Verwijzende domeinen vs backlinks: welk getal telt (2026)

Referring domains vs backlinks is one of the most common points of confusion in link reports.

Run a website through any backlink checker and you'll get two numbers: backlinks and referring domains. They sound like the same thing counted twice. They aren't, and mixing them up is the most common way people misread their link profile.

This guide explains what each number counts, why they can be wildly different for the same site, why no two tools agree on either one, and which number is worth tracking.

Referring domains vs backlinks: the short answer

• Backlinks = the total number of links from other websites pointing to yours.
• Referring domains = the number of separate websites those links come from.

If one blog links to you from 500 of its pages, you've gained 500 backlinks but only 1 referring domain. If 50 different blogs each link to you once, that's 50 backlinks and 50 referring domains.

For most decisions, referring domains is the number that tells you more.

What counts as a backlink

A backlink is a single link on a single page of another site that points to a page on yours. Every one counts separately, so:

• A link in a blog post = 1 backlink.
• The same link in that blog's sidebar, shown on all 2,000 of its pages = 2,000 backlinks.
• Two links to you in the same article = usually 2 backlinks, depending on the tool.

That's why backlink totals swing so much. One sitewide footer, blogroll, or template link can add thousands of backlinks overnight without anything meaningful changing.

What counts as a referring domain

A referring domain is a website that links to you at least once. However many links that website contains, it counts once.

Tools differ on one detail: what counts as "one website". Most count the root domain, so blog.example.com and shop.example.com both roll up into example.com. Some count subdomains separately. Neither is wrong, but it's one reason two tools report different referring domain totals for the same site.

You'll also see referring IPs and referring subnets in some tools. They group linking sites by the server they're hosted on, which helps spot link networks built on one host. For everyday tracking, referring domains is enough.

A worked example

Here are two made-up sites with the same backlink total:

Site A's links come mostly from a few sites linking from every page, typically footers, sidebars, partner sites or a network the owner controls. Site B's links come from hundreds of separate sites. Site B almost certainly has the stronger, more natural link profile, even though the headline backlink count is identical.

A high ratio isn't automatically bad: a big news site linking to you from an author bio can create many links legitimately. But it tells you to look closer before celebrating the total.

Why referring domains is the better number to track

• It's harder to inflate. Getting a new website to link to you takes real effort. Getting one site to repeat a link takes none.
• It reflects reach. Each new referring domain is a new audience that found you worth mentioning.
• It's steadier. Backlink totals jump when a single site redesigns its footer. Referring domains move more slowly and more meaningfully.
• It's what authority scores lean on. Third-party scores like Moz Domain Authority and Ahrefs Domain Rating are built mainly around how many separate sites link to you and how strong those sites are, not the raw link total.

Backlinks still matter as context: a jump in backlinks with no change in referring domains is usually one site adding a sitewide link. A jump in both is usually real growth.

Why every tool shows different numbers

Check the same domain in Ahrefs, Moz, Semrush, Bing Webmaster Tools and Search Console and you'll get five different answers. That isn't because four of them are broken. It's because:

1. Each tool crawls a different part of the web. No index includes every page. Each company decides what to crawl, how deep and how often.
2. They refresh at different speeds. One index may already include links from last week. Another may still count links that disappeared months ago.
3. They count differently. Whether nofollow, sponsored or UGC links are included, whether redirects pass through to the target, whether links from deleted or spam pages are dropped, and whether subdomains are merged all change the total.
4. Search engines show you a sample. Google describes its Search Console Links report as a sample, not a complete list.

The practical rule: choose one tool and compare like with like. A site's growth over six months in one index is meaningful. The gap between two different indexes on the same day isn't.

Measured counts versus estimates

Some free tools don't measure links at all. They take another score and convert it into a "backlinks" figure. That's not necessarily wrong, but you should know which you're looking at.

The FeedPulse backlink checker is upfront about this. While its free allowance of Moz link data lasts, you get Moz's measured backlink and referring domain counts, cached for 30 days per domain. When the allowance runs out, it estimates the counts from the domain's Open PageRank score and labels the result as an estimate on screen. If you're logging numbers over time, record which kind each one is and don't mix them in the same trend line.

Do nofollow links count?

