Confused About Backlinks and Referring Domains
- Thread starter nakamaid
- Start date
- May 10, 2012
- 9,543
- 7,560
Referring domain is an unique domain from which the backlink comes from. For example blackhatworld.com
From this referring domain you can have multiple backlinks from various (or even the same) pages. For example:
https://www.blackhatworld.com/backlink-number-1
https://www.blackhatworld.com/backlink-number-2
https://www.blackhatworld.com/bla-bla-bla
If these were all the backlinks the domain has, it would have 1 referring domain, blackhatworld.com and 3 backlinks.
Your primary focus should be on the referring domains, rather than backlinks.
Sometimes if you have a backlink in the footer of a website, it will show on every single page of that site. In that case you can have 1 referring domain and thousands of backlinks at the same time. And those backlinks won't be too hepful.
From this referring domain you can have multiple backlinks from various (or even the same) pages. For example:
https://www.blackhatworld.com/backlink-number-1
https://www.blackhatworld.com/backlink-number-2
https://www.blackhatworld.com/bla-bla-bla
If these were all the backlinks the domain has, it would have 1 referring domain, blackhatworld.com and 3 backlinks.
Your primary focus should be on the referring domains, rather than backlinks.
Sometimes if you have a backlink in the footer of a website, it will show on every single page of that site. In that case you can have 1 referring domain and thousands of backlinks at the same time. And those backlinks won't be too hepful.
- Nov 25, 2025
- 100
- 20
Backlinks = total number of links (even if it’s 50 links from the same site). Referring domains = unique sites linking.
- Jan 13, 2026
- 40
- 3
So, if I want to buy a domain, what should I pay attention to as a domain buyer?
Referring domains are the number of unique websites linking to you. Backlinks are the total number of links from all domains (including multiple links from the same site). For SEO, referring domain count is a more important authority signal than total backlinks, as it shows broader recognition.
Rank Voyage
Registered Member
- Dec 23, 2025
- 50
- 10
Referring domains count the number of unique websites that link to you, backlinks count the total number of links coming from those websites
RD are usually more important for seo, google prefers seeing 10 links from 10 different websites rather than 100 links from the same website.
RD are usually more important for seo, google prefers seeing 10 links from 10 different websites rather than 100 links from the same website.
- May 10, 2012
- 9,543
- 7,560
- Aug 4, 2015
- 4,572
- 679
Backlinks are all links to your site, while referring domains are the number of unique websites linking to you.
bergstromm
BANNED
- Jan 18, 2026
- 13
- 4
Backlinks are the total number of links pointing to a site, including multiple links from the same website.
Referring domains are the number of unique websites linking to the site.
That’s why referring domains are often more important for measuring authority than just backlink count.
- Mar 15, 2023
- 279
- 81
the way i look at it is simple: a few strong domains are worth more than tons of links from the same site, so i focus on domain variety first.
- Jan 11, 2012
- 3,248
- 398
Backlinks are the total count of individual, clickable links pointing to your website from other domains. In contrast, referring domains represent the unique number of websites that have at least a single backlink to your website. A single website (one domain) can provide multiple, individual backlinks, meaning you can have more backlinks than referring domains
- Nov 17, 2024
- 1,072
- 170
Backlinks are individual links pointing to your site, while referring domains are the distinct websites those links come from. For SEO, having links from more unique domains usually matters more than just the total number of links.
- Dec 31, 2024
- 938
- 165
backlinks are simply the total links pointing to your site, so one website can give you 5, 50, or even 500 backlinks. referring domains are the unique websites those links come from, so that same site still counts as just 1 referring domain. In most cases, having links from more different websites is better than having tons of links from the same one.
kylelinton3
Newbie
- Feb 21, 2025
- 21
- 7
I completely agree with the consensus here that referring domains are often a more important metric than backlink count when it comes to measuring authority. Having a diverse range of referring domains can definitely contribute to a stronger backlink profile. Can anyone share their strategies for acquiring high-quality backlinks from unique domains, and what types of content or outreach methods have been most effective for them? Additionally, are there any specific SEO tools that you've found to be particularly useful for tracking and analyzing referring domains?