- Informational
Backlinks vs Referring Domains: What the Numbers Tell You
Editorial responsibility: SearchCub
Backlinks count links from other websites; referring domains count the different domains those links come from. If one website links to your article 20 times, that can add 20 backlinks but only one referring domain. Read both numbers to see whether links are concentrated in a few sources or spread across many.
One example, three different counts
Imagine you publish a coffee-grinder comparison. These are hypothetical external-link counts, assuming each website uses one domain:
Links to your article | Backlinks added | Referring domains added |
|---|---|---|
One link from a coffee blog | 1 | 1 |
Ten links from ten pages on that same blog | 10 | 1 |
Ten links from ten different websites | 10 | 10 |
Ten links from other pages on your own website | 0 external backlinks | 0 external referring domains |
A tool may count subdomains separately. For example, links from a site's main domain and its forum subdomain can produce two referring domains but one referring root domain. Check which field you are comparing: DataForSEO distinguishes referring domains from referring main domains.
Do links within your own website count?
Links between pages on the same website are internal links. They help readers move from one useful page to another, but they do not add a new external source linking to you.
For example, linking your coffee-grinder review to your brewing guide is useful navigation. Use descriptive link text, such as “how to choose a grind size,” so readers know what they will find. Google recommends contextual internal links to help people and search engines discover and understand your pages.
More links do not automatically mean a stronger page
A link repeated in a website's footer can appear on hundreds of pages. That repetition increases the backlink count without adding hundreds of independent sources.
Suppose two competing articles have these profiles:
Article | Backlinks | Referring domains | What you can conclude |
|---|---|---|---|
A | 200 | 20 | More links, concentrated in fewer domains |
B | 80 | 30 | Fewer links, spread across more domains |
You cannot pick the better article from these totals. Neither number tells you whether the links are relevant, editorially chosen, or useful to readers. Google uses link analysis alongside other ranking systems; a raw count is not Google's quality score.
How to read these numbers in SearchCub
Open a keyword's SERP overview. Search for a topic in SearchCub, select a keyword, and find the ranking pages in SERP overview. SERP means search engine results page. Check the displayed country so you compare results for your intended audience.
Compare Backlinks with Ref. domains. Where supplied, these columns describe links to each ranking page. Compare article URLs with article URLs; a site's domain-level total answers a different question.
Open Backlink details when available. Additional fields can include referring root domains and referring pages. Use them to understand the count's scope. Missing data means unavailable, not zero; the figures reflect the provider's index.
Read the competing pages. Open results that address the same reader need. Identify what you could contribute: a tested comparison, clearer instructions, an original measurement, or an answer the existing pages leave incomplete.
SearchCub's SERP view summarizes links to ranking pages. For the wider page-review workflow, follow SearchCub SERP Analysis.
What should you work on next?
Choose something worth referencing: publish your comparison method, include the measurements behind a claim, or offer a useful worksheet. Then connect the article to relevant pages on your own site.
When reviewing progress, ask which useful pages are attracting links and from what kinds of sources. A larger count is only worth celebrating when you understand what changed.
Put those link observations alongside dated search estimates in the website SEO performance scorecard.