SEO Metrics Comparison: What We Learned by Comparing 5 Domains

A few weeks ago during one of our regular SEO catchups at Link Publishers, someone asked a simple but important question – Which SEO metrics actually tell the truth about rankings?

The opinions came in fast. Someone mentioned Moz DA. Someone else said Backlinks and Referring Domains. Then came the obvious follow-up – What about actual traffic?

That’s when we knew it was time to dig into the numbers.

So we pulled SEO data for 5 websites across five very different industries. Then we compared them using Moz, Ahrefs, and Semrush. We looked at Domain Authority, total referring domains, and organic traffic – all side by side.

Our goal wasn’t to prove a point. We just wanted to see what’s working, what isn’t, and which numbers actually reflect real performance. The findings? Some results were expected. Others caught us off guard. A few made us rethink how we look at SEO audits.

Today, we are sharing it all with you.

The SEO Metrics That Matter (and Why We Chose Them)

When we decided to compare five websites, we didn’t want to go after every SEO metric out there. That would only clutter the analysis and confuse the goal. So we narrowed it down to three core metrics that SEOs everywhere tend to rely on.

Not because they are perfect, but because they are widely used and often used to make important decisions.

Here’s what we picked and why.

1. Moz Domain Authority (DA)

You have probably used it a hundred times. We have too. Moz’s Domain Authority is one of the most quoted numbers in SEO conversations. It is a score (from 1 to 100) that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engines, based mainly on its link profile. Higher DA usually means a site has more strong backlinks pointing to it.

But here is the thing – DA is not a Google metric. It is Moz’s best guess based on their crawler. It doesn’t tell you why a site ranks – just gives you an idea of its perceived authority. We included DA because it is still used as a quick filter. Many agencies, SEO professionals, and clients ask for “high DA” links. So it is worth testing how well it actually reflects real performance.

2. Referring Domains (Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz)

This one is simple. Referring domains show how many different websites are linking to a site. It is one of the strongest trust signals in SEO.

We pulled this data from Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz. In Moz, it appears as “Linking Domains”, but it means the same thing – the number of unique websites sending at least one link to your domain. These tools use their own crawlers and indexing methods, so the numbers don’t always match. Sometimes they are close, sometimes way off. That’s why we included all three – to get a fuller picture.

So why does this metric matter? Because if hundreds of different sites are linking to you, it usually means your content is either helpful, popular, or worth talking about. That kind of diversity in backlinks often signals genuine authority.

But don’t rely on totals alone. Not all links are equal. Relevance, placement, and intent matter. That’s the part tools can’t measure – but we will talk about that soon.

3. Organic Traffic (Ahrefs and Semrush)

This is the one that really matters at the end of the day. Traffic. Because what’s the point of high authority or a strong link profile if no one is visiting the site?

Organic traffic tells you how many users are coming to your site from unpaid search results. It reflects how well your pages are actually ranking, and how often people are clicking on them. It is the real-world output of all those SEO inputs.

But here is the catch – even traffic estimates can be misleading. Ahrefs and Semrush both use their own data models to predict traffic – and sometimes the gap between them is wild. That’s why we used both. Not to get exact numbers, but to compare trends and see if there is a consistent story.

Why Multiple Tools?

We used both Ahrefs and Semrush because no single tool shows the full picture. Also, every tool crawls and estimates data differently. That’s why comparing them helped us spot gaps and inconsistencies. It gave us a broader and more balanced view. We also did not want to rely on just one source. Cross-verifying made the analysis more accurate and honest

The 5 Websites at a Glance 

We did not randomly pick these websites. Each one was chosen because it operates in a different industry + has a different SEO footprint + follows a unique growth strategy. That mix gave us better variety and made the analysis more meaningful.

Let’s take a quick look at each one.

Website 1 – Ticket Aggregator

This site helps users find, compare and book event tickets online. It is a competitive niche where SEO often depends on both authority and content freshness.  We picked it because it has strong backlinks and decent traffic – a good candidate for testing if authority scores line up with real results.

• Moz DA: 39
• Referring Domains: 1.8k (Moz), 5.3k (Ahrefs), 1.6k (Semrush)
• Organic Traffic: 47.7k (Ahrefs), 48.8k (Semrush)

Take a look at this data from Moz. You can clearly see the domain authority and linking domains. 

Website 2 – Regulated Wellness Retailer

An ecommerce site that sells wellness products under tight regulations. We chose it because its backlink profile is quite strong, but its traffic numbers vary across tools. It gave us a chance to compare traffic reliability and backlink value.

