DR vs TF, which is more accurate?

So these days, people are saying DA is not so accurate in determining the strength of a domain in Google's eyes.

The other two widely cited metrics in the SEO community is DR (from Ahrefs) and TF (from Majestic). Based on your experience, especially within the last 2 years, which is more accurate at measuring the strength of a domain in Google's eyes, DR or TF?

All third party metrics can be manipulated or misleading, but I personally prefer to use DR and RD (number of unique referring domains) for bulk research, then dig into the backlinks manually for a better idea.

I Also Go For DR!

Ahrefs just sees much more than Majestic so their stats are more accurate from my experience.

CF is more important to me starting the past 6 months, I changed over my thinking. Google filed a patent for their own version of TF so I think TF will be more important when Google has their own TF in the algo and would never disclose.

i suggest TF

TF has absolutely nothing to do with a domain strength. Do some reading on what it actually is and how it works. You are comparing apples and oranges. What you can compare is DA and DR. And of course, regarding the simple "rule of thumb" power of the domain, DR is the way to go.

I changed my mind this year. I think DR is the most accurate.

Nargil said:

TF has absolutely nothing to do with a domain strength. Do some reading on what it actually is and how it works. You are comparing apples and oranges. What you can compare is DA and DR. And of course, regarding the simple "rule of thumb" power of the domain, DR is the way to go.

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Thanks. From what I read (https://sagapixel.com/seo/what-is-tf-and-cf-majestic/), my understanding is that TF is a metric geared towards a page on a website. Having said that, can you not approximate the strength of a domain by examining the TF/CF of the homepage of a domain?

galaxyduo said:

Thanks. From what I read (https://sagapixel.com/seo/what-is-tf-and-cf-majestic/), my understanding is that TF is a metric geared towards a page on a website. Having said that, can you not approximate the strength of a domain by examining the TF/CF of the homepage of a domain?

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TF is a metric about niche relevancy. The higher the TF, the more relevant the backlinks within the niche of the site.

Nargil said:

TF is a metric about niche relevancy. The higher the TF, the more relevant the backlinks within the niche of the site.

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I think it also suppose to represent the quality of the incoming links. At least by Majestic's algorithm. Same as on Ahrefs.

These metrics should always be considered rough estimates, not steadfast rules.
The generally accepted metrics that are considered “good” depending on the niche, but for local websites, the following numbers are often cited by SEOs as acceptable:

Ahrefs – DR of 35+
Majestic – TF of 20+
Moz – DA 20+
For websites that are in more competitive niches:
Ahrefs – DR of 50+
Majestic – TF of 30+
Moz – DA 30+

Trust Flow/Domain Rank/Domain Authority is not the new PageRank
None of these numbers come from Google and all that they measure are the quality of the backlinks going to a website. Google does consider links as a ranking factor, but it’s not the only factor. A site that has a TF of 15 and a CF of 22 but that has 5 years of clicks from the search engine for relevant terms will outrank a website with a TF of 25 and CF of 40 that has been around for a year and a half. Additionally, the computing power that these companies possess would be akin to an Uzi, while Google is using a Howitzer. None of them have the capacity to collect the amount of information that Google has about a website, and therefore, none will be able to give you a full picture of a website’s competitiveness.

being third party tools, they may not be accurate but if you look into top 10 result DA, you will understand that it is related to ranking as well. Their metrics are worth consideration. TF used to be good but now they are not

My views are a bit different. I agree that all metrics can be manipulated but it was a truth till end of 2018, that high TF was a guarantee to a sure shot rank boost. Even most of the sellers were selling links, but now DR looks more resulting.
If you will have good TF , DR/ UR and PA higher will be the chances of ranking.

jamesandersonicb said:

A site that has a TF of 15 and a CF of 22 but that has 5 years of clicks from the search engine for relevant terms will outrank a website with a TF of 25 and CF of 40 that has been around for a year and a half.

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Hi. Are you saying that clicks and CTR is a factor that Google uses to rank websites? Because all of the information I have read indicates that CTR is not a ranking factor that Googles uses because it can easily be manipulated (people will start making bots to click to a website to boost the ranking of it). And there are various articles written that say CTR is not a ranking factor: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ctr-search-rankings-27157.html. And then you have Google themselves saying that CTR is not a ranking factor: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ctr-dwell-time-signals-myths-27083.html.

Can you be a little more specific when you say "5 years of clicks from the search engine" helps to rank a website better, even if this website has lower metrics? May I ask exactly what you meant by that? (if you could provide a source too, that would be even better because we are all here to learn )

The ranking metrics of Ahrefs, Majestic and Moz may be third party indicators, but they provide a strong and stable transparency about the approximate relevancy and authority of domains for SEO purposes. It is important that they are independent of Google, because Google clearly prefers to keep its own metrics in a black hole so that no one could figure out which sites could optimally rank sites.

As far as the Uzi vs. Howlitzer analogy goes, the point for most people is to have enough information to figure out how to rank, not comprehensive or unlimited data to proceed. I've also found that most metrics are variable in their reliability, and more useful the higher or maxxed out the number is. DA may be the weakest or most subject to manipulation of the metrics, but the closer the DA is to 95-100, the more undeniable it is as an indicator of authority or quality. Same for TF, RD, DR etc.

Nargil said:

TF is a metric about niche relevancy. The higher the TF, the more relevant the backlinks within the niche of the site.

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You mean about tropical trust flow not trust flow.