Link building remains one of the most powerful strategies for improving a website’s search engine rankings and driving organic traffic. However, to maximize the impact of link building, it’s important to track key metrics that can help you assess the quality of the links you’re acquiring and the effectiveness of your overall strategy.
Link building isn’t just about the quantity of backlinks—it’s about the quality, relevance, and diversity of the links pointing to your site. By focusing on the right metrics, you can build a stronger backlink profile that enhances your website’s authority and search engine rankings.
In this article, we’ll explore the most important metrics to consider when measuring the success of a link-building campaign, how they contribute to SEO, and best practices for monitoring these metrics over time.
1. Domain Authority (DA)
Domain Authority (DA) is one of the most well-known metrics in the SEO community. Developed by Moz, DA measures the overall strength and authority of a website on a scale from 1 to 100. Websites with a higher DA tend to rank better in search engine results pages (SERPs).
When building links, you should prioritize obtaining backlinks from websites with high DA, as these links carry more weight and can significantly boost your website’s rankings. For example, a link from a site with a DA of 80 will typically be more beneficial than a link from a site with a DA of 20.
However, while DA is an important metric, it’s not the only one to consider. A well-rounded approach to link building also looks at other factors that contribute to SEO success.
2. Domain Rating (DR)
Domain Rating (DR) is a similar metric to DA but is calculated by Ahrefs. It measures the strength of a website’s backlink profile on a scale from 1 to 100. DR focuses specifically on the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a website. Like DA, DR is a useful tool for evaluating potential link-building opportunities.
High-DR websites are more likely to pass on “link juice,” which can improve your site’s own DR and authority. DR is especially useful when used in combination with other metrics like URL Rating (UR), which assesses the strength of a specific page’s backlinks rather than the entire domain.
3. Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF)
Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF) are metrics developed by Majestic that focus on the trustworthiness and quantity of a site’s backlinks. Trust Flow measures the quality and trustworthiness of a website based on the credibility of the sites linking to it, while Citation Flow measures the sheer volume of backlinks.
A website with high TF but low CF indicates that it has fewer but higher-quality backlinks. Conversely, a site with high CF but low TF may have a large number of backlinks, but many of them may be from less credible or lower-quality sources. Ideally, you want a balanced combination of both, with a focus on acquiring high-trust, high-authority backlinks.
4. Page Authority (PA)
While Domain Authority (DA) measures the overall strength of a website, Page Authority (PA)—also developed by Moz—measures the strength of an individual webpage. PA is an important metric for link building because even if a site has high DA, not all pages on that site will have the same authority.
For example, getting a backlink from the homepage of a high-PA site is more valuable than getting a link from a lesser-known page on the same site. When pursuing links, look for opportunities to get backlinks from pages with high PA, especially if they are relevant to your niche.
5. Relevance of the Linking Site
While metrics like DA, DR, and TF provide a sense of authority, relevance is equally important. A backlink from a highly relevant website in your industry or niche is more valuable than one from an unrelated site, even if that site has a high DA or DR.
For example, if you run a fitness blog, a backlink from a highly respected fitness website will carry more weight in terms of SEO than a link from an unrelated website like a technology blog, even if the tech site has higher authority.
Relevance signals to search engines that the link is natural and provides value to users, which can lead to improved rankings for your target keywords.
6. Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink, and it plays a crucial role in how search engines understand the context of a backlink. Optimized anchor text can help improve the rankings of the specific page linked to by reinforcing keyword relevance.
However, it’s important to strike a balance. Over-optimization of anchor text (e.g., using the same keyword-rich anchor text repeatedly) can lead to penalties from Google. A natural link profile will include a mix of:
- Exact-match anchor text: Includes the exact keyword you’re targeting.
- Partial-match anchor text: Includes variations of your target keyword.
- Branded anchor text: Includes your brand name as the anchor text.
- Generic anchor text: Uses generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.”
Monitoring the anchor text of your backlinks helps ensure that you maintain a diverse and natural link profile.
7. Number of Referring Domains
Referring domains refers to the number of unique websites that are linking to your site. While the total number of backlinks is important, having a diverse range of referring domains is more valuable for SEO.
A website with 100 backlinks from 100 different domains will generally be more authoritative than a site with 100 backlinks from the same domain. Google favors diversity in link profiles, and having many different referring domains signals that your site is trusted across a variety of sources.
Tracking the growth of your referring domains over time is a good indicator of how effective your link-building efforts are in expanding your site’s authority.
8. DoFollow vs. NoFollow Links
Backlinks can either be DoFollow or NoFollow. DoFollow links pass on “link juice” or authority to your website, which can directly impact your SEO and rankings. NoFollow links, on the other hand, do not pass on authority but can still drive traffic and increase brand visibility.
A natural backlink profile will include a mix of DoFollow and NoFollow links. While DoFollow links are more desirable for SEO purposes, NoFollow links from authoritative sites (like news outlets or social media platforms) can still be valuable in terms of referral traffic and brand exposure.
Monitoring the ratio of DoFollow to NoFollow links is important to ensure a balanced and natural link profile.
9. Traffic from Backlinks
While link-building metrics like DA and TF are important, they don’t always guarantee traffic. Measuring the referral traffic generated by your backlinks is another key metric of success.
High-quality backlinks should not only boost your SEO but also drive relevant traffic to your website. Tools like Google Analytics allow you to track the amount of traffic coming from each referring domain, giving you a clearer picture of the tangible benefits of your backlinks.
If you’re getting a lot of backlinks from high-authority sites but little to no referral traffic, it may be a sign that the links are not as valuable as they appear on paper.
10. Keyword Rankings
Ultimately, the goal of link building is to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results. Tracking your keyword rankings is a crucial metric to measure the success of your link-building efforts.
As you acquire high-quality backlinks, you should see an improvement in your target keyword rankings over time. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console allow you to track changes in your rankings and see which keywords are benefiting from your link-building campaigns.
It’s important to keep in mind that SEO and link building take time to produce results. Changes in rankings may not be immediate, but by consistently monitoring keyword movements, you can assess the long-term impact of your efforts.
Conclusion
Effective link building is not just about acquiring as many backlinks as possible. It’s about building a diverse, high-quality backlink profile that improves your website’s authority, relevance, and search engine rankings. By tracking key metrics like Domain Authority, Trust Flow, referring domains, anchor text, and keyword rankings, you can measure the success of your link-building campaigns and make informed decisions to optimize your strategy.
Whether you’re focusing on building links from high-DA websites, increasing the number of referring domains, or improving your keyword rankings, understanding these metrics will help you create a more impactful and sustainable link-building strategy that drives long-term growth for your website.