Referring domain vs backlink, in one sentence: a backlink is a single link pointing to your site, while a referring domain is the unique website that the link comes from, meaning one domain can send you many backlinks but only counts once toward your total referring domain count.
What are Backlinks?
Backlinks are links from one website to another that appear as hyperlinks and are also commonly known as inbound links. There can be multiple backlinks from any website or page. The confusion creeps in because people report backlink totals as if they’re the whole story, when in reality, ten backlinks from ten different domains carry far more weight than fifty backlinks from one blog network.
Backlinks still matter, but the issue is treating every link as equal. But treating every link as equal, regardless of source, is how campaigns end up padded with numbers that don’t move rankings.
What are Referring Domains?
Referring domains are the sources of those backlinks. To explain this simply, imagine a website links to you five different times. You would have acquired five backlinks, but the referring domain would be the same.
Referring Domains Vs Backlinks: Why the Confusion?
Most SEO tools will show both metrics side by side, and some agencies tend to report the larger number purely for the optics.
“We built you 200 backlinks this quarter” sounds a lot better than “we built you 40 referring domains,” even though the latter is the more impressive feat.
Plus, when you consider that a single guest post generates a homepage link, an author bio link, and a social share link all from the same domain, you can see how backlink counts get inflated fast.
If you’re comparing two campaigns and trying to work out which one built real authority, normalize by referring domains first, not raw backlink count. It’s the only way to know if you’re building real authority or just juicing a vanity metric.
Referring Domains vs Backlinks: How Do They Impact SEO?
This is the part that actually affects your strategy. A backlink profile built on diverse referring domains is far harder for Google to dismiss than one padded from a handful of sources.
Ahrefs’ own research backs this up: pages in the #1 spot tend to gain new referring domains at a rate of 5–14.5% per month faster than anything else on page one. Ahrefs is careful to note this doesn’t prove faster link growth causes the top ranking; it may just as easily be the other way around, with the top spot’s visibility naturally attracting more links. Either way, the pattern holds: the higher a page ranks, the more it tends to pull away from the rest of the pack.
So when you’re planning outreach, chasing 20 new referring domains from relevant, unique sites will move the needle further than chasing 100 backlinks from five domains you’ve already tapped out.
If you’re looking to outsource prospecting, vetting, and outreach, check out our comprehensive link building services.
Which Metric Should You Actually Track?
Track both, but give higher weight to referring domains when you’re evaluating campaign quality. Backlink count tells you volume. Referring domain count tells you reach.
If your backlink number is climbing but your referring domain number is flat, something’s off, and it’s usually a sign you’re over-relying on a handful of sources instead of earning links from a genuinely diverse set of sites.