consistent updates tell the bot that your site is a "living" entity worthy of daily visits.

For those using advanced workflows, tools like the robots.txt generator or the URL checker can help verify that your configuration isn't the bottleneck. When you think "how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site," start by checking if your server is even allowing the handshake.

Features That Matter Most for Crawl Control

When you are deep in the trenches of a site migration or a programmatic SEO launch, these features are the primary levers for controlling the crawler.

Feature	Why It Matters for SaaS	What to Configure	Typical Outcome
Ahrefs Site Audit Settings	This is the only place with a "Run Crawl" button.	Set to "Sitemap" as the primary source.	100% discovery of target URLs.
Robots.txt 'Allow' Rules	Overrides broad blocks for specific bots.	Add `User-agent: AhrefsBot` followed by `Allow: /`.	Immediate removal of "Blocked" status.
XML Sitemap Freshness	The "map" Ahrefs uses to find new content.	Ensure `<lastmod>` tags are accurate and updated.	Faster discovery of new subpages.
Crawl Delay Settings	Prevents your server from crashing.	Keep this as low as your server can handle (e.g., 1s).	10x faster crawl completion times.
Internal Link Density	Signals importance to the crawler.	Use "New" or "Updated" widgets on your dashboard.	Higher UR for priority pages.
Server Response Speed	Slow sites get deprioritized.	Optimize TTFB (Time to First Byte) for bot IPs.	Reduced crawl abortion rates.
CDNs and Firewalls	Often the "silent killer" of crawls.	Whitelist AhrefsBot IP ranges in Cloudflare/AWS.	Elimination of 403/401 errors.
JavaScript Rendering	Essential for modern React/Vue apps.	Enable "Execute JavaScript" in Site Audit settings.	Discovery of links in dynamic menus.

If you are wondering how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site specifically for a Site Audit, the answer is almost always in the "Crawl Settings" menu of that specific project. You can toggle between "HTML links," "Backlinks," and "Sitemaps" to force the bot's hand. In our experience, selecting "Sitemaps" and providing a direct link to a newly generated .xml file is the most reliable way to bypass discovery lag.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

If you need to know how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site right now, follow this sequence to ensure no technical barriers remain.

Verify AhrefsBot Permissions: Open your robots.txt and ensure no Disallow: / is catching the Ahrefs user-agent.
Update Your XML Sitemap: Manually trigger a sitemap rebuild in your CMS (WordPress, Contentful, etc.) to reflect the new URLs.
Purge Edge Cache: If using Cloudflare or Vercel, purge the cache for the specific URLs or the entire site to ensure the bot sees the latest version.
Whitelist Ahrefs IPs: Go to your firewall settings and ensure the AhrefsBot IP ranges are not being challenged by CAPTCHAs.
Open Ahrefs Site Audit: Navigate to your project and click on "Settings" in the left-hand sidebar.
Configure Crawl Source: Under "Crawl Settings," uncheck "HTML links" and check "Sitemaps." Paste your sitemap URL directly.
Set Crawl Speed: If your server is robust, set the "Max pages per second" to a higher value (e.g., 5-10) to speed up the process.
Trigger Manual Crawl: Click the "New Crawl" button in the top right corner of the Site Audit dashboard.
Monitor the Crawl Log: Watch the "Crawl Log" tab for any 4xx or 5xx errors that indicate the bot is being blocked.
Analyze Results: Once finished, check the "Internal Pages" report to confirm your new content has been parsed.

Following these steps is the definitive answer to how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site when time is of the essence.

Who Should Use These Tactics (and Who Shouldn't)

Not every site needs to "force" a crawl. If you have a 5-page brochure site, Ahrefs will find your updates eventually. However, for professionals and businesses in the sass and build space, the stakes are higher.

Use these tactics if:

You just launched a programmatic SEO campaign with 1,000+ pages.
You moved your blog from a subdomain to a subfolder.
You have updated your pricing or feature names and need the "Site Explorer" data to be accurate for a board meeting.
You are seeing "Forbidden" or "Access Denied" errors in your Ahrefs crawl log.
You have implemented a new internal linking structure and want to see the UR (URL Rating) distribution update.
You are trying to answer the question how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site after a site-wide redesign.

