What is URL Rating (UR)?
URL Rating (UR) is an Ahrefs metric that scores the strength of a single page's backlink profile on a scale of 0 to 100.
Unlike Domain Rating (DR), which applies to the whole domain, UR is calculated for each URL. So one site might have a DR of 50, but its homepage could have UR 55, while an inner page might have UR 20. This lets you see which specific pages have the most link power.
URL Rating vs Domain Rating
Understanding the difference is important when evaluating domains and links:
- URL Rating (UR): Measures the backlink strength of one page. Used to compare pages on the same site or to judge the value of a specific link (e.g. a link from a page with UR 40).
- Domain Rating (DR): Measures the backlink strength of the entire domain. Used to compare different domains and to gauge overall authority.
Example: When you buy an aged domain and plan a 301 redirect, the UR of the page you redirect to (often the homepage) matters for how much link equity passes. When you get a backlink, the UR of the linking page matters more than the site's DR for that single link's contribution.
Why URL Rating Matters for SEO
UR is useful when you:
- Evaluate aged domains: Check the UR of key pages (homepage, important inner pages) to see where link equity is concentrated.
- Build or buy links: A link from a page with UR 50 is typically more valuable than a link from a UR 10 page on the same domain.
- Plan redirects: Redirecting to a page with higher UR can help preserve and pass more link equity.
- Audit your backlink profile: See which referring pages have the highest UR and prioritize similar links.
How UR Is Calculated
Ahrefs calculates UR from the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to that specific URL. Factors include the number of referring domains to that URL, the DR/UR of linking pages, and how link equity flows to the page. Like DR, the scale is logarithmic—moving from UR 30 to 40 requires substantially more quality links than 20 to 30.
Using UR in domain metrics tools
In Ahrefs (and in comparisons with other tools), you can see UR in the Site Explorer for any URL, in backlink reports (UR of linking pages), and when analyzing competitor pages. When vetting aged domains, always check both domain-level DR and page-level UR for the URLs you care about.