URL Rating (UR)

Definition

URL Rating (UR) is a metric developed by Ahrefs, a major SEO tool, which measures the strength of a webpage’s backlink profile on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. It is calculated by evaluating both the number and the strength of backlinks to a specific URL. A higher UR indicates that a webpage has many high DR (Domain Rating) backlinks, theoretically improving it’s chances to rank higher on the Search Engine Results Pages.

Both the DR and UR uses a logarithmic scale, which means that it’s a lot harder to go from 50 to 51, than from 10 to 11, for example.

URL Rating highlighted on Ahrefs.
URL Rating highlighted on Ahrefs.

URL Rating (UR) Relevance For SEO

While a vanity metric, UR helps SEOs understand what does it take, in terms of backlinks, to rank for specific keywords and topics. A higher UR score indicates a better reputation, which could lead to improved search engine rankings.

  • UR correlates well with Google rankings, so pages with higher UR tend to rank higher in search results.
  • It helps gauge the quality of a page’s link profile – pages with more high-quality backlinks have higher UR.
  • It differs from Domain Rating (DR) in that UR is a page-level metric, while DR evaluates the entire domain.

URL Rating (UR) Best Practices for SEO

Improving your webpage UR involves building a strong backlink profile, and this can be accomplished through a range of SEO practices:

  • Quality over Quantity: It’s better to have fewer links from authoritative, relevant sites than many links from less trusted sources. High-quality backlinks should be the focus of your link building efforts.
  • Relevant Backlinks: Aim for backlinks from websites that are relevant to your site’s content or industry, as they can influence your UR more significantly.
  • Diverse Link Profile: Having a variety of backlinks from different domains can protect your site’s UR from potential drop due to loss of a single link. Therefore, try to build a diverse set of backlinks.
  • Monitor Your Backlinks: Regularly tracking and examining your backlink profile can help identify opportunities for improvement, as well as any potential harmful links that could negatively affect your UR.
  • Track the Competition: Compare UR of your top pages to competitors to identify gaps and opportunities.

Remember, SEO is a long-term game and improving URL Rating doesn’t come overnight. Consistent effort, patience, and following these best practices can definitely contribute to increasing your UR over time.