URL Rating vs Domain Rating: What's the Difference? (2026 Ahrefs Guide)

If you use Ahrefs, you've seen two scores that look almost identical: URL Rating (UR) and Domain Rating (DR). Both run on a 0–100 scale, both come from Ahrefs, and both measure backlink strength — so it's easy to confuse them.

The difference is simple once you know it: URL Rating (UR) measures the backlink strength of a single page (URL), while Domain Rating (DR) measures the backlink strength of an entire domain. UR is page-level; DR is site-level. This guide breaks down URL Rating vs Domain Rating in Ahrefs, when each one matters, and how to improve both.

URL Rating vs Domain Rating in one line: UR = how strong one specific page's backlink profile is. DR = how strong the whole website's backlink profile is. Same 0–100 scale, same source (Ahrefs), different scope.

What Is URL Rating (UR)?

URL Rating is an Ahrefs metric that measures the strength of a single page's backlink profile on a 0–100 scale. It looks at the quantity and quality of links pointing to that exact URL — including internal links — and estimates how much "link equity" the page has earned.

Because UR is page-specific, two URLs on the same website can have very different UR scores. Your homepage usually has the highest UR (most pages link to it), while a brand-new blog post might start at UR 0–5 until it earns links.

Key characteristics of URL Rating:

Scope: A single page / URL
Scale: 0 to 100 (logarithmic — moving from 40 to 50 is far harder than 10 to 20)
Counts: External backlinks and internal links to that page
Best for: Judging how likely a specific page is to rank, and finding which of your pages have the most link power to pass on

What Is Domain Rating (DR)?

Domain Rating is the Ahrefs metric that measures the backlink strength of an entire domain on a 0–100 scale. Instead of one page, DR looks at the whole referring-domain profile pointing at your website and scores its overall authority relative to every other site in Ahrefs' index.

DR is the number most people quote when they say "our site has a DR of 45." It's a domain-wide summary, so a single new page won't move it much — DR grows as your whole site earns links from more unique, high-authority domains.

Key characteristics of Domain Rating:

Scope: The entire domain
Scale: 0 to 100 (logarithmic and comparative)
Counts: Unique referring domains and their authority across the whole site
Best for: Comparing the overall link authority of whole websites and competitors

URL Rating vs Domain Rating: The Key Differences

Aspect	URL Rating (UR)	Domain Rating (DR)
Provider	Ahrefs	Ahrefs
Scope	One single page (URL)	The entire domain
Measures	Page-level backlink strength	Site-wide backlink strength
Includes	External + internal links	Unique referring domains
Changes when	A specific page gains/loses links	The whole site gains/loses domains
Use it to	Predict a page's ranking power	Compare whole sites & competitors

The short version: UR is to a page what DR is to a domain. They're the page-level and site-level views of the same thing — your Ahrefs backlink authority.

Why Does Ahrefs Show Both UR and DR?

Because ranking happens at the page level, not the domain level. Google ranks individual URLs, so when you're trying to understand why one of your pages does or doesn't rank, URL Rating is often the more useful number — it reflects the links actually pointing to that page.

DR is still valuable as a quick, site-wide health check and for competitor comparison, but a high DR doesn't guarantee every page ranks. A site with DR 70 can have plenty of UR 0 pages that rank for nothing because no links (internal or external) point to them. That gap between a strong domain and a weak page is exactly why Ahrefs reports both.

URL Rating vs Domain Rating: Which One Matters More?

It depends on the job:

Trying to rank a specific page? Watch URL Rating. Improve the links and internal links pointing at that URL.
Sizing up a whole website or competitor? Watch Domain Rating. It's the fastest one-number comparison of overall link authority.
Doing outreach / guest posts? Check the UR of the exact page your link will sit on, not just the site's DR — a high-DR site can place your link on a low-UR page that passes little equity.

Neither UR nor DR is a direct Google ranking factor. They're Ahrefs' third-party estimates based on the backlinks Ahrefs can see — useful as relative indicators, not as guarantees.

How to Improve Your URL Rating

Since UR is page-level, you raise it by sending more link equity to that specific page:

Earn external backlinks to the page itself — not just the homepage. Link-worthy assets (guides, tools, data) attract links directly.
Add internal links from your strongest pages (highest UR) to the page you want to lift. Internal links count toward UR.
Fix orphan pages — any page with no internal links starts at a UR disadvantage.
Consolidate duplicates so link equity isn't split across multiple URLs.

How to Improve Your Domain Rating

DR moves when your whole site earns links from more unique, authoritative referring domains:

Build links from many different quality domains — 10 links from 10 sites beat 100 links from one.
Create linkable assets the wider industry wants to cite.
Use digital PR and guest posting to earn editorial links.
Submit to high-quality directories and launch platforms for legitimate referring domains. (Launching on a directory like LaunchVault is one straightforward way to pick up a relevant referring domain.)

For a deeper, step-by-step playbook, see our guide on how to increase Domain Rating in Ahrefs.

What About Moz Domain Authority?

UR and DR are both Ahrefs metrics. Moz has its own equivalents — Domain Authority (DA) for the domain and Page Authority (PA) for the page. They measure similar ideas with a different algorithm and a different index, so the numbers won't match across tools.

If you're comparing Ahrefs and Moz metrics — DR vs DA, or which authority score to trust — read our companion guide: Domain Rating vs Domain Authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is URL Rating the same as Domain Rating?

No. In Ahrefs, URL Rating (UR) scores a single page's backlink strength, while Domain Rating (DR) scores the whole domain's backlink strength. Same 0–100 scale and same source, but UR is page-level and DR is site-level.

Is URL Rating a Domain Rating in Ahrefs?

They're two separate Ahrefs metrics shown side by side. UR applies to the specific URL you're looking at; DR applies to the entire domain that URL belongs to.

Does URL Rating affect Google rankings?

URL Rating is not a direct Google ranking factor — it's Ahrefs' estimate of a page's backlink strength. But because it reflects the links pointing to a page, higher UR often correlates with better ranking potential for that page.

What is a good URL Rating?

It's relative to your niche and competitors. New pages commonly sit at UR 0–10; established, well-linked pages reach UR 30+. Rather than chasing a fixed number, aim to beat the UR of the pages currently ranking for your target keyword.

Should I focus on UR or DR?

Focus on UR when you're trying to rank a specific page, and on DR when you're comparing whole sites or tracking overall link authority. For outreach, always check the UR of the exact page your backlink will be placed on.

Key Takeaways

URL Rating (UR) = backlink strength of a single page; Domain Rating (DR) = backlink strength of the whole domain. Both are Ahrefs, both 0–100.
Google ranks pages, so UR is often the more actionable metric for getting a specific page to rank.
Raise UR with external + internal links to that page; raise DR with links from many quality referring domains.
Neither is an official Google ranking factor — treat them as relative indicators.

Want those backlinks to actually turn into traffic? Launch your product on LaunchVault to earn a relevant referring domain and exposure — then track how your UR and DR respond over the following months.