Avoid "forcing" if:

You are on a shared hosting plan that crashes when two people visit at once.
You are currently under a DDoS attack (AhrefsBot will only add to the load).
You haven't actually updated anything and are just refreshing the data out of habit.
Your site is still in a staging environment (unless you specifically want to audit it before launch).

In our experience, forcing a crawl on a weak server is a recipe for a 503 Service Unavailable error. Always check your server's CPU and RAM usage before cranking up the crawl speed. If you are still asking how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site while your server is at 90% load, the answer is: don't.

Benefits and Measurable Outcomes of a Successful Crawl

When you successfully solve the puzzle of how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, the benefits extend beyond just seeing a green checkmark in a dashboard.

Accurate Competitive Intelligence
If Ahrefs isn't crawling your site, it isn't accurately comparing you to competitors. A fresh crawl ensures your "Content Gap" reports are based on reality, not old data. We've seen DR scores jump by 5 points simply because a new crawl finally recognized a batch of high-quality backlinks.
Immediate Validation of Fixes
When you fix a about broken link or a missing meta description, you want to know it's fixed. Forcing a crawl in the Site Audit tool provides immediate feedback. This is essential for developers who need to close out Jira tickets.
Improved Backlink Attribution
If you’ve recently gained high-quality backlinks to new pages, Ahrefs needs to crawl those target pages to properly attribute link equity in its internal "Link Graph." Without this, your UR (URL Rating) will remain artificially low.
Better Resource Allocation
By directing the bot to your most important pages, you ensure your "crawl budget" isn't wasted on /legal/print-version or other low-value URLs. This is a key part of answering how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site efficiently.
Stakeholder Confidence
For SaaS founders, seeing a "Domain Rating" increase or a "Keywords Ranking" jump after a big push is vital for morale and investment. It proves that the technical work is translating into measurable SEO growth.
Reduced Technical Debt
Regular, successful crawls highlight issues like redirect chains or 404s before they impact your actual Google rankings. Think of AhrefsBot as an early warning system for your site's health.
Enhanced Programmatic Monitoring
For those building at scale, knowing how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site allows you to audit batches of 500 pages at a time to ensure template consistency across thousands of programmatic instances.

Advanced Configurations and Edge Cases

Sometimes the standard "Run Crawl" button isn't enough. If you are dealing with complex architectures, you might need to dig into the API or custom header settings.

Handling Authentication and Paywalls

If your SaaS has a "Resources" section behind a login, AhrefsBot will hit a wall. To force a crawl here, you can use the "Custom Headers" feature in Site Audit to pass a cookie or a specific API key that allows the bot to bypass the login screen. This is a common advanced solution when teams ask how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site for gated content.

Using the Ahrefs API for Programmatic Triggers

For teams with a CI/CD pipeline, you can actually automate the "force crawl" process. By using the Ahrefs API, you can trigger a new Site Audit crawl every time a deployment is successful. This ensures that your SEO data is never more than a few hours behind your code.

Dealing with "Soft 404s"

AhrefsBot might crawl your site but misinterpret your "Page Not Found" screen as a valid 200 OK page. This happens if your server isn't correctly configured to send a 404 status code. In this scenario, the question isn't just how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, but how to make it understand what it's seeing. Always ensure your error pages return the correct HTTP status codes.

How to Evaluate Your Crawl Health

Before you try to force anything, you need to diagnose why the crawl isn't happening naturally. Use the following criteria to evaluate your current standing.

Criterion	What to Look For	Red Flags
Bot Access Logs	Are there entries for `AhrefsBot`?	Total absence of AhrefsBot in the last 48 hours.
HTTP Status Codes	Are the bots getting 200 OK?	High volume of 403 Forbidden or 429 Too Many Requests.
Sitemap Integration	Is the sitemap listed in Ahrefs Project settings?	"Sitemap not found" or "0 URLs discovered."
Crawl Depth	Are pages more than 3 clicks from the home page?	Important pages sitting at depth 5+.
JavaScript Dependency	Can the page be read without JS?	Essential links hidden behind `onClick` events.
IP Reputation	Is your server IP on a blacklist?	Bot connections being reset at the TCP level.
SSL Handshake	Is your certificate valid for bots?	"SSL Error" appearing in the crawl log.

