SEO Myth Busting #2: “DR Is the One Metric That Matters”

Hey founders 👋

Ever spent weeks chasing backlinks just to boost your DR… but organic traffic didn’t budge?

You’ve probably heard this one before:

While DR has its place, if this is your main SEO KPI, you’re wasting time and energy.

Here’s why—and exactly what to do instead: 👇

❇︎ The problem with the “DR is Everything” myth

DR is a vanity metric.

It looks impressive, but Google doesn’t rank sites based on their Ahrefs DR. It ranks pages based on relevance, intent, and real authority signals.

If you’ve ever:

• Gotten backlinks but saw no traffic bump

• Wondered why a lower-DR competitor outranks you

• Spent hours chasing links without improving conversions

…you’ve experienced this firsthand.

❇︎ What Actually Moves the Needle

Successful SEO isn’t about a shiny DR score—it’s about:

• Ranking for the right keywords that bring high-intent visitors

• Earning backlinks to the right pages (not just the homepage)

• Building content that converts readers into users or customers

DR doesn’t bring sales—targeted traffic and conversions do.

❇︎ What to do instead (5 Steps)

Here's exactly how to ensure your content ranks:

1. Focus on Bottom-of-Funnel Keywords

• Use tools like LowFruits or Google Autocomplete to find keywords with buying intent (e.g., “best X tool for Y use case”).

• Prioritize these over generic top-of-funnel terms.

2. Build Content That Converts, Not Just Ranks

• Create comparison pages (“[Competitor] vs [Your Product]”) and use case content.

• Add strong CTAs linking directly to your product.

3. Earn Backlinks to Product & Conversion Pages

• Don’t just promote your blog—secure backlinks to your feature, pricing, or use case pages.

• Add internal links from popular blog content to these pages.

4. Track the Metrics That Matter

• Instead of DR, monitor:

  • Organic sessions to key pages

  • Conversion rate from organic traffic

  • Rankings for bottom-funnel keywords

5. Leverage Internal Links to Build Authority

• Add contextual links from every new blog post to your most important conversion pages.

• This helps pass authority and rank them faster.

📌 Quick Example:

If you’re running a time tracking SaaS:

• Instead of obsessing over DR 50+, write a “Best Time Tracking Tool for Remote Teams” post targeting that exact query.

• Link directly to your product page from that post.

• Share it on LinkedIn and Slack groups where your ideal customers hang out.

≫ Quick Win (Do This Right Now!)

Open your Google Analytics or Search Console.

Find your top 5 landing pages from organic traffic:

• Add internal links from those pages to your highest-converting product pages.

• Add clear CTAs to turn visitors into sign-ups.

This takes 10 minutes and works better than obsessing over a DR score you can’t control.

✨ Hands-Off SEO for Founders

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TL;DR

Focus on ranking the right pages for high-intent keywords and driving real conversions. That’s SEO that matters.

See you next week – we’re busting another founder SEO myth 👊

If you liked this, forward it to a founder friend who’s chasing vanity metrics instead of real growth.

And reply to this email if you have SEO questions—I answer every one!

— Xavier