Referring and main domain totals
Start with separate referring-domain and main-domain counts alongside the backlink and domain-rank summaries for the selected target.
Referring Domains Analysis for Source Diversity
Enter your website or a competitor domain to group available backlinks by source website. Compare referring and main domain totals, backlink and referring-page counts, nofollow pages, rank and spam context, broken links, first-seen dates, and active or lost status—then open the exact links behind a domain.
TL;DR
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TL;DR
Too Long; Didn't Read
What is Screpy Referring Domains?
Screpy Referring Domains groups available backlinks by source website. It combines profile totals with a sortable domain table and a link-level drilldown so you can compare source diversity, inspect the records behind each domain, and keep risk decisions tied to evidence.
Map the source landscape
- Compare referring-domain, main-domain, backlink, and domain-rank totals for the selected target.
- Review one row per recorded source domain instead of treating every backlink as an unrelated record.
- Analyze your own website or enter a competitor domain for the same domain-level view.
Compare domain-level evidence
- Compare backlink counts with referring-page counts to see how concentrated each source relationship is.
- Review nofollow referring-page counts without presenting the attribute as a quality verdict.
- Use rank and spam metrics as relative review signals, not proof that a domain helps or harms rankings.
Open the links behind a domain
- Click a domain’s backlink count to open its recorded source URLs, anchors, targets, and link attributes.
- Review rank, dofollow or nofollow type, live or lost state, broken state, and first-seen date together.
- Paginate through the domain’s backlink records without losing the source-domain context.
Track state and act carefully
- Use first-seen dates, active or lost status, and broken-backlink counts as leads for live verification.
- Sort and paginate the domain table by the field that matches the investigation question.
- Select domains for the separate disavow workflow only when analyzing a project you control and a manual review justifies it.
Start with the websites behind the backlinks.
See referring-domain, main-domain, backlink, and domain-rank totals before comparing individual sources. Use the same view for your own website or a competitor domain.
- Compare four profile-level totals
- Group records by source website
- Analyze owned or competitor domains
Compare source domains with the same evidence.
Sort the domain table by rank, backlinks, referring pages, nofollow pages, spam score, broken backlinks, or first-seen date. Keep every score in context instead of treating it as a verdict.
- Backlinks versus referring pages
- Nofollow and broken-link counts
- Rank, spam, date, and status context
Open the exact links behind a source domain.
Click a domain’s backlink count to inspect its recorded source URLs, anchors, targets, follow attributes, state, rank, and first-seen date in one paginated detail view.
- Source URL and anchor text
- Target URL and link attribute
- Live, lost, and broken state
Keep discovery separate from disavow decisions.
Select a source domain for the separate disavow workflow only when the target is a project you control. Verify important links and follow Google guidance before deciding that a disavow file is warranted.
Learn more about controlled action- Project-domain protection
- Manual evidence review
- Separate disavow workflow
Evidence for every referring domain
Compare source websites consistently, then open the backlink records behind the domain when a count, status, or score needs investigation.
Backlink and referring-page counts
Compare how many backlinks and distinct referring pages each source domain contributes to the available profile.
Nofollow referring-page count
See how many recorded referring pages from a source use nofollow links without treating that attribute as a quality verdict.
Rank and spam context
Use rank and spam metrics to compare sources inside the dataset while keeping relevance, placement, and live-page evidence in the final judgment.
Broken backlink count
See how many recorded backlinks from each source are marked broken, then verify important source and destination pages live.
First-seen and current status
Review when a source was first observed and whether it is currently reported as active or lost before investigating a meaningful change.
Sortable, paginated domain table
Sort by domain, rank, backlinks, referring pages, nofollow pages, spam score, broken backlinks, or first-seen date and review large result sets page by page.
Backlink detail drilldown
Open a source domain’s individual backlinks with source URL, anchor, target URL, rank, dofollow or nofollow type, live or lost state, broken state, and first-seen date.
Turn a domain count into a source-level investigation.
Choose the target, establish a baseline, sort sources around one question, open the recorded links, and verify the pages that matter before taking action.
- 01
Choose your website or a competitor domain
Use a project domain for ongoing review and controlled disavow selection, or enter a competitor domain when the goal is source-landscape research.
- 02
Record the profile-level baseline
Start with referring domains, main domains, backlinks, and domain rank so later domain-level findings remain connected to the same target and reporting date.
- 03
Sort sources around one question
Order the table by rank, backlinks, referring pages, nofollow pages, spam score, broken backlinks, first-seen date, or status instead of scanning every metric at once.
- 04
Open the records behind the domain
Click the backlink count to inspect source URLs, anchors, targets, link attributes, state, rank, and first-seen dates before interpreting a source relationship.