If your traffic analysis shows high human traffic but zero bot traffic, you likely have a firewall issue. This is a common hurdle when people ask how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site. We once spent three days troubleshooting a "crawl failure" only to find that a junior dev had enabled "Under Attack Mode" in Cloudflare, which blocked every non-browser agent.

Recommended Configuration for SaaS Sites

To ensure you never have to manually ask how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site again, implement this "Gold Standard" configuration.

Setting	Recommended Value	Why
Robots.txt	`User-agent: AhrefsBot` `Disallow: /admin/`	Protects sensitive areas while allowing the bot to see the product.
Crawl Source	Sitemaps + Backlinks + Internal Links	Triple-redundancy for discovery.
Crawl Frequency	Weekly (Scheduled) + Manual (on Release)	Keeps data fresh without overloading the server.
User-Agent String	`AhrefsBot`	Ensures your server recognizes the bot and doesn't throttle it.
IP Whitelisting	Ahrefs IP Ranges	Bypasses "Aggressive" security settings in WAFs.
Crawl Limit	2x your total page count	Accounts for pagination and tracking parameters.
URL Rewriting	Strip session IDs	Prevents infinite crawl loops on dynamic URLs.

A solid production setup typically includes a webhook that pings your sitemap to major crawlers whenever a new build is deployed. While Ahrefs doesn't have a "ping" API as robust as Google's, keeping your sitemap updated is the closest equivalent. If you are still wondering how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, check if your sitemap is being cached by your server—sometimes the bot is reading a version of the sitemap that is 48 hours old.

Reliability, Verification, and False Positives

When you are trying to solve how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, you will encounter false positives. Ahrefs might report a "Crawl Finished," but you don't see the changes.

Why Verification Fails

CDN Caching: Your server updated, but Cloudflare is still serving the old version to Ahrefs. Always purge your cache before forcing a crawl.
Data Propagation Lag: AhrefsBot might have crawled the page at 10:00 AM, but the UI won't update until 2:00 PM. This is the most common reason people think their "force" didn't work.
Canonical Mismatches: If you are forcing a crawl on site.com/page, but that page has a canonical tag to site.com/old-page, Ahrefs will attribute the data to the old URL.

How to Verify

Check the "Last Crawled" Timestamp: In Ahrefs Site Audit, look at the individual URL details.
Inspect the "Raw HTML" Tab: See exactly what AhrefsBot saw during its last visit. If the new content isn't there, the crawl didn't "take."
Use the Ahrefs Browser Extension: Sometimes the extension provides a quicker "on-page" look at how Ahrefs perceives the URL.
Search for Unique Strings: Use the "Page Explorer" to search for a specific word or phrase you added in the update. If it shows up, the crawl was successful.

If you are consistently seeing issues, use a page speed tester to ensure your server isn't timing out when the bot hits it. A bot request is often more resource-intensive than a human request because bots don't use cached assets in the same way. This is a critical nuance when answering how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site for high-traffic platforms.

Troubleshooting Common Pitfalls

Even with the best intentions, things go wrong. Here is how to handle the most common "stuck" crawls.

The "Crawl Hanging" Issue

Sometimes a crawl gets stuck at 99%. This usually happens because the bot has encountered a "spider trap"—a set of URLs that generate infinitely (like a calendar or a complex filter system). To fix this, you need to exclude those URL patterns in the Ahrefs project settings.

The "Partial Crawl" Problem

If Ahrefs only crawls 100 pages of your 5,000-page site, you likely have a "Crawl Depth" issue. If your internal linking is poor, the bot gives up before it reaches the deep pages. To solve this, provide a more comprehensive XML sitemap and set it as the primary crawl source. This is the most direct way to answer how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site for deep-nested content.

