Different SEO tools name their headline domain metric differently — Moz calls it Domain Authority, Ahrefs calls it Domain Rating, others call it "domain rank." They're all trying to answer the same question with one number: how much should a search engine or a careful reader trust this domain, based on who links to it. BacklinkMCP's version is domain_rating, an editorial-authority score weighted toward high-trust wiki, edu, gov, and news referrers, returned together with the referring-domain count and outbound-link count that give that score context.
Try it
The endpoint
curl "https://backlinkmcp.com/api/v1/authority?domain=stripe.com"
Response shape — every domain metric BacklinkMCP tracks, in one call:
{
"ok": true,
"authority": {
"domain": "stripe.com",
"found": true,
"domain_rating": 80.9,
"referring_domains": 702082,
"links_out": 41
}
}
The metrics, field by field
domain_rating— whichever term you're used to (rank, rating, authority), this is that number for this API.referring_domains— pair this with the score before drawing conclusions: a high rating on a handful of referring domains reads very differently than the same rating spread across thousands.links_out— outbound link count for the queried domain, a rough signal of whether it's a curated hub or a destination site.found—falseif the domain has no inlinks on record. Not an error, just an uninteresting answer for very new or obscure domains.
For how domain_rating is actually computed — the editorial weighting that favors wiki/edu/gov/news referrers and why — see the domain authority API methodology page. This page is the fast reference for all four fields together; that one is the deep dive on the score itself.
For the ranked list of who's actually linking in — not just the count — see the bulk backlink analysis API. For the methodology behind the authority score specifically, including how the editorial weighting resists link-farm inflation, see the domain authority API deep dive.
Calling it from code
const r = await fetch(
"https://backlinkmcp.com/api/v1/authority?domain=" + encodeURIComponent(domain)
);
const { ok, authority } = await r.json();
if (ok && authority.found) {
console.log(authority.domain_rating, authority.referring_domains, authority.links_out);
}
Also exposed as the domain_authority_score MCP tool, so any MCP-aware agent can pull the full metrics bundle mid-conversation with zero integration code. See the MCP install docs.
Rate limits and pricing
10 lookups/day per IP on the free tier, no signup. Unlimited on the $19/mo Pro plan.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between "domain rank" and "domain authority" here?
Same underlying field — domain_rating. Different SEO tools call the same kind of number "rank," "authority," or "rating." Ours is a single roughly-0-to-100 editorial-authority score, weighted toward links from high-trust wiki, edu, gov, and news domains.
What metrics does the API return for a domain?
domain_rating (rank/authority), referring_domains, links_out, and found — all in one response, described field by field above.
Is this a live crawl or a stored index?
It reflects the current state of our link index, not a live crawl at request time. For the real-time status of one specific link, use verify_link_live.
Do I need an API key?
Not for the free tier — 10 lookups/day per IP, no signup. A Pro key removes the daily limit.
Can an AI agent pull these metrics without integration code?
Yes, via the domain_authority_score MCP tool, callable directly by any MCP-aware agent mid-conversation.