Understanding Link Grades
How we measure publication quality across Press
How the grading system works
We score every publication in our database using three industry-standard SEO metrics. Each metric earns a score from 1 to 4, and these are combined to give an overall grade.
We pull data from three trusted SEO tools to build a complete picture of site quality:
- Traffic (Ahrefs) – Monthly organic visitors to the site
- Trust Flow (Majestic) – A measure of link quality pointing to the site
- Domain Authority (Moz) – The site's overall authority and ranking potential
The combined score (ranging from 3 to 12) determines the final grade:
Entry-level publications. Smaller local sites or niche blogs with modest reach.
Solid regional publications and established niche sites with decent authority.
Strong publications with significant traffic and authority. Major regionals and respected trade titles.
Top-tier national and international publications. The most valuable links in any portfolio.
A note on relevancy
Grade is one measure of quality, but it's not the only factor that matters. A Bronze link from a highly relevant trade publication in your industry can be more valuable than a Platinum link from an unrelated outlet.
Use grades to quickly assess the general authority of a publication, but always consider relevancy to your client's sector and target audience.
Scoring thresholds
Each metric is scored 1-4 based on these minimum thresholds:
| Points | Traffic (Ahrefs) | Trust Flow (Majestic) | DA (Moz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 point | 100+ | 10+ | 20+ |
| 2 points | 1,000+ | 30+ | 40+ |
| 3 points | 10,000+ | 50+ | 60+ |
| 4 points | 100,000+ | 70+ | 80+ |
Example calculations
BBC News
Platinum- Traffic: 10M+ (4 pts)
- Trust Flow: 96 (4 pts)
- Domain Authority: 96 (4 pts)
Total: 12 points = Platinum
GiveMeSport
Gold- Traffic: 640K+ (4 pts)
- Trust Flow: 29 (1 pt)
- Domain Authority: 74 (3 pts)
Total: 8 points = Gold