• Moz DA: 35
• Referring Domains: 2.7k (Moz), 1.8k (Ahrefs), 3.1k (Semrush)
• Organic Traffic: 76.3k (Ahrefs), 27.5k (Semrush)

Website 3 – eCommerce Web Design Agency

This site offers design and development services for online stores. It has a moderate DA and a small backlink base. We picked it to represent service-based websites that rely more on niche authority than mass link-building.

• Moz DA: 23
• Referring Domains: 651 (Moz), 296 (Ahrefs), 560 (Semrush)
• Organic Traffic: 55 (Ahrefs), 118 (Semrush)

Website 4 – Online Learning Tool

This one is a SaaS platform for learning and productivity. It is newer, has a low DA, and limited backlinks – but surprising traffic. We included it to test whether content strategy can outperform authority scores in some cases.

• Moz DA: 16
• Referring Domains: 187 (Moz), 228 (Ahrefs), 274 (Semrush)
• Organic Traffic: 4.1k (Ahrefs), 1.2k (Semrush)

Website 5 – Insurance Review Platform

A site that reviews and compares insurance providers. It has low authority and very few backlinks but still pulls in a decent chunk of traffic. We chose it to see how well organic rankings hold up when authority is low.

• Moz DA: 12
• Referring Domains: 34 (Moz), 59 (Ahrefs), 94 (Semrush)
• Organic Traffic: 9.8k (Ahrefs), 4.1k (Semrush)

This is a table comparing the key metrics for all five different websites.

What Surprised Us – Key Findings 🧐

As we started comparing the numbers, a few patterns jumped out – and some did not make sense right away. These were not just small differences. In some cases – they changed our assumptions entirely.

Here’s what stood out the most.

1. Same backlink strength but very different traffic

At first glance, Website 1 (Ticket Aggregator) and Website 2 (Regulated Wellness Retailer) seemed pretty close in terms of authority and referring domains. Both had high Moz DA (39 and 35), thousands of linking domains, and healthy link profiles. But their traffic numbers were miles apart –especially when comparing Ahrefs vs Semrush.

• Ticket Aggregator (DA 39) had ~48k traffic
• Wellness Retailer (DA 35) had ~76k (Ahrefs) but only 27.5k (Semrush)

Why the gap? 

It could be different keyword spreads, seasonal traffic spikes, or maybe an unusual backlink strategy that inflated authority without matching performance. It made us question if high link volume alone tells the full story.

2. High DA, low traffic – something is off

Then there was Website 3 (eCommerce Web Design) – a mid-level DA of 23 and a decent number of backlinks from all tools.

But the traffic?

• 55 (Ahrefs)
• 118 (Semrush)

That is almost nothing.

This raised a red flag. The site had enough referring domains (296 via Ahrefs and 651 in Moz), so something else was clearly missing. Most likely – poor keyword targeting, weak content, or maybe a site that is technically sound but just not ranking for anything valuable.

A high DA means nothing if users aren’t landing on your pages. Authority alone doesn’t create visibility.

3. Low DA, high traffic – the underdog surprise

The biggest surprise came from Website 5 (Insurance Review Platform). It had one of the lowest backlink counts and only a DA of 12.

But look at the traffic:

• 9.8k (Ahrefs)
• 4.1k (Semrush)

That’s impressive for a site that barely registers in link-based authority tools.

So what is going on here? 

Likely a strong content strategy and smart targeting. Insurance-related keywords can bring in valuable, high-intent traffic – especially if you hit the long-tail queries right. This proved that even a site with a small link footprint can compete if the content is useful + focused + well-structured. It reminded us that relevance often beats raw metrics.

When the Data Didn’t Make Sense 

Not everything we found made sense on the first look. Some of the numbers did not align with reality – and that forced us to dig deeper.

1. Strong SEO but weak conversions

One of the sites we looked at – Website 2 – had everything going for it on paper.

• High Domain Authority
• Thousands of backlinks
• Huge traffic according to Ahrefs

But here is the twist – the business wasn’t seeing results. Traffic wasn’t converting. The leads were flat.

It made us stop and ask – Are we focusing on the wrong metrics? 

You can have all the authority in the world, but if your content doesn’t speak to the right audience – or your site is hard to use – those visitors won’t stick around. 

This reminded us that traffic ≠ value. And a strong SEO profile doesn’t mean strong business performance.

2. Inconsistent data and no clear benchmark

Another challenge came from Website 4 – the online learning tool.