The "Empty Page" Bug

If Ahrefs crawls the site but reports 0 words on every page, your content is likely being injected via JavaScript after the initial load. You must enable "Execute JavaScript" in the Ahrefs Site Audit settings, or the bot will only see your empty <div> containers.

Implementation Checklist

Follow this phase-based approach to master how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site.

Phase 1: Planning

Identify the specific URLs that are missing or stale.
Check your /robots.txt for any Disallow: / or Disallow: /category/ rules.
Verify if your site uses a CDN (Cloudflare, Akamai, Vercel) that might block bots.
Document the current DR and UR to measure the impact of the new crawl.

Phase 2: Setup

Add your XML sitemap to the Ahrefs Project settings.
Explicitly allow AhrefsBot in your robots.txt.
Create a "New Content" section on your homepage to provide a direct link path.
Ensure your server can handle an additional 5-10 requests per second.

Phase 3: Execution

Go to Ahrefs > Site Audit > [Your Project] > Settings.
Click "Crawl Settings" and ensure "Sitemaps" is checked.
Hit the "New Crawl" button in the top right corner.
Use the "Site Explorer" to manually fetch a high-priority URL to "nudge" the system.

Phase 4: Verification

Monitor the "Crawl Log" in real-time.
Look for 200 OK status codes for your target URLs.
Check the "Internal Pages" report 4-6 hours after the crawl finishes.
Confirm that the "Last Crawled" date in Site Explorer has updated.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mistake: Forgetting to update the XML sitemap.
Consequence: You ask how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site, but the bot is looking at a map from 2022.
Fix: Use a dynamic sitemap generator that updates on every CMS publish.

Mistake: Setting a Crawl-delay of 10+ seconds.
Consequence: AhrefsBot will take weeks to finish a crawl of a 1,000-page site.
Fix: Lower the delay to 1 second or remove it entirely if your server can handle the load.

Mistake: Using "Noindex" tags on staging and forgetting to remove them on production.
Consequence: AhrefsBot sees the tag and stops processing the page.
Fix: Run a meta generator check to ensure your tags are correct.

Mistake: Blocking all bots to "save bandwidth."
Consequence: You lose all visibility in SEO tools, making it impossible to track growth.
Fix: Use a selective bot policy—allow the "Big 5" (Google, Bing, Ahrefs, Semrush, Apple).

Mistake: Ignoring the "Crawl Limit" in Ahrefs settings.
Consequence: The crawl stops at 1,000 pages even if you have 10,000.
Fix: Increase your project's crawl limit to match your site size.

Mistake: Not whitelisting Ahrefs in your WAF.
Consequence: The bot gets a 403 error, and you waste crawl credits on failed attempts.
Fix: Add the AhrefsBot IP ranges to your firewall's "Allow" list immediately.

Best Practices for Consistent Crawling

If you want to avoid the stress of how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site in the future, follow these practitioner-grade habits:

Ping the Sitemap: While primarily for Google, many tools monitor sitemap changes.
Use Descriptive Internal Links: Don't just link from the nav; link from the body text of high-authority pages.
Monitor Your Server Logs: Once a month, grep your logs for AhrefsBot. If you don't see it, you have a block.
Keep Your Site Fast: AhrefsBot is more likely to crawl a site that responds in <200ms.
Use a Flat Architecture: Try to keep every important page within 3 clicks of the home page.
Leverage Social Signals: While not a direct "force" method, Ahrefs often discovers new URLs via Twitter/X and other high-activity feeds.
Automate Your Audits: Set Ahrefs to crawl your site automatically every Monday morning so you always start the week with fresh data.

The "Emergency" Workflow

If you need a page crawled right now:

Purge the URL from your CDN cache.
Add the URL to the very top of your XML sitemap.
Manually trigger a "Site Audit" crawl in Ahrefs, selecting "Only sitemap" as the source.
Paste the URL into Ahrefs "Site Explorer" to trigger a real-time fetch attempt. This multi-pronged approach is the most reliable way to answer how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site during a crisis.

FAQ

How do i force ahrefs to crawl my site if it's a new domain?

