As a marketer and small business owner, you’ve likely heard that backlinks are crucial for SEO. Still, a follow-up question arises: “How many backlinks per referring domain are good to increase website authority?“ It’s a smart question, but the answer is not straightforward because backlinks are not about the quality and referring domain.
When it comes to building website authority, quality matters more than quantity; just numbers aren’t enough. Diversity, quality, and context matter just as much, but the volume of backlinks also plays a significant role in building the website’s authority.
In this article, I’ll deeply break down what website authority truly is and its relationship with backlinks and referring domains. I discuss actionable strategies that effectively increase your business’s website authority.
What is Website Authority and Why Does it Matter for Business Growth?
Website authority refers to the credibility and trustworthiness of your site in the eyes of search engines, notably Google. While Google itself doesn’t disclose the exact score of authority, many SEO tools score them from 0 to 100, such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz, which offer their scoring systems.
- Domain Rating (DR) by Ahrefs
- Authority Score (AS) by SEMrush
- Domain Authority (DA) by Moz
A great Domain Authority score is above 50, but a score of 30 is suitable for a small business and e-commerce site. It reflects the type of content the website contains, as well as the quality of backlinks, referring domains, and the trustworthiness of users. It indicates the credibility and readability of the website’s content and backlinks, which in turn determine the website’s authority and credibility.
Google may not see the exact score of authority, but it does assess the authority behind it. Its algorithms capture signals from relevance, backlinks from relevant blogs and trusted sources, and the consistency of high-quality content. It all contributes to how excellently your site ranks in search engines.
How Website Authority Impacts Search Rankings?
What is the point of web authority? Since Google ranks well content that is well-trusted and authoritative. The more power you have, the higher your chances of having your pages on Page 1, particularly for competitive terms.
Here is a way of thinking about it: when two websites post related content, one of which has been linked by The Guardian, Forbes, and industry blogs, and the second has been linked only by low-quality sources, at least Google should prioritise connecting to the more authoritative site.
In Real Life Example: Suppose you have a local bakery in the UK. At that, when your site appears on BBC Food or any other food blog with a high authority, you can get both traffic and respect. A single mention bears more than 50 backlinks to irrelevant and random blogs.
When it comes to small businesses and marketers, you want your websites to be authoritative. It implies that you would not only be running after traffic but rather getting Google to trust you. And the trust will result in rankings, visibility, and finally, conversions.
Explained Backlinks and Referring Domain
Backlinks
An incoming link from one website to another connects them. Website A links to Website B because Website B has valuable content.
Anchor text also plays a significant role in backlinks. It is blue text which is clickable, telling what the page and the linked site are about. For example, the anchor text is “Best AI Tools” which gives a strong hint to Google that the linked page is relevant to the anchor text.
It transfers the authority of the website to your website when you link with an authorised website. It represents the SEO value passed. A link from a highly reputable site carries more weight than a brand-new, low-quality blog.
Referring Domain
A unique website linking to you, or in simple terms, a website giving back link to you. If backlinks are a vote of confidence, then the referring domain is the “voter” that gives a vote to your site.
For Example, A health site links to your webpage five times; it is considered five backlinks, but the referring domain is one.
Let’s see a real-time example. You’re running a local online store. One person gives you 10 pieces of feedback; it can’t carry more weight than 10 people provide you with feedback, as it is less persuasive. The same logic is applied to SEO.
So what’s the difference between 10 backlinks from 1 domain vs 10 backlinks from 10 domains?
Here, 10-10 is excellent, which means 10 backlinks from 10 domains, providing a superb signal to Google that this site earns quality backlinks from reputable, high-branded websites. It indicates that multiple independent sites trust this website’s content, not just one.
Role of Referring Domain in Increasing Website Authority
Search engines, such as Google, adore diversity not only in the content but also in the links that lead to it. This is because a multiplicity of reference domains indicates that your content enjoys a high level of credibility throughout the web.
When 50 other websites are pointing to the article about email marketing tips written by you, it is an excellent indication that your work is legitimate and helpful. However, when a single location points to you 50 times, that can be seen as a manipulation, or in the worst case, spam.
Case Study
According to Ahrefs reports, a significant correlation between referring domains and improved Google search rankings. According to a study, the higher-ranking pages are associated with considerably more referring domains than their lower-ranked counterparts, even though the overall quantities of backlinks could be comparable.
One more example: Google has its own Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, which focus on the significance of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), often represented by backlinks from sources with as wide a possible range of reputation.
Thus, concentrating on the high quantity of external links in the name of improving your site authority is not the way to go, especially when you should instead be working on establishing relationships that introduce new high-quality referring sites.
How many Backlinks are Optimal to increase a Website’s Authority?
This is the question we all want to know: so exactly how many backlinks per site that refers should I get to increase my site authority?
The truth of the matter is that there is no one answer.
