Backlinks vs Referring Domains: A Comprehensive 2025 Guide

Backlinks and referring domains are two critical components in the world of SEO, yet they are often misunderstood or used interchangeably. Gaining clarity on backlinks vs referring domains can make a substantial difference in how you approach link building strategies.

Many users focus on backlinks, but maintaining a balanced approach that includes referring domains is equally essential for boosting your website’s search engine rankings. This article outlines the backlinks vs referring domains and explains how to utilize both to enhance your online visibility.

‎What is a Backlink?

A backlink is a link from a different website that leads users to one of your websites. Backlinks from high-quality, authoritative domains can not only increase your credibility but also improve your search engine rankings. They transfer link equity, boost referral traffic, and establish authority with Google. 

However, not all backlinks are equally important. Poor-quality links can negatively impact your SEO. Therefore, a practical link-building approach focuses on acquiring backlinks from reliable referring domains to strengthen your site’s visibility.

‎What is a Referring Domain?

Referring domains are external websites that connect to your website’s pages, helping to improve SEO, organic traffic, and brand visibility. For example, connections from CNN and the Forbes score as two referring sites. The authority of a referring domain is based on relevancy, credibility, and backlink profile. 

Moreover, Google even prefers backlinks from unique and high-quality sources. As a result, a broad backlink profile from several reliable domains is more advantageous than several links from a single source.

‎‎Differences between Backlinks and Referring Domains 

Several factors distinguish backlinks vs referring domains. Understanding these key differences is essential for building an effective link-building strategy.

‎Link Quantity vs. Domain Diversity 

Backlinks are the total number of specific links referring to your website, regardless of how many originate from a single source. Referring domains, on the other hand, involve the number of different websites that link to you, emphasizing link diversity over link quantity.

‎Growth Potential

More referring domains signal trust and diversity, which help establish authority and promote long-term SEO growth. While backlinks indicate content popularity, excessive backlinks from a single domain can limit overall SEO growth and effectiveness.

‎Role of Anchor Texts

Backlinks and referring domains both rely heavily on anchor text. Backlinks provide context for search engines, enabling them to understand the value of the content better. In referring domains, using consistent, keyword-rich anchor text from various high-quality sources improves your link profile.

Balancing ‎Quality and Quantity

Referring domains focus on acquiring links from high-authority websites, which enhances credibility. Backlinks are primarily concerned with link quantity; nevertheless, having too many from a single domain might affect your SEO. A balanced blend of quantity and quality is required for optimal search performance.

‎What Matters Most? Backlinks vs Referring Domains 

When it comes to backlinks vs referring domains, both are crucial for SEO, but they serve distinct objectives. Here is a quick review of their importance:

Aspect	Backlinks	Referring Domains
Volume	The sheer number of backlinks has a significant impact on SEO.	The number of referring domains shows the diversity of links.
Focus	Primarily concerned with the quantity of links from external websites.	Focuses on the number of unique websites linking to your content.
Diversity	Multiple backlinks from a single website may not provide as much SEO benefit.	More referring domains = better diversity, enhancing SEO.
SEO Impact	A high quantity of backlinks from trusted sources boosts rankings.	Referring domains help to establish trust and authority, and diversity improves rankings.
Search Engine Preference	Search engines value quality over quantity, but a high volume of quality backlinks still counts.	Search engines favor backlinks from multiple referring domains, considering diversity a key factor in their ranking algorithms.

Backlinks vs Referring Domains: How Do They Impact SEO 

External backlinks vs referring domains provide a key difference in SEO strategy. Google values both, but places greater trust in sites that have links from several high-quality, relevant websites. A single referring domain can generate a considerable quantity of backlinks, but SEO advantages are greater when links emerge from several sources. 

In addition, pages that rank number one on Google often have more than 200 referring domains. Backlink quality, relevancy, and anchor text are all important factors to consider. So, a combination of credible external backlinks and referring domains improves visibility and organic traffic.

Best Practices for Building Referring Domains & Backlinks 

After knowing about backlinks vs referring domains, these practices can help you build a diversified referring domain and quality backlinks and boost your site’s authority & rankings. 

‎Prioritize Guest Blogging & Outreach

Find industry-related websites for backlinks and guest posting. This can be a proven approach for unique referring sites to gain backlinks while extending their linking network. 

‎Create Quality Content

Valuable content, such as guides, case studies, or infographics, generates a large number of backlinks and diversifies referring domains. Relevant content that users like to share encourages other sites to link back to your website.

‎Identify Broken Links

Identify broken links on authoritative sites and recommend your related content as a substitute. This powerful strategy not only helps you acquire high-quality backlinks but also adds new referring domains to your SEO profile, thereby increasing credibility and improving your search engine rankings.

‎Focus Link Authority & Relevance

Get links from websites in your niche or sector. Search engines favour backlinks from authoritative domains that are relevant to your content. Regularly check referring domains, as they can assist you in finding high-authority websites for outreach.

‎Check for Spammy Links or Domains

Tracking backlinks and referring domains is critical for maintaining SEO health. Use SEO tools to track link sources and identify spammy or low-quality links that can affect your results. Removing these links helps to keep your site’s integrity and search visibility.

‎Build Linkable Assets

Create valuable, high-quality content that people in your niche can rely on. This encourages relevant websites to naturally link to your material, allowing you to build authority backlinks and attract new referring domains to improve your SEO.

How to Check Backlinks vs Referring Domains 

To view your referring domains and backlinks, go to Google Search Console and select Links from Top linking sites. This report displays the websites that link to you the most, as well as how many of their pages have backlinks and which of your pages are linked to. When you click on any domain, you can obtain complete linkage information. Thus, monitor backlink sources and identify referring domains to enhance your SEO approach and maintain an effective link profile.

Bonus tip: Boost Your SEO Strategy with Link Watcher 

Backlinks and referring domains are crucial for establishing website authority and enhancing SEO performance. However, you need to manage these efficiently with the best tools, such as Link Watcher.

This advanced, all-in-one link-building management tool simplifies the process of tracking backlinks and referring domains. It provides detailed performance metrics, automated tracking, and insightful reports to maintain a healthy link profile. You can also monitor the indexing status of your backlinks, prevent link loss, and ensure data security, all from a single platform. It even helps streamline your outreach campaigns and take complete control of your link-building efforts, ultimately boosting your rankings.

Conclusion

This post suggests that both referring domains and backlinks are necessary for an effective SEO strategy. While backlinks count total links to your website, referring domains emphasise the diversity of those links. Achieving a balance between quantity and quality is crucial for improving your rankings and establishing authority. Link Watcher can handle it for you to get backlinks from referring domains. Get started today to develop a successful link-building plan.

‎FAQs about Backlinks vs Referring domains