What Is a Referring Domain & What You Have to Know Before Getting Backlinks

There’s nothing like a new backlink from a high-ranking site to get marketers and SEO teams really excited. It’s a universal sign that another domain sees your hard work and likes what you do.

But what is a referring domain, and what does it have to do with backlinks?

Good question! That’s exactly what this post is going to clear up. Did you know that one quality domain referring to your site has more weight than 100s of spammy backlinks? That’s right.

So, not knowing the difference between the two can cost you your search ranking position. Now, let’s jump in and break it down so you don’t make the same mistake.

Contents

• What is a referring domain, and what makes it important for SEO?
• Backlinks vs. referring domains: What is the difference?
• Which matters more: backlinks or referring domains?
• 8 things you need to know about domains before getting backlinks
• #1 Always check the referring domains
• #2 How to spot high-quality referring domains
• #3 You can always get more
• #4 Nofollow links also have value
• #5 Great content is still your best bait
• #6 Guest post but with really high standards
• #7 Take a cue or two from your competitors from time to time
• #8 Learn how to create effective link-building campaigns
• Conclusion

What is a referring domain, and what makes it important for SEO?

A referring domain is basically any domain (aka website) out there that is sending backlinks to another site.

In the world of search engine optimization, this is a huge deal. When other blogs link to you, they are basically “referring” your site to others and vouching for it as credible.

This has a good effect on both search engines and customers. They see this and think: “Okay, if you are good enough for these quality sites, then you must be trustworthy.”

As a result, search engines rank your site higher in SERPs, more people get to see your web page, and you receive more organic traffic.

Backlinks vs. referring domains: What is the difference?

Even though many people confuse the two together, there is a very big difference. If you’ve ever looked up a backlink profile of any site, you’ve seen something similar:

Source: Ahrefs

In this case, Ahrefs has 1.3M backlinks and 43K linking websites. These “linking websites” are what we call referring domains.

So, long story short:

• Backlink is a URL from one site to another. Below, you can see how we used a stat from WebFX in our blog on manufacturing marketing and linked to them. This means that WebFX got a backlink from adsy.com.

• Referring domain, on the contrary, is the website that links to you or any other site. In this case, adsy.com is a referring domain for WebFX.

Which matters more: backlinks or referring domains?

Short answer: referring domains. If you want to understand the “why,” here you go.

As far as SEO is concerned, the success of your backlink profile isn’t about the number of backlinks you get. The focus is rather on how many unique, quality websites are linking to your page.

So, for example, if CNN links to your website 5 times, it still counts as one referring domain. You do have five backlinks now, though.

Now, if Forbes, Fox, DW, and six other blogs link to your website as well, that’s a total of 10 referring domains. You also have 14 backlinks now. Usually, the number of backlinks is higher than that of referring domains since a website can link to yours more than once.

Note: It doesn’t mean that five links from a credible source will hurt — not at all. But you also have to understand that the first link will give you much, much, much more link juice than the fifth backlink you get from that same domain.

Google loves it when you have a lot of referring domains. Think of it this way — say you need a plumber. Then, one person tells you on three occasions that their buddy Cole is the best one there ever was.

But over the next 2 weeks, you hear three different random people recommend you to hire a guy called Shawn instead. Who would you believe more? Chances are high that you would choose Shawn. That’s kind of what’s happening with the algorithm, too.

8 things you need to know about domains before getting backlinks

Now that we know the difference between backlinks and referring domains, it’s time to fill in the next knowledge gap. Yep, there are many crucial things one needs to understand about domains before doing link-building. Here are some of them:

#1 Always check the referring domains

This advice applies to the times when you want to do your backlinking campaigns. The thing is, there are many tools you can use to check the referring domains’ SEO value easily.

If you want a free tool, you can use Google Search Console. There are also other options like Ahrefs, Semrush, etc. As for the metrics and features, focus on:

• Number of links (if any) your website has received from this site.
• Metrics like authority scores, traffic volume, citation flow, etc.
• Relevance of the linking site to yours. An odd link or two from a baking site to your construction page is no big deal, but too many of them could set off a red flag for Google.

You can also check your own site from time to time to see if you’ve lost any backlinks from a quality page or suddenly had more spammy websites linking to you.

Plus, it’s important to check on your internal links as well. While they’re not referring domains, they do help pass the link juice across the other pages and help search bots understand your site better.

Yet, if you want to know the exact things that matter when selecting referring domains, let’s move to the next section.

#2 How to spot high-quality referring domains

All referring domains are not created equal — a tired cliché at this point, but still so true even now. While the number of backlinks matters, the quality is insanely important.

Source: X

A link from a .gov site can’t have the same weight as one from a random blog with hardly any traffic. But then again, even when you get links from two sites with the same volume of high traffic, there can still be a difference.

The link from one relevant site to your blog carries much more weight compared to the one from a random page (even if the metrics are higher). So, to know if a domain is high quality, ask yourself: “Is it reputable and relevant?”

If it ticks these two boxes, you are golden. If, on the other hand, it comes from a spammy site, it’s likely to have little to no value. In some cases, it could hurt your rankings.

#3 You can always get more

Remember what we said earlier when we talked about referring domain meaning? We said the key is not the number of backlinks but the number of quality referring domains.

If that was discouraging, here is some good news — you can always get more domains linking to you. Here are a few things you can do to make this process easier for you:

• Creating high-value linkable assets. Ever had to use images or infographics from a highly recognizable site in your article? You probably then linked them as a source. What if you flip the script?

