Referring Domains

Referring domains is the count of separate websites that link to yours at least once. It's deliberately different from backlinks, which count every individual link: ten links from one supplier's site are ten backlinks but one referring domain. Search engines weigh it the referring-domains way, because a hundred sites each vouching for you once is far stronger evidence of reputation than one site vouching a hundred times — and far harder to fake.

It is the main input to Domain Authority and the number that Authority Trend tracks over time. For an independent store, a few dozen referring domains is typical and a few hundred is strong; what matters more than the count is who they are. Links from suppliers, trade press, niche bloggers, local organisations and customers' sites are the kind that build authority. Links from directories that link to everyone, from link exchanges, or from sites you paid, are at best worthless and at worst penalised. Search Console lists your linking sites for free, and watching that list monthly — for new arrivals and for losses — is the simplest authority habit a store can keep.