📍URL Rating (UR) is a proprietary metric developed by Ahrefs that measures the strength of a specific webpage’s backlink profile on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100.
URL Rating evaluates the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to an individual page rather than an entire domain. This metric helps SEO professionals assess how well a particular page might rank in search results based on its link authority.
Unlike Domain Rating which measures entire website authority, URL Rating focuses specifically on individual page strength, making it valuable for analyzing competitor pages and identifying link building opportunities.
How URL Rating Works
URL Rating calculates link strength using Ahrefs’ proprietary algorithm that considers multiple factors. The metric evaluates both the number of unique domains linking to a page and the authority of those linking domains.
The logarithmic scale means improvements become increasingly difficult at higher levels. Moving from UR 20 to UR 30 requires significantly fewer high-quality links than moving from UR 70 to UR 80.
Ahrefs updates URL Rating regularly as their crawler discovers new backlinks and reassesses existing link quality. This means UR scores can fluctuate as link profiles change over time.
Factors Affecting URL Rating
Several key elements influence a page’s URL Rating score:
- Linking domain quality: high-authority websites contribute more value than low-quality directories
- Link quantity: total number of unique referring domains pointing to the page
- Link relevance: topically related websites provide stronger signals than unrelated sources
- Link context: editorial links within content carry more weight than sidebar or footer placements
Understanding these factors helps prioritize link building efforts for maximum URL Rating improvement.
Using URL Rating for SEO
URL Rating helps identify competitor pages that rank well due to strong backlink profiles. By analyzing high-UR competitor pages, you can understand what types of links are needed to compete effectively in search results.
The metric also reveals link building opportunities by showing which of your pages have low URL Rating despite targeting competitive keywords. These pages often benefit most from focused link acquisition campaigns.
Content creators use URL Rating to prioritize which pages deserve promotional efforts. Pages with higher URL Rating potential often make better targets for outreach and link building investments.
URL Rating Benchmarks
Different industries and competition levels require varying URL Rating scores for competitive rankings:
- Low competition keywords: UR 10-20 may be sufficient for page one rankings
- Medium competition: UR 30-50 typically needed for competitive positioning
- High competition: UR 60+ often required for top rankings in competitive niches
- Extremely competitive: UR 80+ may be necessary for highly contested keywords
These benchmarks vary significantly based on search intent, industry, and geographic targeting factors.
Improving URL Rating
Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites in your industry. Guest posting, resource page inclusion, and digital PR campaigns often generate the most valuable links for URL Rating improvement.
Create linkable assets like original research, comprehensive guides, or useful tools that naturally attract backlinks from other websites. Content that provides unique value tends to earn links organically over time.
Internal linking from high-UR pages on your own domain can help distribute link equity and improve URL Rating for important target pages. Strategic internal linking supports overall site authority distribution.
URL Rating Limitations
URL Rating only measures backlink strength and doesn’t account for content quality, user experience, or technical SEO factors that influence search rankings. High URL Rating doesn’t guarantee top rankings without other optimization elements.
The metric focuses on Ahrefs’ link database, which may not capture all backlinks or may include links that search engines don’t recognize. Consider URL Rating alongside other SEO metrics for comprehensive analysis.
Correlation between URL Rating and rankings varies by query type, search intent, and competition level. Some queries prioritize content relevance over link authority, making URL Rating less predictive.
Summary
URL Rating provides valuable insights into individual page link authority, helping SEO professionals understand competitive landscapes and prioritize optimization efforts. While not a perfect predictor of rankings, UR offers useful guidance for link building strategies and competitive analysis.
Use URL Rating alongside other SEO metrics to make informed decisions about content promotion, link building priorities, and competitive positioning in search results.