In the count, it depends on the tool: most backlink checkers include nofollow links in their totals, and some let you filter them out.

For Google, nofollow, sponsored and ugc links are treated as hints rather than strict rules, according to Google's guide to qualifying outbound links. A nofollow link from a relevant, popular page can still send real visitors, even if it passes little ranking value.

How many backlinks or referring domains do you need?

There's no universal number, and anyone who quotes one is guessing. What matters is how you compare with the pages already ranking for the searches you want.

1. Search your target keyword and note the top 5 ranking domains.
2. Check each one's referring domains in the same tool.
3. Check yours.

If the sites ranking above you each have hundreds of referring domains and you have twenty, links are probably part of the gap. If you're in the same range, the gap is more likely content, relevance or search intent.

Also keep perspective: Google's Gary Illyes said in 2024 that Google needs "very few links to rank pages" (Search Engine Journal). Links are one signal among many, and a few relevant ones usually beat a pile of irrelevant ones.

Referring domains to a page versus a whole site

Most checkers report totals for the whole domain by default. That's the right view for overall site strength, but rankings are won page by page. A site with 400 referring domains can still have a product page with none, and that page is competing on its own.

When a specific page matters, look at which of your pages actually receive links. Search Console's Top linked pages table shows this for your own site, and some third-party tools can report referring domains for a single URL. You'll usually find that a handful of pages (the homepage, a popular guide, a free tool) collect most of the links, while the pages you most want to rank collect few.

Two practical fixes follow from that:

• Link internally from the pages that earn links to the pages that need them. Internal links don't add referring domains, but they help Google find and understand the pages you care about.
• Make the page itself worth citing. Original data, a clear definition, a useful calculator or a comparison people keep needing are the kinds of pages other sites link to without being asked.

How to read sudden changes

• Backlinks jump, referring domains flat: one site added you to a sitewide area. Usually harmless.
• Both jump sharply: either real coverage (a post that got shared), or someone pointing spam at you. Look at the new linking sites before celebrating or worrying.
• Backlinks drop, referring domains flat: a site removed a sitewide link or the tool re-crawled and dropped duplicates.
• Referring domains drop: sites removed links, went offline, or were dropped from the index. Check whether any respected sites are among them.
• Big change with no real-world cause: often the tool updated its index or counting rules. Check whether competitors moved the same way.

What are referring domains?

Referring domains are the separate websites that link to your site at least once. However many links a single website has pointing to you, it counts as one referring domain. Most tools group subdomains into their root domain, so links from blog.example.com and shop.example.com count as one referring domain, example.com.

What is the difference between backlinks and referring domains?

Backlinks count every individual link pointing to your site. Referring domains count how many different websites those links come from. One website linking to you from 300 pages gives you 300 backlinks but only 1 referring domain.

Which is more important, backlinks or referring domains?

Referring domains, for most purposes. They're harder to inflate, reflect how many separate sites vouch for you, and move more steadily than raw backlink totals. Use backlinks as context: a big change in backlinks with no change in referring domains usually means one site added or removed a sitewide link.

Why is my referring domains count different in Ahrefs, Moz and Semrush?

Each tool crawls a different portion of the web, refreshes its index at a different speed, and counts links differently, for example whether nofollow links and subdomains are included. All of them are partial views. Track the trend in one tool rather than comparing totals across tools.

Is a high number of backlinks per referring domain bad?

Not necessarily. It usually means some sites link to you from many pages, through a footer, sidebar or author bio. That's common and often harmless. It's worth a closer look only if those sites are unrelated to yours or you didn't earn the links, because paid or exchanged links break Google's spam policies.

How can I check referring domains for free?

Use the FeedPulse backlink checker for backlink and referring domain totals for any site, no signup. For your own site, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools list the linking sites from each search engine's data. Ahrefs' free Backlink Checker also shows referring domain totals for any domain. See how to check backlinks for free for a step-by-step routine.

Related free tools

• Free backlink checker — backlink and referring domain totals for any website
• How to check backlinks for free — 5 free methods and a monthly routine
• Free DA checker — Moz Domain Authority, built largely on referring domains
• Free DR checker — open-data Domain Rating equivalent for cross-checking