It had low authority. Barely any backlinks. But still, a decent chunk of traffic. That alone was interesting. 

But what made it harder? Ahrefs and Semrush gave very different numbers – not just for traffic, but for backlinks too.

And here is the thing – this site didn’t really have any direct competitors with public data to compare against. It made us realize that some niches just don’t get picked up properly by SEO tools. Smaller industries or newer keywords sometimes slip through the cracks.

So when the tools disagreed, we had to step back and look at the site manually – its content + search presence + real user behavior.

These audits show us what tools miss – weak content, poor targeting, or gaps in strategy. That’s where the real growth opportunities usually hide.” – Harshal Shah, Co-Founder

What We Learned from the Confusion

• Tools are helpful, but not perfect. They estimate. They miss things. And they can’t see the whole picture.
• Context always matters. The niche, the content style, the SERP layout – all of it can affect visibility.
• Assumptions are dangerous. Just because the numbers look good does not mean the strategy is working. And just because they look low doesn’t mean it is failing.

This part of the audit was frustrating at times – but also the most eye-opening. It reminded us why human judgment is still the most important SEO skill of all.

Real SEO Takeaways from This Analysis 

After going through all the data, one thing became clear – chasing SEO numbers without context leads to blind spots. Metrics are helpful, but they don’t tell the full story. Here is what we learned, and what you can apply to your own SEO work.

1. Don’t obsess over one metric

We have all been there. You find a site with a high DA and assume it is doing well – until you see the traffic is dead. Or you get excited about 3,000 referring domains, but they are all from low-quality sources.

Looking at just one number in isolation will always mislead you. Real SEO is about balance – authority + content + search intent + user experience all working together.

2. Quality backlinks beat quantity every time

In our audit, some sites had thousands of backlinks… and barely any visibility. Others had a few hundred links and pulled in solid organic traffic.

Why? Because Google doesn’t just count links – it evaluates them. Relevance + trust + source authority matter more than totals. If your backlinks are coming from random directories or thin guest posts, they won’t move the needle.

Focus on earning links that actually make sense in your niche. One good link from a trusted site is worth more than fifty spammy ones.

3. Tools are guides, not final answers

We love tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz. But none of them are exact. They estimate traffic. They miss links. And sometimes they completely disagree with each other.

That’s why we cross-verified everything. And even then, we had to look beyond the dashboard. No matter how polished the UI is, these tools can’t tell you why a page is or isn’t ranking.

Use them for direction – not decisions.

4. Human SEO still wins

Looking at DA or traffic in isolation gives you half the story. The real insights come when you put everything side by side and ask the right questions.” – Het Balar ( Founder & CEO )

The biggest takeaway? Context wins.

No tool can understand the nuances of your niche, the intent behind your keywords, or the emotional impact of your content. That part still belongs to humans.

So when you are reviewing a site – whether it is your own or a client’s – zoom out. Look beyond the numbers. Ask real questions –

• Is this content solving the right problem?
• Are users landing where they should?
• Is the site worth visiting – and revisiting?

That kind of analysis doesn’t show up in metrics. But it makes all the difference.

Why SEO Audits Like This Are Worth It

This wasn’t just a data exercise for us. It gave our team a fresh perspective. We didn’t just look at numbers – we questioned them. We dug deeper + challenged assumptions + re-evaluated how we read SEO performance.

Some sites looked strong but weren’t converting. Others looked weak on paper but were winning in traffic and visibility. And that contrast helped us fine-tune how we approach SEO for our clients and our own projects.

This kind of audit doesn’t just show what’s ranking – it shows why it is ranking, or why it isn’t.

So if you are managing a website or client portfolio, take time to go beyond surface-level stats. Look for patterns. Compare multiple tools. Cross-check the numbers with real outcomes.

Because real SEO is not just about higher rankings – it is about smarter strategy.

And that starts with audits like these.

Need help making sense of your own SEO metrics?

Our team runs these audits quarterly – and they always reveal hidden opportunities. If your numbers don’t seem to match your results, we will help you figure out why.

Let’s turn confusing data into a clear direction.

Conclusion

The audit revealed that while SEO tools and metrics are useful for direction, they are imperfect and sometimes misleading. True SEO success comes from understanding the context, focusing on quality over quantity, and integrating human analysis with data. Regular audits that go beyond surface-level stats can uncover hidden opportunities and help refine strategy for better real-world results

In case you missed!

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• At BrightonSEO, Our Co-Founder – Harshal Shah Shares How Link building Has Changed