How to Increase Ahrefs Domain Rating (Free DR Checker)

Understanding how backlinks influence a website’s Domain Rating (DR) in Ahrefs is key to improving this crucial metric.

At Stan Ventures, we were able to elevate our DR from 26 to 56 within a single month. 

This dramatic improvement didn’t happen by chance.

It was a result of strategic planning and focused execution. 

Here’s how we did it and how you can apply these strategies to boost your website’s DR effectively.

Understanding DR and Other Metrics

Domain Rating (DR) in Ahrefs is a metric that evaluates the strength of a website’s backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100. 

It is comparable to other authority metrics, such as Authority Score (AR) in SEMRush, Domain Authority (DA) in Moz, and Trust Flow (TF) in Majestic.

Each of these metrics measures a website’s authority based on its backlinks, but DR is particularly valued by SEOs for its accuracy and frequent updates—every 12 hours.

While many believe these scores directly impact Google rankings, it’s important to note that Google does not use these third-party metrics for ranking websites. 

They simply reflect how well a website performs based on factors like backlinks, which historically correlate with SEO success.

Our Strategy to Improve DR Within 30 Days

At Stan Ventures, our strategy was built around a few core principles to achieve a significant DR boost within a short timeframe:

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

We prioritized backlinks from high-DR websites that don’t link to many other domains. 

This approach ensures that more link equity is passed to our site. 

For example, a link from a DR 50+ website with few outbound links was more impactful than acquiring dozens of links from lower DR sites.

Target Sites with Fewer Outbound Links

A critical insight was understanding that not all high-DR backlinks are equally valuable. 

We targeted DR 30-40 sites with fewer outbound links, which allowed us to achieve more concentrated link equity than high-DR sites that link to many other domains.

Prioritize Relevant Websites

Backlinks from websites that were topically related to our niche played a crucial role in our strategy. 

Search engines consider relevant links more authoritative, helping to increase our DR.

Consider Link Longevity

We carefully chose websites that were likely to remain active and relevant long-term. 

This consideration ensured that the backlinks we built would be valuable and stable over time.

Analyze Competitors’ Backlink Profiles

Using Ahrefs, we studied the backlink profiles of our top competitors to identify potential link-building opportunities. 

We specifically targeted sites that linked to our competitors but not to us, leveraging these gaps to gain new, valuable backlinks.

Focus on Earning ‘Best Links’ in Ahrefs

We targeted “Best Links,” as defined by Ahrefs, which are backlinks from highly relevant and authoritative sites in our niche. You can configure this (which we have explained in detail below.)

Over a week, we secured multiple “Best Links,” significantly impacting our DR.

Monitor DR Regularly

With DR updated every 12 hours, we monitored changes closely and adjusted our strategy in real-time. 

This proactive approach allowed us to quickly address sudden drops in DR by identifying and rectifying lost or devalued backlinks.

Target Authority Sites Within Your Niche

We focused heavily on acquiring backlinks from niche-specific authority sites. 

Because these sites are closely related to our industry, they significantly boosted our DR.

Weekly Activity Plan to Achieve DR Growth

To achieve such a rapid increase in DR, we followed a detailed weekly activity plan:

Week 1: Research and Preparation

• Conducted a comprehensive audit of our existing backlinks and competitor analysis.
• Created a targeted list of high-DR sites and initiated outreach.

Week 2: Outreach and Content Promotion

• Continued personalized outreach to high-DR sites.
• Created shareable content that naturally attracted backlinks. Using tools like interactive flipbooks, you can make your content more engaging and link-worthy.

Week 3: Link Acquisition and Monitoring

• Focused on acquiring “Best Links” from authoritative sites.
• Conducted a mid-month audit to assess progress and adjust strategies.

Week 4: Refinement and Continued Efforts

• Reviewed the overall performance and refined the backlink acquisition strategy.
• Built relationships for sustained future backlink opportunities.

By consistently executing this plan, focusing on high-quality backlinks, and closely monitoring our progress, we achieved a significant increase in the Domain Rating of Stan Ventures.

To effectively configure the “Best Links” filter in Ahrefs, you must apply a combination of filters to help you identify your site’s most valuable backlinks.

These filters allow you to focus on high-quality Dofollow links, come from domains with substantial Domain Rating (DR), have significant organic traffic, and are strategically positioned within content.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how you can set up the “Best Links” filter in Ahrefs:

How to Configure the Best Links Filter in Ahrefs

Based on the kind of website you manage and the kind of referring domains your competitors have earned/built, you can identify a threshold for setting the best links in Ahrefs. 

Here is how you can do it. 

Go to the settings in Ahrefs and click on the popup that has Best Links as a drop-down option:

Step 1: Set Link Follow Status to “Dofollow”

Ensure that the Follow Status filter is set to Dofollow. This will exclude any “nofollow ” links that do not pass link equity.

