A backlink is a single link from another page to yours. A referring domain is a unique website that links to you, no matter how many links it sends. If one site links to you 40 times, that is 40 backlinks but one referring domain. Most people treat referring domains as the steadier signal of how widely your site is referenced.
A quick example
| Source | Links to your site | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| blog-a.example | 3 links (post, sidebar, footer) | 3 backlinks, 1 referring domain |
| news-b.example | 1 link | 1 backlink, 1 referring domain |
| Total | 4 links | 4 backlinks, 2 referring domains |
Why the distinction matters
- Backlink totals can mislead. Sitewide footer or sidebar links, directory listings and scraped pages can inflate the count without adding much.
- Referring domains show breadth. Ten links from ten sites usually say more about your reach than ten links from one site. That is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee of anything in search.
- Neither number measures quality. One relevant, editorial link can beat dozens of weak ones. Look at relevance, placement and link type as well. Our guide on reading backlink metrics covers this.
Recommended for youHow to Check and Audit a Backlink Profile: A Step-by-Step WalkthroughHow I'd use both in practice
- Pull your backlink report from your tool of choice and switch to the referring domains view.
- Compare the two totals. A big gap (many links, few domains) often points to sitewide links or one prolific linker. Check those first.
- Skim the domains for anything irrelevant or spammy, and note the strongest sources.
- Track both over time. Domains gained and lost are usually easier to explain to others than raw link counts.
Be aware that tools crawl differently, so your counts will vary from one to the next. Compare numbers within one tool rather than across tools, and confirm how each defines a "domain" (some count subdomains separately) on its official site.
Related
- How many referring domains is a good number?
- How to Check and Audit a Backlink Profile
- How to Track New and Lost Backlinks
- Backlink Monitoring & Analysis
Keep reading
How to Track New and Lost Backlinks and Win Back the Ones You LoseBacklinks come and go all the time. Some disappear because a page was edited, some because a site w…
How to Read Backlink Metrics: Referring Domains, Authority Scores and Link TypesBacklink tools hand you a lot of numbers, and most of them are easy to misread. This guide covers t…
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