For new domains, the best way is to verify ownership in Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT). Once verified, you can manually start a crawl of your sitemap. This bypasses the need for Ahrefs to "discover" you via backlinks. Without AWT, you might wait weeks for the bot to find your site through external links.

Why is AhrefsBot ignored by my robots.txt?

It's usually not ignored; it's usually over-blocked. If you have a Disallow: / under a User-agent: * block, AhrefsBot will respect that. You must add a specific User-agent: AhrefsBot block with Allow: / to override the general restriction. Remember that robots.txt rules are additive; the most specific rule for a user-agent takes precedence.

Does "Site Explorer" fetch data in real-time?

Not exactly. When you enter a URL into Site Explorer, Ahrefs often shows the data from its last successful crawl. However, if the data is very old, it may trigger a "Live" check of the headers. This is a common point of confusion for those asking how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site. To see truly live data, the Site Audit tool is much more reliable than Site Explorer.

Can I use a Chrome extension to force a crawl?

No. While some extensions can "ping" a URL, they don't have the authority to command the Ahrefs global crawler. You must use the Ahrefs web interface or wait for the next scheduled cycle. Extensions are great for viewing data but useless for triggering the AhrefsBot infrastructure.

How do i force ahrefs to crawl my site after a migration?

The most effective method is to upload a "Migration Sitemap" containing all the new URLs to the Site Audit tool. Set the crawl source to "Sitemap" and disable "Follow internal links" to ensure the bot focuses only on the new list. This prevents the bot from getting distracted by old redirect chains during the initial discovery phase.

Is there a limit to how often I can force a crawl?

Yes, your Ahrefs plan has a "Crawl Credit" limit. Each page crawled in a Site Audit consumes one credit. If you are constantly forcing crawls on a 50,000-page site, you will run out of credits quickly. Most plans allow for a generous amount of credits, but programmatic SEO sites need to be mindful of their consumption.

Why does Ahrefs say "Crawl Blocked by Robots.txt" when it's not?

This is often a caching issue at the Ahrefs level. If your robots.txt was blocking them an hour ago, they might not have fetched the new version yet. You can usually force a refresh of the robots.txt within the Site Audit project settings by clicking the "Refresh" icon next to the robots.txt status.

Can I prioritize specific folders when forcing a crawl?

Yes. In the Site Audit settings, you can use "URL Filters" to include only specific paths (e.g., /blog/*). This is a great way to answer how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site when you only care about a specific section and want to save crawl credits.

Does AhrefsBot support HTTP/2 or HTTP/3?

AhrefsBot primarily uses HTTP/1.1 for its crawling operations to ensure maximum compatibility across all server types. If your server only supports HTTP/3, the bot may struggle to connect. Ensure your server has a fallback to HTTP/1.1 for bot traffic.

How do I stop Ahrefs from crawling my site?

If you've moved past the stage of asking how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site and now want to block it, simply add User-agent: AhrefsBot and Disallow: / to your robots.txt. It will typically stop crawling within 24-48 hours as it refreshes its permission cache.

Conclusion

Mastering how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site is about understanding the relationship between your server's permissions and the bot's discovery logic. For SaaS teams, this isn't just about SEO; it's about data integrity. If your Ahrefs dashboard is stale, your strategy is based on ghosts. We have seen time and again that the most successful teams are those that treat bot accessibility as a core part of their deployment checklist.

By implementing a clean robots.txt, maintaining a dynamic sitemap, and whitelisting bot IPs at the firewall level, you move from reactive "forcing" to proactive "flow." If you are looking for a reliable sass and build solution to manage your content at scale, visit pseopage.com to learn more. Our tools are designed to work in harmony with crawlers, ensuring your data is always fresh and your rankings are always tracked.

Remember: AhrefsBot wants to crawl your site. It’s a data-hungry machine. Your job isn't to "force" it as much as it is to get out of its way. Stop blocking your own growth and start optimizing your crawl path today. In the end, the question of how do i force ahrefs to crawl my site is solved by making your site impossible to ignore and easy to access. Consistent, clean technical SEO is the ultimate "force" multiplier.