Study: Pages Ranking in Top 3 Have 3.8x More Referring Domains Than Position 10

A comprehensive study by Ahrefs analyzing 15 million search results has found that pages ranking in the top 3 positions have on average 3.8 times more referring domains than pages at position 10. The study reinforces the critical importance of backlinks for competitive rankings.

Key Findings

The correlation between referring domains and ranking position is strong and consistent across industries. Position 1 results have on average 5.2 times more referring domains than position 10 results. Top 3 results average 3.8 times more referring domains than position 10. The gap is largest for commercial keywords where top results average 6.1 times more referring domains. For informational keywords the gap is smaller at 2.9 times. The referring domain advantage is more important than total backlinks suggesting that link diversity matters more than link quantity from the same domains.

Quality vs Quantity

The study also found that the quality of referring domains matters as much as quantity. Top-ranking pages have a higher percentage of referring domains from topically relevant sites. The domain authority of referring domains correlates more strongly with rankings than the total number of referring domains. A single link from a highly authoritative relevant domain can be worth more than dozens of links from low-quality irrelevant sites.

Referring Domain Growth Patterns

The study analyzed how quickly top-ranking pages acquired their links. Top 3 results acquire referring domains at approximately 2.3 times the rate of position 10 results. However this growth rate is not uniform. Top-ranking pages tend to experience bursts of link growth following content promotion campaigns. Older pages have more referring domains on average but newer pages can rank well if they earn links quickly.

Implications for Link Building Strategy

The study underscores the importance of a sustained link building strategy. Set referring domain targets based on what top-ranking competitors have. Focus on earning links from diverse authoritative domains. Prioritize link relevance alongside authority. Track your referring domain growth rate and compare it to competitors. Invest in both content-based link earning and strategic outreach. Understand that achieving competitive rankings requires a significant and sustained link building effort.