# What is Referring domains?

Referring domains are the number of unique websites that link to a given site, a backlink metric that counts distinct linking sources rather than the total number of individual links.

## How it works

One domain can link to you many times, but it still counts as a single referring domain. This makes the metric a better measure of breadth of endorsement than raw link count, which a single site can inflate.

Gaps here are often large and revealing. [In rawmktg's CX SaaS teardown, the spread ran to thousands of missing referring domains](/blogs/cx-saas-seo-discoverability-analysis) between leaders and laggards, marking exactly where the authority gap, and the opportunity, sat.

## Referring domains vs backlinks

Backlinks count every individual link, so one site linking ten times is ten backlinks. Referring domains count unique linking sites, so the same case is one referring domain. The second is the more honest measure of how many distinct sources vouch for you.

## Why it matters for B2B

Referring domains are a clean read on how broadly the web endorses a brand, which underpins both classic authority and the off-site trust AI engines weigh. Growing unique sources matters more than accumulating repeat links.

**Common mistake**

Reporting total backlinks instead of unique referring domains. One partner site linking 200 times is 200 backlinks but a single referring domain, and the inflated number hides how few distinct sources actually endorse the brand.

*Source: https://rawmktg.com/glossary/referring-domains · rawmktg. by Vinayak Ravi*