A referring domain is a unique website that provides one or more backlinks to a target website or web page. Unlike individual backlinks, which are specific links from one site to another, a referring domain represents the overall source of those links. For example, if a webpage receives two backlinks from another website, it still counts as one referring domain because both links originate from the same website. However, if that same page also receives a backlink from a different site, it would have two referring domains.
The number of referring domains is often considered a stronger indicator of a website’s authority than the total number of backlinks, as multiple links from a single domain may not carry as much weight as links from diverse sources. Search engines use referring domains as a ranking factor, with a higher number of unique, high-quality referring domains generally improving a site’s credibility and SEO performance. Thus, backlinks from quality referring domains are often sought after to help improve search engine rankings for specific pages as well as a website overall.