1. No magic number. Context is King!
The strategies that a global SaaS company can use may not be beneficial for your local bakery or digital agency. The ideal backlink-to-referring-domain percentage varies by industry, niche, and level of competition.
One of the most intelligent steps? Compete with your competitors who rank above you. With the help of tools like Ahrefs or Semrush, one can identify which domains provide numerous references and the number of backlinks they offer. This will give you a real goal instead of running after a random number.
Another preference is organic growth, as done by Google. Should you gain 500 of the backlinks of 3 websites all of a sudden, this could send out a red flag. The process of natural link-building occurs over a long period and typically involves various trustworthy sources.
2. Priority Unique, Premier Unique Referring Quality Domains
This is where the strategy starts:
- The first time a new referring domain appears might be the most weighted link. It is similar to gaining your first sense of confidence.
- More backlinks on the same domain are valuable (in a more profound, contextual sense and referred to as ‘link juice’), but with less added value.
- One link from a highly relevant and authoritative source, such as a significant industry publication, is significantly more valuable than many links from unrelated or low-quality sites.
- The incoming links of websites in your niche can help establish topical authority, which is a concept to follow, as outlined in Google’s E-E-A-T framework.
3. When are more Backlinks required?
Occasionally, several links within a single domain can be of great advantage to you, particularly when they do refer to distinct pages on your site (this is termed as deep linking). This decentralises power throughout the whole site.
And remember internal linking as well; you cannot mention domains, but it also helps you organise your power distribution effectively. Target a natural and steady link velocity. The sudden influx of new referrals to the domains and frequent linking is a good sign of effective SEO.
4. Omit Spammy Backlinks
It is where it becomes risky: when the majority of your backlinks are linking you to a small number of domains, particularly the low-quality ones, it might seem so natural to the search engines.
This kind of pattern could imply:
- Paid link programs
- Private blog networks (PBNs)
- Automated link spam Link spam automation
And Google is following the SpamBrain algorithm, which involves periodic updates to Google’s link spam detection, is designed to detect manipulative link-building tactics. If your site is already receiving excessive backlinks from the same few domains that lack significant relevance or editorial integrity, then your ranking will suffer.
To positively enhance the authority of their sites, focus on acquiring links from diverse, reputable, and relevant sources. It’s not about gaming the ratio; it’s about appearing natural and credible to Google.
How to Build Backlinks that Increase the Website Authority?
Backlinks are a strategy that naturally increases a website’s authority, as we have already discussed the plan for building backlinks. There is are proven strategy to build backlinks. Examine the backlink profile to maintain the flow of traffic from which site’s link you gain.
1. Focus on Quality over Quantity
In the process of building backlinks, the power of one strong link is better than ten puny links–no matter how many times we repeat this fact.
Being on a site such as Forbes, BBC, or TechCrunch not only brings in traffic but also means: ‘Hey Google, this site is trusted by reputable sources.‘ That will be a huge credibility boost.
High-authority backlinks are given by:
- Quality news sources
- Reputable blog sites in the industry
- Educational (.edu) or government (.gov) domain
- Professional niche influencers
You will feel less resource-strained as you work towards having only some high-quality mentions that are worthwhile, as opposed to chasing dozens of random blogs. This will align with Google’s E-E-A-T, thereby strengthening your credibility and worthiness in your niche.
2. Build Various Referring Domains
Another way to increase authority is to distribute your backlinks across several relevant domains. The following are the ways through which small businesses and marketers can do this:
- Guest posting: Submit valuable content in blogs of your niche.
- Podcast: Be a guest on industry podcasts (many provide backlinks in terms of show notes).
- PR says: Get featured in the press on sites like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) or Qwoted.
- Local directories: List your business in reputable and credible local or industry directories.
In doing so, you will not be acquiring backlinks, but you will be establishing relationships and building brand recognition online.
3. Monitor Your Link Profile using Tools
It is imperative to monitor your backlinks. Tools like:
- Ahrefs for Site Explorer Backlink Profile
- Semrush for Backlink Analytics & Audit
- Moz for Link Explorer
Anyway, you see:
- The number of referring domains you possess
- What connections are aiding (or aversing) your authority
- Best practices of the competitors
If you notice spammy or malicious links pointing to your site, use the Google Disavow Tool with caution or ask the webmasters of other websites to remove them.
Periodic link audits will keep you informed of the status of your backlink strategy, ensuring it is healthy, natural, and in line with good SEO practices.
Conclusion
The article’s summary highlights that, regardless of the number of backlinks and referring domain links a website has, the quality, diversity, and content context are crucial in increasing the website’s authority. Website authority refers to the level of credibility and trust it has in the eyes of other sites, as well as in the eyes of Google.
Develop a comprehensive long-term backlinks strategy that incorporates guest posting, directory submissions, PR, and podcasting. Analyse your niche and competitors, and build links with relevant sites, so that it provides a natural way of backlinking.
