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Name Shape
Shorter, cleaner labels score better. Numbers and hyphens reduce the score.
- Best length band: 5 to 14 characters
- Numbers: minus 8
- Hyphens: minus 4
Quality & Metrics Guide
See Exactly Why A Domain Ranks The Way It Does
The domains list now uses a blended Quality score as its default sort. It is not a black box. It is a capped, weighted shortcut designed to surface cleaner, stronger, older, better-linked domains without letting any single metric dominate.
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Quality
Name Shape
5-14 chars
No numbers
No hyphen
History
Age 11y
Wayback 67
Edu/Gov
Demand
Traffic
Keywords
Value
How The Score Works
Quality is a weighted shortcut, not a fixed grade
The score tries to answer one practical question fast: does this look like a cleaner, stronger, more reusable domain than the names around it? It rewards cleaner structure, real authority, historical signals, and search footprint, while applying penalties for spam or messier naming patterns.
Authority
Majestic TF and referring domains do the heaviest lifting, with Moz DA and MozTrust supporting.
- Majestic TF max pull: +46
- Majestic RD max pull: +25
- Moz DA + Trust max pull: +26
WB
History
Older names with more archive activity and quality reference domains are favored.
- Age max pull: +14
- Wayback max pull: +12.5
- Edu / Gov refs max pull: +5
SR
Search Demand
Semrush traffic and keyword coverage help separate dormant names from useful ones.
- Traffic max pull: +10
- Keywords max pull: +8
- Large outliers are capped
SP
Penalties & Guardrails
Moz Spam and weak TF/CF balance are used to stop obvious junk from bubbling too high.
- Moz Spam max penalty: -16
- Weak TF/CF balance: up to -6
- Strong TF/CF balance: up to +6
Simplified Formula
Quality = structure + authority + history + demand - spam - messy-name penalties
Each metric is capped before it enters the score. That matters. A domain with huge traffic does not get to overpower weak trust signals, and a domain with monster backlinks does not get a free pass on spam or messy naming.
Length Bonus
Best at 5 to 14 characters
+12 max
Majestic Trust Flow
Highest single positive weight in the model
+46 max
Majestic Referring Domains
Strong support signal for actual link breadth
+25 max
Moz Authority + Trust
Secondary authority layer after Majestic
+26 max
Age + Wayback + Edu/Gov
Historical proof that the name has been used and linked
+31.5 max
Semrush Demand
Traffic and keyword evidence, capped to prevent runaway outliers
+18 max
Penalties
Numbers, hyphens, spam score, or weak TF/CF balance
Up to -34
Metric FAQ
The third-party data behind the table
These are the external services and archives feeding the Domains view. The cards below explain the shorthand labels you see in the table and expanded rows, with links out to the source platforms where appropriate.
TFTrust Flow
Majestic's trust or quality estimate for the link profile.
CFCitation Flow
A quantity-style link signal. We compare it to TF for balance.
RDReferring Domains
How many distinct domains link in, not just raw links.
BLBacklinks
Total link count. Useful, but easier to inflate than RD.
TTFTopical Trust Flow
Majestic's topic buckets that hint at the domain's historic niche.
IPsIPs / Subnets
How diverse the linking infrastructure looks across networks.
DADomain Authority
Moz's domain-level ranking strength estimate.
PAPage Authority
Page-level authority signal that complements DA.
MRMozRank
A popularity-style score derived from link signals.
MTMozTrust
Moz's trust-weighted view of the backlink profile.
SpamSpam Score
Higher values can signal lower-quality or riskier profiles.
LinksLinks In
Inbound links as seen through DomDetailer's own dataset.
PagesIndexed Pages
How much page depth or crawlable history the domain appears to have.
EduEdu Links
Count of links from education-related sources in the DomDetailer view.
GovGov Links
Count of government-related backlinks in the DomDetailer view.
DFDofollow
Followed links only, which can matter more than total links.
TrafficOrganic Traffic
Estimated search traffic from ranking keywords.
RankVisibility Rank
A comparative rank-like signal inside Semrush's ecosystem.
LinksBacklinks
Another external backlink perspective, separate from Majestic and Moz.
KWKeywords
How many ranking keywords Semrush associates with the domain.
ValueTraffic Value
Estimated commercial value of the traffic profile.
WB
Wayback Machine
Archive snapshots and history evidence from the Internet Archive.
WBSnapshot Count
How many captures were seen for the domain in archive history.
FirstFirst Snapshot
The earliest capture date we have on record for the domain.
LastLast Snapshot
The most recent archive capture we have on record.
Source Tags
What the source badges on the Domains page mean
Source tags tell you where the domain is currently surfaced from, not whether the domain is inherently better. They matter for workflow, pricing, auction timing, and where the outbound listing link will take you.
GoDaddy Auctions / Closeouts
Live auction or closeout inventory coming through GoDaddy's aftermarket.
Go to GoDaddy AuctionsNamecheap Market
Marketplace listings or expiry-style listings surfaced from Namecheap's market.
Open Namecheap MarketSnapNames
Aftermarket and catching-related inventory exposed through SnapNames.
Open SnapNamesDropCatch
Dropcatch and auction-related domains tied to DropCatch's release pipeline.
Open DropCatchDynadot
Marketplace or expiry-related listings surfaced from Dynadot.
Open Dynadot MarketSav
Marketplace or pending-delete search context from Sav.
Open SavNameJet
Expired auction inventory tied to NameJet's marketplace.
Open NameJetInternal Inventory
Domains already stored inside the Easy Expired Domains expired inventory and ready for direct research.
Browse Internal InventoryExpiring Feeds
Domains that are not yet dropped and may still be in registry, registrar, or deletion flow.
Browse Expiring DomainsQuestions
Quick answers about the score
Why cap the metrics instead of just adding the raw numbers?
Because huge outliers can distort the sort. A domain with enormous traffic or backlink counts should not automatically outrank a cleaner, older, more trustworthy domain with a healthier overall profile.
Why can a lower-TF domain still outrank a higher-TF one?
Because the score blends multiple signals. A slightly lower-TF domain can still win if it is cleaner, older, has better RD breadth, lower spam, stronger archive history, or a better TF/CF balance.
Does Quality replace the AI suggester score?
No. The AI suggester adds keyword-fit logic on top. The Domains page quality score is query-independent, so it can rank the whole corpus consistently without needing a search phrase.
Is a higher score always a better buy?
No. It is a faster shortlist signal, not a final verdict. Price, niche fit, legal risk, source timing, and whether the name is genuinely usable for your project still matter.
Can the weights change over time?
Yes. The current setup is a practical first version. It can be tuned after reviewing real pages of results and deciding where to be stricter on spam, brandability, or value-for-money.
Use It In Context
Take the guide back into the Domains list
Open the live search, sort by Quality, and read the score together with source timing, price, and the expanded metric cards.