Definition
Referring IPs measure the number of unique IP addresses from which a site receives backlinks. This metric is an indicator of the actual diversity of a site's link profile. Two different domains can share the same IP address if hosted on the same server, which reduces the effective backlink diversity in the eyes of search engines. A healthy link profile shows a number of Referring IPs close to the number of Referring Domains. A significant gap between the two can signal a site network (PBN) hosted on the same servers, which is a negative signal for Google.
Key Points
- Measures the actual diversity of servers hosting sites that link to you
- A significant gap with Referring Domains can signal a PBN
- Naturalness indicator of the link profile analyzed by advanced SEO tools
Practical Examples
PBN detection
A competitor shows 200 Referring Domains but only 15 Referring IPs. This disproportion strongly suggests the use of a private blog network (PBN) hosted on a few servers.
Natural profile evaluation
An SMB site with 80 Referring Domains and 72 Referring IPs shows a healthy ratio, indicating genuine diversity of link sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Google uses IP diversity as an indicator of link naturalness. Links from many domains but few different IPs suggest an artificial site network, which can lead to a penalty.
Ahrefs and Majestic display the number of Referring IPs in their backlink reports. Compare this number with Referring Domains to evaluate the real diversity of your link profile.
Go Further with LemmiLink
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Last updated: 2026-02-07