- 05
Verify live and take a proportionate action
Check important source and destination pages, document what changed, recover a useful target when appropriate, and use the separate disavow workflow only when evidence and Google guidance justify it.
Use referring-domain data where the next decision is clear.
Group links by source when a competitor comparison, migration issue, publisher review, or repeated-source pattern would be harder to understand one backlink at a time.
Compare a competitor source landscape
Enter a competitor domain to study available source-domain concentration, link counts, status, and the individual records behind relevant websites without assuming the dataset explains how each link was earned.
- Source diversity
- Domain concentration
- Link-level evidence
Investigate migration and recovery signals
Sort sources by broken backlinks, open the affected records, and verify whether an external link points to a changed or unavailable destination before choosing a relevant recovery path.
- Broken-link sources
- Target verification
- Recovery context
Validate publisher and digital PR coverage
Group available links by publisher, compare the pages behind each source, and verify the anchors and destinations associated with earned-media or partnership work.
- Publisher grouping
- Placement review
- Campaign destinations
Review repeated-source patterns
Compare backlink and referring-page counts to distinguish a one-page mention from a source contributing many recorded pages, then inspect the links before deciding whether the pattern matters.
- Links per source
- Pages per source
- Manual pattern review
Keep domain-level metrics inside their real limits.
Referring-domain data is an observed, changing view of the web. Screpy helps you prioritize evidence without presenting coverage, scores, counts, or timing labels as complete search-engine truth.
No backlink index covers the whole web
Discovery, recrawl, and host-normalization methods differ between tools. A missing domain does not prove that no live link exists, and a stored record may still need a live source-page check.
Source diversity is not a quality score
More referring domains or more links from one domain do not automatically make a profile stronger. Relevance, placement, editorial context, and destination quality still matter.
Rank and spam metrics are not Google verdicts
Use comparative metrics to prioritize review, not to prove ranking value, a penalty, harmful intent, or the need to disavow a source.
Seen dates and status describe observed data
First-seen, active, lost, and broken labels depend on discovery and recrawl timing. Verify important source and destination URLs before assigning a cause or reporting a change.
Choose the link workflow that matches the question.
Group sources when domain-level patterns matter, inspect individual backlinks when the exact placement matters, or manage a carefully justified disavow file for a project you control.
Group available backlinks by source website, compare domain-level metrics, and open the records behind each source.
Review individual source pages, anchors, targets, link attributes, dates, state, and profile movement for a domain.
Organize reviewed URLs or domains for a project you control and export a file only when removal efforts and Google guidance justify it.
Screpy documentation
Learn how to analyze referring domains
Follow the Screpy guide to group backlinks by source website, compare domain-level evidence, and open the individual links behind a domain.
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What is a referring domain?
A referring domain is a website that links to another website. One referring domain may provide one backlink or many backlinks from different pages.
What is the difference between a referring domain and a backlink?
A backlink is one recorded link from a source page to a target page. A referring domain is the source website that provides one or more backlinks. Screpy groups available backlink records by source domain and lets you open the individual links behind each domain.
Are more referring domains always better?
No. Domain diversity describes the breadth of recorded sources, not the value of every source. Relevance, placement, editorial context, destination quality, and whether the link is live still require review.
What does the nofollow referring-page count mean?
It is the number of recorded referring pages from a source domain whose links are marked nofollow. Nofollow is a link attribute, not proof that the source is low quality or that the link has no discovery or audience value.
Why do referring-domain totals differ between SEO tools?
No backlink index covers the whole web. Tools discover and revisit pages on different schedules, normalize hosts differently, and may report sampled data. Compare trends inside one consistent dataset and verify important links on the live source page.
Why can a referring domain change from active to lost?
The recorded links may have been removed, redirected, made unavailable, or reclassified during a later crawl. Discovery and recrawl timing can also change the reported state, so verify important source and destination URLs before assigning a cause.
Does a high spam score prove that a domain is harmful?
No. Rank and spam metrics are comparative review signals, not Google verdicts. Examine the actual source pages, anchors, targets, relevance, link pattern, and broader history before making a risk decision.
Can I analyze a competitor’s referring domains?
Yes. You can enter another public domain to compare its available source-domain profile. Disavow selection remains restricted to a project domain you control.
Does Screpy automatically disavow referring domains?
No. Referring Domains is an analysis workflow. For a project domain you control, selected sources can be reviewed in the separate Disavow Management workflow. Google says most sites do not need the disavow tool and warns that incorrect use can harm search performance.
See the source. Open the links. Verify the evidence.
Build a domain-level view of your backlink sources, investigate the records behind meaningful patterns, and keep every recovery or risk decision tied to live evidence.