URL Rating (UR): What It Is in Ahrefs and How to Raise It (2026)

URL Rating (UR) is Ahrefs' score for the strength of a single page's link profile, on a 100-point scale: the bigger the number, the stronger the links pointing at that page. It counts internal and external links, it scores one page rather than a whole domain, and Google does not use it: UR is an Ahrefs estimate. Because internal links count, it is also partly under your direct control. Here is how it works, what a good UR looks like and how to raise it.

Disclosure: LaunchIt is a launch platform whose listings give your site a dofollow link, and we run a free Domain Rating Checker. None of our tools shows UR, so the page-level checks below happen in Ahrefs.

What is URL Rating in Ahrefs?

Ahrefs' help centre defines URL Rating as the strength of a page's link profile on a 100-point scale. Bigger number, stronger link profile. The important word is "page".

UR scores one URL. Your homepage has a UR, your pricing page has a different one, and the post you published last week has its own, probably close to zero. Domain Rating (DR) is the domain-level score for the whole site, covered in our Domain Rating guide.

This matters because Google ranks pages, not websites. When you want a specific page to rank, or you are judging a specific link, the page-level score describes what you are actually working with.

How Ahrefs calculates URL Rating

Ahrefs does not publish its formula, but it describes the principles:

• PageRank principles. Ahrefs says UR uses the same basic ideas as PageRank: it counts links between pages, respects the "nofollow" attribute, has a "damping factor" and crawls the web widely.
• Internal and external links both count. A link from another page on your own site is included, not just links from other websites.
• Nofollow links do not pass rating. A nofollow link to your page adds nothing to its UR. Our dofollow vs nofollow explainer covers the difference.
• Linking loops are cut off. Ahrefs says its algorithms cut off "linking loops", where two websites exchange rating back and forth, and remove some links that can artificially increase UR.
• The scale is logarithmic. According to Ahrefs, it is a lot easier to go from UR 20 to UR 30 than from UR 70 to UR 80.
• HTTP and HTTPS are treated the same. Both versions of a URL get the same rating.

Ahrefs also reworked UR. The new UR has been computed since the start of August 2022, so UR history graphs start there, and legacy reports show an older UR that will not match it. UR history is also available through Ahrefs API v3.

Be clear about what UR is not. Ahrefs itself says nobody knows exactly how Google's PageRank is calculated. Its claim is that high UR pages tend to rank higher and that UR correlates well with rankings. That is Ahrefs' claim, not a proven rule, and Google does not read UR.

How to check a page's URL Rating

You check UR in Ahrefs Site Explorer. The one trap is what you paste in.

1. Paste the full page URL, not the domain. If you put a website into Site Explorer, Ahrefs says the UR shown is for the homepage alone. For a blog post or listing page, enter that exact URL.
2. Read the history, not just today's number. The UR history graph shows whether a page is gaining or losing link strength, starting from August 2022.
3. Ignore legacy numbers. If an old report shows a different UR for the same page, it is likely the legacy metric, which will not match.

Our free tools check Domain Rating, not UR. The Bulk Domain Rating Checker ranks up to 25 domains by DR, a quick way to shortlist sites before you check their pages in Ahrefs.

What is a good URL Rating?

There is no fixed good number, and you should be wary of anyone who gives you one. UR is relative, and because the scale is logarithmic, the gap between two numbers is not even.

Compare against the pages you are competing with:

1. Search your target query. Note the pages on the first page of results.
2. Check each ranking URL in Ahrefs. Use the exact page URL, not the domain.
3. Compare your page to that range. If the ranking pages have far higher UR, links are likely part of the gap. If they are similar or lower, look at content, search intent and on-page issues first.

A good UR is one that is competitive for your query. For the on-page side, our SEO Checker audits a page against 18 on-page checks and gives you a prioritised fix list.

Why new pages start near UR 0

UR measures a page's link profile, and a page published this morning has none. Nothing links to it, so its UR sits near zero until internal and external links point at it and Ahrefs finds them.

This is true on strong sites too, and it catches people out with directories. A listing on a high-DR directory goes live on a brand-new page, which starts near UR 0 like any other. A domain's strength reaches a page only through the links that point to it.

The good news: this is the part you can fix, starting with your own site.

How to increase URL Rating: internal links first

Because UR counts internal links, it is partly under your direct control, unlike DR. You cannot make other sites link to you this week, but you can link to your own pages today.

Add contextual links from related pages

Find pages on your site that cover related topics and add a link to your target page inside the body text, where it helps the reader. As general SEO practice, a contextual link in body content counts for more than a sitewide navigation or footer link. Use standard links: Ahrefs respects nofollow, so a nofollow internal link passes nothing.

Link from your highest-UR pages

On most sites the homepage is the strongest page, because that is where most external links point. A link from the homepage, or whichever page has your highest UR, carries more than a link from a page nobody links to. Check your strongest pages in Ahrefs and make sure they link to the pages you want to rank.

Vary your anchor text

Use natural, descriptive anchors and let them vary: "URL Rating guide", "how UR works" and "page-level metrics explained" can all point to the same page. The same exact-match anchor on hundreds of pages looks templated.

Fix orphan pages

An orphan page has no internal links pointing to it. It is surprisingly common for a site's best pages to be orphans: a free tool or a long guide gets published, shared once and never linked from anywhere else. Those pages sit near UR 0 for no good reason. Give each of your most valuable pages several internal links from relevant pages.

