---
title: Domain Rating Recovery Strategy — Exterior Renovations
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2025-11-07-weekly-call-w-ben-100109763.md
tags:
- seo
- domain-rating
- backlinks
- ahrefs
- competitor-analysis
- exterior-renovations
- case-study
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# Domain Rating Recovery Strategy — Exterior Renovations

## Overview

During an account review in November 2025, [[wiki/clients/exterior-renovations/_index|Exterior Renovations]] was identified as having a critically low Domain Rating (DR) of 2 — well below the 25+ scores held by local competitors. This article documents the technical SEO recovery plan initiated to address that gap, centered on a paid backlink service and Ahrefs competitor monitoring setup.

This account is being treated as a [[wiki/knowledge/seo/account-turnaround-playbook|turnaround case study]], with Ben San Fratello leading execution and Mark Hope providing oversight.

---

## The Problem

- **DR of 2** against competitors scoring 25+ (e.g., Infinity Roofing at 25, Exteriors Company at 4)
- No competitors configured in Ahrefs for ongoing monitoring
- Visitor tracking not enabled in Ahrefs
- Organic traffic declining since July, with no content targeting core keywords like "exterior siding" or "siding contractors Madison"
- Not appearing in the Google Maps local pack for "siding contractors Madison"

> "How come I've been paying you for three years and my domain rating is two?" — Mark Hope, illustrating the client's likely perspective

The low DR is a compounding problem: without backlink authority, even well-optimized pages struggle to rank, and the site's existing content was already failing to target relevant keywords.

---

## The Fix: $200 Backlink Service

Mark initiated a **$200 backlink service** (resold at $250 to the client) with the goal of raising the DR from 2 to **30 within 30 days**.

### Key Details

| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Service cost | $200 |
| Client price | $250 |
| Target DR | 30 |
| Timeline | ~30 days |
| Tracking tool | Ahrefs (updates DR metric monthly) |

**Important caveat:** Ahrefs only updates the Domain Rating metric once per month, so improvement will not be visible in real time. Monitor on the monthly Ahrefs refresh cycle.

### Why This Matters

A DR of 30 won't make the site dominant, but it closes the gap with the weakest local competitors and gives on-page SEO and content efforts a foundation to build on. The same service was already initiated for [[wiki/clients/citrus-america/_index|Citrus America]], where DR was at 28 heading toward 50.

---

## Ahrefs Setup: Competitors & Visitor Tracking

Two Ahrefs configurations were completed during the review session to establish baseline monitoring:

### Competitor Tracking

The following local competitors were added to Ahrefs for ongoing monitoring:

- **Infinity Roofing** (multi-location; has a Madison office) — DR ~25
- **The Exteriors Company** — DR ~4
- **Madtown Siding** — low DR but ranking above Exterior Renovations

> Note: Infinity Roofing is a larger regional company, not a pure local competitor. Use SpyFu alongside Ahrefs to isolate Madison-specific keyword data.

**Recommended next step:** Run a Madison-localized competitor search using a VPN (set browser location to Madison, WI) and cross-reference results in both Ahrefs and SpyFu to identify keyword gaps.

### Visitor Tracking Tag

A new Ahrefs tracking tag was added to the Exterior Renovations website. It will take a few days to begin populating visitor data in the dashboard.

---

## Monitoring Plan

| Metric | Tool | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating | Ahrefs | Monthly (Ahrefs update cycle) |
| Organic traffic trend | Ahrefs / Google Search Console | Weekly |
| Competitor DR & referring domains | Ahrefs | Monthly |
| Visitor data | Ahrefs (new tag) | Weekly once populated |

---

## Related Actions

- [ ] Verify the correct domain URL was submitted with the backlink service order (@Ben San Fratello)
- [ ] Monitor DR in Ahrefs over the next 30 days (@Mark Hope / @Ben San Fratello)
- [ ] Run Madison-localized competitor analysis via VPN; update Ahrefs competitor list (@Ben San Fratello)

---

## Related Articles

- [[wiki/knowledge/seo/content-strategy-low-dr-sites|Content Strategy for Low-DR Sites]]
- [[wiki/clients/exterior-renovations/account-review-nov-2025|Exterior Renovations Account Review — Nov 2025]]
- [[wiki/knowledge/seo/moz-local-setup|Moz Local Setup & Local Pack Visibility]]
- [[wiki/knowledge/google-ads/goal-cleanup-best-practices|Google Ads Goal Cleanup Best Practices]]