Backlinks vs referring domains

One site linking to you from 400 pages gives you 400 backlinks and 1 referring domain. Four hundred different sites linking once each gives you 400 backlinks and 400 referring domains. The second profile is worth vastly more, and Moz's authority models reflect that.

Sitewide footer and sidebar links are the usual cause of a lopsided ratio. A WordPress theme credit link, a sponsor badge, a blogroll - each generates thousands of backlinks from one domain with diminishing value per link.

So watch the ratio. If your backlink count is 50,000 and your referring domains number 40, most of your links come from a handful of sources. If one of those sources disappears you lose a large share of your profile overnight.

A sharp backlink drop with flat referring domains usually just means a site removed a sitewide element. A referring domain drop is the one that should worry you - a real linking site is gone.

RankPulse tracks total backlinks and emails you when the count moves. Be clear on what that gets you: the number, not the list. I have no backlink index, only Moz's aggregate count via their API. To see which specific URL linked or unlinked you need Ahrefs or Semrush, both around $129 a month at their entry tier, checked August 2026.