What are Referring Domains (RD)?

What are Referring Domains (RD)?

Referring Domains (RD) is an Ahrefs metric that counts the total number of unique domains that have at least one link pointing to your domain.

Unlike total backlinks, which counts every individual link, RD focuses on the diversity of your link sources. For example, if 50 different domains each link to your site once, you have 50 referring domains. But if one domain links to you 100 times, you still only have 1 referring domain.

RD vs Total Backlinks

Understanding the difference between referring domains and total backlinks is crucial:

• Referring Domains (RD): Counts unique domains linking to you (diversity). For example, if 10 different domains each link to you 5 times, you have 10 referring domains and 50 total backlinks.
• Total Backlinks: Counts every individual link (volume). This includes multiple links from the same domain.

Search engines value referring domains more than total backlinks because they indicate natural, diverse link acquisition rather than spam or manipulation from a single source. Google's algorithm specifically looks for link diversity as a trust signal.

Example scenario: Domain A has 1,000 backlinks from 50 referring domains (20 links per domain average). Domain B has 1,000 backlinks from 200 referring domains (5 links per domain average). Domain B will typically rank higher because it demonstrates natural link acquisition from diverse sources, while Domain A shows signs of potential link manipulation.

Why Referring Domains Matter for SEO

Referring domains are a key factor in SEO because:

• Link diversity: More referring domains show natural link acquisition patterns
• Domain authority: Each referring domain contributes to your overall domain authority
• Risk distribution: If one referring domain is penalized, it has less impact when you have many diverse sources
• Trust signals: Search engines view diverse link profiles as more trustworthy

How RD Affects Domain Rating

Referring domains directly impact your Domain Rating (DR). Here's how:

• Quantity matters: More referring domains generally lead to higher DR scores
• Quality amplifies: Referring domains with high DR themselves pass more authority
• Diversity bonus: A diverse mix of referring domains is weighted more favorably than concentrated links

Think of it this way: If you have 100 referring domains, and each of those domains has a high Domain Rating, your own DR will be significantly higher than if those 100 domains had low DR scores.

How to Increase Referring Domains

To grow your referring domains count effectively:

1. Create linkable content: Develop valuable, shareable content that naturally attracts links from different sources. Research shows that content formats like original research studies, comprehensive guides (3,000+ words), and data visualizations receive 3-5x more referring domains than standard blog posts. For example, a study analyzing 10,000 domains' backlink profiles will attract links from SEO blogs, industry publications, and resource pages.
2. Build authority links: Focus on getting links from high-authority domains in your niche. One link from a DR 70 industry publication can be worth 20-30 links from low-DR sites. Prioritize quality over quantity - aim for 2-3 high-authority referring domains per month rather than 20 low-quality ones.
3. Strategic outreach campaigns: Reach out to relevant websites for guest posts, collaborations, or resource page listings. Personalize each outreach - generic emails have less than 5% response rates, while personalized messages achieve 15-25% response rates. Target sites that have linked to similar content before.
4. Broken link building: Use tools like Ahrefs to find broken links on high-DR sites in your niche, then offer your content as a replacement. This method has a 20-30% success rate and can quickly add quality referring domains.
5. Buy aged domains: Purchase domains that already have a diverse set of referring domains pointing to them. Brutal Domains specializes in sourcing and selling aged domains with verified referring domain metrics, ensuring quality RD from authoritative sources. A domain with 100+ quality referring domains can provide immediate diversity that would take 12-18 months to build organically.
6. Analyze your backlink profile: Identify gaps and opportunities for new referring domains. Look for industries or content types you haven't received links from yet, then create content targeting those gaps.

Growth timeline: Expect to add 10-20 quality referring domains per month with consistent effort. Organic growth is gradual - it typically takes 6-12 months to build a diverse portfolio of 100+ referring domains. Purchasing aged domains can accelerate this timeline significantly.

Quality vs Quantity of Referring Domains

Not all referring domains are created equal. Quality matters more than quantity:

The key is to focus on acquiring referring domains from authoritative, relevant sources rather than just increasing the number. One referring domain from a DR 80 site is worth more than 100 referring domains from DR 5 sites.