Understanding link-building terminologies is crucial for effective SEO. Here, we explain some key terms you should know:
1) DA vs. DR
DA (Domain Authority) and DR (Domain Rating) are metrics used to check the authority of a domain, but they differ in the tools that calculate them.
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Domain Authority (DA): It is Developed by Moz. DA depends on various factors including the quality and quantity of backlinks, the relevance of the content, and other SEO factors. It scores websites on a scale from 1 to 100. Higher scores indicate a stronger ability to rank. DA looks at the overall SEO health of a website, taking many factors into account.
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Domain Rating (DR): It is Created by Ahrefs. DR is directly related to the quality and quantity of a website's backlinks. It uses a scale from 0 to 100. DR focuses solely on the strength of a website's link profile, making it a simpler but powerful metric. It’s mainly about how strong and influential your backlinks are.
While both metrics provide insights into a website’s authority, DA considers more factors, whereas DR focuses specifically on the link profile.
2) Do-Follow vs. No-Follow Links
Backlinks can be categorized as do-follow or no-follow, each serving a distinct purpose in SEO.
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Do-Follow Links: These links pass "link juice" or SEO value from one site to another. They help improve the linked site's search engine ranking. Most backlinks are do-follow by default. These links tell search engines to follow them and consider them when ranking your site.
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No-Follow Links: These links do not pass SEO value. However, they are still important. Some high-authority websites only give no-follow links, and getting no-follow links from these sites can be as valuable (or even more valuable) than getting do-follow links from a low DR website. Additionally, maintaining a balanced ratio of do-follow and no-follow links makes your link profile look natural to search engines. No-follow links tell search engines not to count them as votes of confidence, but they still can drive traffic and enhance visibility.
While do-follow links directly impact your SEO, no-follow links still contribute to traffic and credibility, making them valuable.
3) Backlinks vs. Referring Domains
Backlinks and referring domains are terms that are often used interchangeably but they are not the same.
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Backlinks: These are individual links from one website to another. If a site links to your page multiple times, each link counts as a separate backlink.
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Referring Domains: These are the unique domains that link to your website. If a single domain links to your site ten times, it is still considered one referring domain. Referring domains are important because they show the diversity of sources linking to you.
Both are crucial metrics, but referring domains are particularly important because a higher number of unique domains indicates a broader, more diverse backlink profile. This diversity is usually a good sign to search engines that your content is trustworthy and popular across different sites.
4) Spam Score
Spam Score is a metric developed by Moz to measure the potential risk of a website being penalized by search engines.
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High Spam Score: Indicates that a site might be engaging in questionable practices. However, not all sites with high spam scores are bad. Some good websites may have a high spam score due to various reasons. It’s essential to consider other factors like DR, content quality, and niche relevance before making a judgment. A high spam score combined with poor content and low DR can be a red flag.
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Low Spam Score: Typically indicates a lower risk of being penalized. These sites are generally safer to get links from, but it’s still important to check other quality indicators.
While spam score is a useful metric, it should not be the sole determinant of a website’s quality.
5) Authority Score
Authority Score measures the quality of a website or webpage's links. Created by Semrush, it combines three main factors:
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Link Power: The quality and quantity of backlinks.
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Organic Traffic: Estimated monthly traffic.
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Spam Factors: Indicators of spam or manipulation in the link profile.
Higher scores indicate stronger, more valuable links. Factors such as having too many referring domains with the same IP address or no organic rankings can lower the score.
Authority Score Labels:
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Low Authority: Few backlinks, minimal benefit.
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Good: Well-rounded backlinks and decent traffic.
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Excellent: Strong backlink profile and high traffic.
The Authority Score is updated every two weeks and helps compare the trust levels of different websites. You can find it in various Semrush tools like Domain Overview and Backlink Analytics.
6) Anchor vs. Keyword
Anchor Text and Keywords are two main components in the link-building process.
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Anchor Text: This is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. It should be relevant to the page you are linking to. Using appropriate anchor text helps search engines understand the context of the linked page. For example, if your link is about SEO tips, the anchor text might be "best SEO practices."
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Keywords: These are the terms you want your pages to rank for in search engine results. While anchor text often contains keywords, it is broader as it can include branded terms, exact match keywords, and more. Keywords are the phrases people type into search engines when looking for information.
Using varied and relevant anchor text is essential for an effective link-building strategy, ensuring that links appear natural and beneficial to your SEO.
Each terminology mentioned above plays a unique role in how search engines perceive and rank your website. It is important to understand them and use them wisely.