You can make your own assets that others will then reference in their own blogs and link to your site. This could be high-quality images, infographics, case studies, surveys, etc.

• Unlinked mentions. Sometimes, though, people take those assets and use them without crediting you. In cases like this, you can always find them using special tools designed for this purpose.

Next, all you have to do is shoot them an email asking them to link to your website as the source. If they comply, you now have more referral domains linking to your site.

• Collaborate with notable people/brands. When you combine forces…or work together with other relevant brands, it could be a chance to get featured in their blogs and social media content.

Plus, if it's a newsworthy event, you can get news sites' domains referring to you.

• Buy some, but only if it’s worth it. Let’s be real. Many marketers and SEO specialists buy backlinks. If you choose to do this, do it right. Avoid “experts” that get you 1000 backlinks from DA90+ websites for $10.

It’s best to stick to legit services that will use a manual link-building process — the same ones you would use if you had to do this yourself. Also, don’t let this become a thing where you buy hundreds of random links every month. It will backfire.

#4 Nofollow links also have value

Now that you know how to answer the question, “What is a referring domain?” The temptation to focus on dofollow links alone can be quite strong.

Unlike dofollow, nofollow links do not pass on any SEO value. But does that mean they’re completely useless? Far from it! In fact, you do need them to have a natural backlink profile.

Source: X

Know what happens when your backlink profile only spots dofollow links from high-quality sites? It begins to look a little bit like you’re garnishing your link campaigns.

Search engines might think you are involved in manipulative link practices. Why? Because a natural backlink profile is really a healthy mix of quality nofollow and dofollow links. Then, there are a bit of low- to medium-quality backlinks thrown in, too.

It takes all sorts of links to actually make it. Besides, nofollow links can still improve your brand exposure, which helps to push more traffic your way. This way, they can indirectly contribute to better search rankings.

One more thing: It’s tempting to think of .edu and .gov links as the magic “one ring” that rules them all. But you want to avoid obsessing over them.

It’s so hard to get some, but since they are so rare, some people focus on them, neglecting other types of links. That’s a bad move. Sure, if you can get some, that’s great, but unless they are relevant, it’s just not worth the trouble.

But what if you want those links by any means necessary and you don’t have the budget to fund a library? Then, consider checking with expert services to find the best way to balance it.

#5 Great content is still your best bait

Are you still actively searching for new, quick ways to get more referring domains besides the ones listed earlier? High-quality content is one of those “oldie but golden” tactics.

What content is that, exactly? The kind that provides helpful, actionable steps and verifiable answers to people's questions.

We all have that one blog we go to for answers and insights in our niche. Then, only when we don’t find what we need there do we even bother to check others. You can become that blog for your target customers.

Just make sure that your content aligns with their interests and search intent. If copywriting isn’t your strength, you can find expert tips online on how to improve your copy.

But don’t think that content is only limited to what you publish on your site. You can also publish on other blogs. This brings us to the next tip.

#6 Guest post but with really high standards

Guest posting is still a valid way to get good backlinks and increase the number of domains referring to your site. Yes, that’s right! It’s not about backlinks vs. referring domains — you’re getting both.

What really makes guest posting special is not just that your links get placed where more eyes can see them. It’s also the fact that the audience’s interests already align with your own target audience.

The only thing is that you have to be really picky with who you choose. You can simply apply all the tips we’ve mentioned in the first strategy on this list.

After you find decent donor sites, you’ll have the task of convincing them to publish your blog, which is where manual outreach comes in. Pull this off, and you can repeat the whole process over and over till you have a good number of referring domains.

#7 Take a cue or two from your competitors from time to time

You might be tempted to skip this one, assuming that you already know everything about your competition. Don’t. Your competitors can be one of your best sources of inspiration if you just play your cards right. What do we mean by this?

Well, conducting a proper analysis lets you dig through your competitor’s strategy. As a result, you learn their strengths and weaknesses.

You can then fine-tune their best tactics and exploit their weaknesses. That sounds a bit unethical, but hear us out — it’s better than it sounds.

For example, you could find the domains referring to them. You can then reach out to those websites, offering them a guest post or asking whether they accept link insertions. But it doesn’t end there.

You can also check what keyword gaps they have and write corresponding content for your website. This will help you tap into the traffic they are missing out on.

Source: X

#8 Learn how to create effective link-building campaigns

Link building is not for the faint of heart. It‘s probably the toughest part of SEO. But just because something is hard doesn't mean it’s impossible.

The truth is that link building can be difficult, but there are ways you can optimize it so it’s not only easy but also effective. The biggest one is to stay up-to-date on link-building strategies. Oh, and, of course, practice makes everything easier.

The more you do this and stay in the loop about any changes, the better your progress will get.

The next part is to focus on what the data is saying. Trust your gut instincts, but also trust the data. You can start by using your SEO tools to watch your web performance. When you do, take note of what worked and what didn’t.

This will help you identify the most effective techniques for your businesses and what’s a waste of resources.

Conclusion

We have answered the question, “What are referring domains?” We have also shared some effective tips you can use to score both more referring domains and backlinks.

But one last word of caution: link velocity matters even with quality links. 6-10 new domains per month for a small site is natural. 1200-5000 new domains per month for that same site are going to set off alarms. Frankly, it’ll be a disaster.

The goal is to match the average in your niche, maybe even stay a few steps ahead. As you put in the time and effort with these tips, you’ll get solid results soon.