How to increase URL Rating: earn external links to that page

Internal links move strength you already have. External links bring in new strength, ideally pointing at the specific page or at a page that links to it.

• Launch listings. A launch listing typically links to your homepage, which still helps deep pages: a stronger homepage passes more through the internal links above. Our guide to where to launch your startup lists the options.
• Directories. Same logic. Choose ones that give dofollow links and whose listing pages are linked from the rest of the directory. Our directory list is a starting point.
• Guest content pointing to a deep page. When you write for another site, link to the guide or tool that fits the article, not your homepage. It is one of the few ways to put an external link directly on a deep page.
• Linkable free tools. A useful free tool earns links to its own URL, because people link to tools they use. Link from the tool page to related pages so its strength flows onward.

Skip link swaps: Ahrefs says it cuts off linking loops where two sites exchange rating back and forth. Our backlinks for startups guide covers the wider set of tactics.

An illustrative example

Illustrative example, not a measurement: you publish a pricing comparison guide. On day one it has no links and sits near UR 0. You add a contextual link from the homepage, links from three related posts with varied anchors and one from your free tool page, then write a guest article that links straight to the guide. Each is a link Ahrefs counts, so the guide's UR should rise as they are found. How far depends on the strength of the linking pages, and on a logarithmic scale the first points come far more easily than later ones.

Using URL Rating to judge a link opportunity

When you judge a link, the page your link sits on matters more than the domain. DR tells you about the site. UR tells you about the page.

1. Check the exact page. If it already exists, paste that URL into Ahrefs.
2. For new pages, check similar ones. A new listing or guest post starts near UR 0, so look at the UR of existing listing pages or older guest posts on that site to see whether its pages tend to gain links.
3. Check the link is dofollow. Nofollow links do not count toward UR; our guide to dofollow backlinks that show up in Ahrefs explains what to look for.
4. Check the page is linked internally. A page you cannot reach from the homepage or category pages is unlikely to gain UR.

Illustrative example, not a measurement: site A has DR 70, but its existing listing pages show UR 0 to 2. Site B has DR 40, but its listing pages show UR 15 because well-linked category pages link to them. For the page your link will sit on, site B may be the stronger option.

URL Rating vs Domain Rating

Short version: UR scores one page, DR scores the whole domain, and the two are calculated separately. That is why a page can have a higher UR than its domain's DR, for example a homepage heavily linked internally. And because UR counts internal links, you can influence it directly. The full comparison, including how to read high DR with low UR, is in our Ahrefs UR vs DR post.

Common URL Rating mistakes

• Assuming a strong domain lifts every page. A new page on a high-DR site still starts near UR 0.
• Orphaning your best pages. Tools and long guides published, then never linked internally.
• Over-optimising anchors. Identical exact-match anchors across hundreds of pages look templated.
• Reading homepage UR as the site's score. A domain in Site Explorer gives you the homepage UR.
• Comparing new UR with legacy UR. They will not match. Compare like with like, from August 2022 onwards.
• Treating UR as a Google score. It is Ahrefs' estimate, useful but not used by Google.

The honest takeaways

• UR is a page score. Check the exact URL, never just the domain.
• It is Ahrefs' estimate. Useful, but not a Google metric.
• Good is relative. Compare against the pages ranking for your query.
• Internal links are your fastest lever. And when judging a link, the page it sits on matters more than the domain.

Frequently asked questions

What is URL Rating in Ahrefs?

URL Rating is Ahrefs' score for the strength of a single page's link profile, on a 100-point scale. It counts internal and external links and respects nofollow.

What is a good URL Rating?

There is no universal number. Compare your page's UR with the pages ranking for your target query.

How do I increase URL Rating?

Start with internal links: contextual links from related pages, links from your highest-UR pages, varied anchors and no orphans. Then earn external links to the page, or to pages that link to it.

What is the difference between URL Rating and Domain Rating?

UR scores one page and DR scores a whole domain, calculated separately. See our UR vs DR guide for the full comparison.

Does Google use URL Rating?

No. UR is an Ahrefs estimate. Ahrefs claims it correlates well with rankings, but also says nobody knows exactly how Google's PageRank is calculated.

Why does my new page have a URL Rating of 0?

Nothing links to it yet. Every new page starts near UR 0, even on a strong domain, and can rise once internal and external links point to it.

Why does my page's UR not match an older report?

Ahrefs reworked UR. The new UR has been computed since the start of August 2022, and legacy reports show an older UR that will not match it.

Launch on LaunchIt: a permanent page on a DR 71 domain

If you want an external link as part of this plan, you can launch on LaunchIt. Every listing is a permanent page that links to your website with a standard dofollow link, server-rendered in the HTML, on a site with Ahrefs Domain Rating 71.

To be straight with you: your listing is a new page, so like any new page it starts at low UR, and one link will not transform your scores. It is one solid, permanent link to add to the internal linking and outreach work above.

• Basic Launch is free. You wait in the review queue and must link to LaunchIt with our badge before approval.
• Premium Launch is $24.99, currently 30% off for Black Friday. Pick your launch date (earliest: tomorrow), get guaranteed home page placement on the day and go out in our newsletter, with no badge needed.

Compare both on our pricing page, or submit your product today.