Understanding URL Rating (UR)

Definition

URL Rating (UR) is a score from 0 to 100 created by Ahrefs that measures the backlink strength of a single page (one URL). While Domain Rating (DR) evaluates an entire website, UR zooms in on one specific page and asks: how much link power does this URL have?

UR is based on principles similar to Google's original PageRank - counting links between pages, weighting them differently, respecting nofollow attributes, and applying a damping factor. Ahrefs' own studies show a clear positive correlation between UR and organic search traffic: pages with higher UR tend to receive more visits from Google.

Like DR, UR is not a Google ranking factor. It is a third-party estimate useful for comparing pages and evaluating where to place or earn backlinks.

How UR is calculated

Ahrefs calculates UR by looking at two types of links pointing to the target page:

1. External backlinks. Links from other websites pointing directly to the page. The authority of the linking page (its own UR) and the linking domain (its DR) both factor in.
2. Internal links. Links from other pages on the same domain. This is a key difference from DR - your own site's internal linking structure directly affects a page's UR.

Each referring page passes some of its rating to the pages it links to. Links from high-UR pages push UR up faster. The result is plotted on a logarithmic 0-100 scale, so early gains are easier than climbing from 70 to 80.

UR vs Domain Rating (DR)

Because they measure different scopes, the numbers are not directly comparable. A page with UR 50 on a domain with DR 20 is perfectly normal - most of the site's link equity may be concentrated on that one page (often the homepage).

Conversely, a site with DR 60 can have individual pages with UR 5 if nobody links directly to those deep pages and they receive few internal links.

When to use UR

UR is most useful when you need page-level insight:

• Evaluating a backlink opportunity - check both the DR of the linking domain and the UR of the exact page where your link would appear. A link on a high-UR page passes more value.
• Assessing your own pages - identify which URLs have the most link equity and which need more internal links or external backlinks.
• Internal linking strategy - link from your highest-UR pages (usually the homepage) to important content you want to rank.
• Competitor analysis - see which competitor pages earn the most backlinks and target similar link sources.

Ahrefs recommends pairing UR with DR and organic traffic data rather than using any single metric alone.

How internal links affect UR

Unlike DR, which only considers external backlinks between domains, UR counts internal links from your own site. This means you can raise a page's UR through smart site architecture without earning new external links.

• Link important pages from your homepage or main navigation
• Use contextual internal links within blog posts and content
• Avoid burying key pages more than three clicks from the homepage
• Be aware that sitewide footer links pass less value per link because they are shared across hundreds of URLs

Internal linking is one of the fastest UR wins you control entirely - no outreach required.

What UR does not measure

UR, like DR, measures link popularity - not overall page quality. It does not account for:

• Content quality, depth, or topical relevance
• User engagement (bounce rate, time on page)
• On-page SEO (title tags, headings, keyword usage)
• Search intent alignment

A page with high UR but thin content will not rank well. UR tells you about link strength; you still need strong content and technical SEO to convert that strength into rankings.

How to check a page's UR

UR is an Ahrefs-specific metric. To check the URL Rating of any page:

• Ahrefs Site Explorer - enter the full URL to see UR, DR, backlinks, and referring domains
• Website Authority Checker - Ahrefs' free tool shows DR and UR for any domain or URL
• Ahrefs browser extension - view UR and DR while browsing any page

Remember to enter the specific page URL, not just the domain. The homepage UR and the domain DR are different metrics measuring different things.

Frequently asked questions

• What is URL Rating (UR)?

  URL Rating (UR) is an Ahrefs metric from 0 to 100 that measures the backlink strength of a single page (URL). Unlike Domain Rating which looks at the whole site, UR evaluates both external backlinks and internal links pointing to that specific page.

• What is the difference between UR and DR?

  DR measures backlink strength at the domain level (the entire website). UR measures it at the page level (one URL). A site can have high DR but low UR on individual pages, or a single page can have high UR on a low-DR domain if it earned many direct backlinks.

• Is URL Rating a Google ranking factor?

  No. UR is a third-party metric created by Ahrefs, not used by Google. However, it is based on backlinks and internal links, which search engines do consider. Ahrefs studies show a positive correlation between UR and organic search traffic.

• Can a page have higher UR than its domain's DR?

  Yes. UR compares pages to pages, while DR compares domains to domains. They are not on the same scale. A page with many strong backlinks can have UR 40 on a domain with DR 15, especially if most of the site's authority is concentrated on that one URL.

• How do internal links affect UR?

  Unlike DR, UR factors in internal links from other pages on the same site. A page linked from your homepage inherits more internal link equity than a page buried deep in your site structure. Strategic internal linking can raise a page's UR without any new external backlinks.

• How do I check a page's URL Rating?

  Use Ahrefs Site Explorer, the free Website Authority Checker, or the Ahrefs browser extension. Enter the specific URL (not just the domain) to see its UR score alongside DR, referring domains, and backlink count.