Dofollow links are crucial for improving Domain Rating (DR) as they have the potential to influence search engine rankings.

Step 2: Filter by Backlink Type: “In Content”

Use the Backlink Type filter to select In Content.

This ensures that the backlinks are embedded within the main body of the content, which is generally more valuable than links placed in footers, sidebars, or comment sections.

Step 3: Referring Domain Filters

Set the DR filter for referring domains to a minimum of 30. This will exclude lower-quality domains that may not contribute significant link equity.

Set the Traffic filter to a minimum of 1000. This ensures that the referring domains have decent organic traffic, making their backlinks more valuable.

Optionally, set a filter for Keywords in the Top 100 positions in search engines, which can help identify domains that rank well and have authority in their niche.

Step 4: Exclude Subdomains and Certain Domains:

To avoid irrelevant or low-quality links, use the Exclude Subdomains filter. For example, you might want to exclude subdomains like “blog.example.com” if they do not fit your criteria.

Use the Exclude Domains filter to omit well-known domains that frequently link out, such as ahrefs.com, google.com, or yahoo.com. These domains may not always provide the targeted value you’re seeking.

Step 5: Referring Page Filters:

Use the Linked Domains filter to exclude or limit backlinks from domains that excessively link out. This can help you focus on backlinks from more selective sites, which may pass more link equity.

Use the External Links filter to set a maximum limit of 200 external links from referring pages. This helps ensure that the referring page does not link to too many external domains, which can dilute the link equity passed to your site.

Set the Default Filter State to Show All Links. This ensures a comprehensive view and allows you to adjust filters to refine your results.

Now you are all good to go. Here is how we have set it for Stan Ventures.

Why Is It Difficult to Increase DR After Reaching 60+?

Now, the DR of Stan Ventures is at 69.

But, to be frank, increasing the DR is not as easy as how we achieved the fillip from 26 to 56.

Thinking why?

Increasing Domain Rating (DR) becomes more challenging after surpassing the 50+ mark due to its relative nature.

DR is calculated on a 100-point scale, comparing a website’s backlink profile to others in Ahrefs’ database. 

As your DR increases, you need progressively more high-quality backlinks to see further improvements. This is because:

• While higher DR domains transfer more “link juice,” it becomes more difficult to get them to link to your site.
• The impact of a backlink also depends on how many other sites the linking domain links to (outbound links). Top websites link to millions of others, which drinks up your link juice.
• For example, a backlink from a DR 30 site with few outbound links can be more valuable than one from a DR 70 site that links to many others.

To increase a high DR further, you need to focus on acquiring backlinks from authoritative sites with fewer outbound links, which becomes increasingly difficult as you climb the DR scale.

Should You Focus Solely on Sites with higher DR than yours?

Increasing Domain Rating (DR) above 50+ doesn’t necessarily require focusing solely on sites with DR 60+.

While high-DR backlinks are valuable, a site’s number of outbound links is equally important.

A backlink from a DR 30 site with few outbound links can be more valuable than one from a DR 70 site that links to many domains.

When building links, consider factors beyond just DR:

Quality of Backlinks: The relevance and authority of the linking domain matter.

Number of Pages on the Site: Larger sites often have more diverse content, which can affect link value.

Outbound Link Count: Fewer outbound links mean more concentrated link equity.

Content Quality: High-quality content is more likely to attract valuable backlinks.

Site Longevity: Backlinks from established sites tend to be more stable.

Organic Traffic: Sites with high organic traffic are generally more authoritative.

Topical Relevance: Links from sites within your niche carry more weight. Just look at the kind of keywords they are ranking to identify if they are relevant to your niche.

Acquiring diverse, high-quality backlinks from relevant sites—regardless of their specific DR—will help improve your overall link profile and potentially increase your DR.

Improving your Domain Rating (DR) quickly is not about quick fixes but about implementing a strategic, data-driven approach to link building. 

You can significantly elevate your website’s authority by:

1. Understanding the relationship between DR and other authority metrics

2. Focusing on quality over quantity

3. Leveraging tools like Ahrefs to analyze competitors and find the best opportunities

At Stan Ventures, our journey from a DR of 26 to 56 within 30 days is a testament to what a focused strategy can achieve. 

However, pushing beyond DR 60 required a more refined approach that balances backlinks’ quality, relevance, and stability. I hope our experience helps you increase your Domain Rating.

Huge Drop in DR in Ahrefs – Reasons and Fixes

1. Loss of high-quality dofollow links: Check your Referring Domains report to see which domains you’ve lost links from.

2. Dofollow links turning to nofollow: DR ignores nofollow links, so this change can impact your rating.

3. Other sites improving their link building: Even if you didn’t lose links, other sites gaining more can push your DR down.

4. Referring domains dropping in DR: If the sites linking to you lose DR, it affects the link equity they pass to you.