The link building glossary.
Short, accurate definitions for the terms that come up in every order, every client call, and every vendor negotiation — no invented stats, no fluff, just what each term means and why it matters.
10 terms
Metrics & authority
How link profiles get measured and compared.
What Is Domain Rating (DR)?
Ahrefs' 0–100 score of a website's backlink profile strength — and what it doesn't tell you.
Metrics & authorityDomain Rating vs. Domain Authority
Two different companies, two different scores. Why they never quite match, and which to use.
Metrics & authorityWhat Is a Backlink?
The basic unit of link building — what it's made of, and why search engines count it.
Metrics & authorityWhat Is a Referring Domain?
Why a hundred links from four sites isn't the same as a hundred links from sixty.
Link types & placements
The formats a link actually arrives in.
Guest Post vs. Niche Edit
New content on someone else's site, or a link added into a page that's already live.
Link types & placementsDofollow vs. Nofollow Links
What rel="nofollow", sponsored, and ugc actually tell search engines.
Link types & placementsWhat Is Anchor Text?
The clickable words in a link — and why over-using the same ones gets flagged.
Link types & placementsWhat Is a PBN (Private Blog Network)?
Why they exist, why Google penalizes them, and how to spot one before you buy.
Agency operations
How the work actually gets run and delivered.
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