27 categories, with the trades and specialties listed under each. You pick one when you add a site, and the crawl checks whether you picked right. The count under each card is approved sites only.
Relevance finds pairings your category never would
We read the article somebody is writing, find the paragraph that is missing a source, then go looking for a page that is one. Sometimes that page belongs to another roofer, and that is a good match when the paragraph calls for it. Sometimes it is a metal fabrication journal, and your category list would never have put you together.
Local subject, and both sides have to work the same area. Categories only break ties when a page is hard to read. How matching works goes through it step by step.
We have all read this nav bar:
Home | Travel | Wellness | Finance | Tech
Five subjects and no readers. The contact form has never been filled out once. Past 4 unrelated categories a person reviews the site, and most of those never make it in.
Covering the school board, a flood and a new restaurant in the same week is a newspaper doing its job. Same for a trade journal or a magazine with actual readers. A person checks the site and opens up as many categories as it needs, to a ceiling of 8.
The Ahrefs history is where it starts. Then somebody opens the keyword list and reads what those visits actually are. A site pulling its whole number off its own brand name has no audience to lend anybody, and neither does one ranking in a language it does not publish in.
A local business needs about 100 organic visits a month, and anything with a wider subject needs 1,000. Sitting near zero is not a site with an audience to lend.
Domain Rating 40 or above on under 500 visits gets read hardest, because a rating climbing while traffic sits flat is what a bought one looks like from outside. So does traffic that has halved over six months, and a month that added 150 new referring domains.
HVAC · Plumbing · Residential Electrical · Residential Roofing · Landscaping & Lawn Care · Pool Builders & Service · Pest Control · Residential Cleaning · Commercial Cleaning · Painting · Flooring · Garage Doors · Fencing · Window & Door Installation · Handyman · Moving & Storage · Locksmith · Junk Removal · Tree Service · Pressure Washing · Septic & Well · Solar Installation · Home Security & Automation · Appliance Repair · Chimney Sweep · Gutter Services · Home & Local Services (other)
General Contractors · Commercial Construction · Remodeling & Renovation · Commercial Electrical · Concrete & Masonry · Excavation & Site Work · Framing · Commercial Roofing · Metal Fabrication & Welding · Architecture & Engineering · Land Surveying · Demolition · Insulation · Drywall · Steel Erection · Construction & Trades (other)
Primary Care & Family Medicine · General Dentistry · Cosmetic Dentistry · Orthodontics · Oral Surgery · Pediatric Dentistry · Dermatology · Chiropractic · Physical & Occupational Therapy · Mental Health, Counseling & Psychiatry · Optometry & Ophthalmology · Med Spas & Aesthetics · Plastic Surgery · Urgent Care · Home Health Care · Assisted Living & Senior Care · Addiction Treatment & Rehab · Podiatry · Audiology & Hearing · Medical Devices & Equipment · Veterinary · Medical & Healthcare (other)
Personal Injury · Estate Planning & Probate · Family Law & Divorce · Criminal Defense · Business & Corporate Law · Real Estate Law · Immigration Law · Bankruptcy · Employment Law · Tax Law · Intellectual Property · Legal Services (other)
Banking · Accounting & Bookkeeping · Tax Preparation · Financial Planning & Wealth Management · Life Insurance · Health Insurance · Auto Insurance · Home Insurance · Commercial Insurance · Mortgage & Lending · Loans & Lending · Investment & Brokerage · Payroll Services · Debt Relief & Credit Repair · Payment Processing & Fintech · Finance (other)
Aircraft Charter & Air Travel · Aircraft Maintenance & Overhaul · Flight Training · Aircraft Sales & Brokerage · Avionics & Aviation Parts · Marine Dealers & Sales · Marine Repair & Service · Marina & Boat Storage · Yacht Charter · Marine Electronics · Aviation & Marine (other)
Residential Agents & Brokerages · Commercial Real Estate · Property Management · Real Estate Investment · Title & Escrow · Home Inspection · Appraisal · Real Estate (other)
Auto Repair & Mechanics · Auto Body & Collision · Auto Sales · Auto Detailing · Towing · Tire Shops · RV & Powersports · Automotive (other)
Restaurants · Catering · Food Trucks · Bakeries · Bars & Breweries · Coffee Shops · Specialty Grocery · Restaurant & Food Service (other)
Marketing & Advertising Agencies · IT Services & Managed Providers · Web Design & Development · Staffing & Recruiting · Business Consulting · Printing · Commercial Security Services · Logistics, Freight & Trucking · Manufacturing · Wholesale & Distribution · Professional & B2B Services (other)
Women's Apparel · Men's Apparel · Children's Apparel · Footwear · Activewear & Athleisure · Swimwear · Accessories & Jewelry · Handbags & Luggage · Eyewear · Watches · Apparel & Fashion (other)
Furniture · Home Decor · Bedding & Linens · Kitchenware & Cookware · Rugs · Lighting · Outdoor & Patio Furniture · Storage & Organization · Home Goods & Furniture (other)
Consumer Electronics · Audio Equipment · Smart Home Devices · Gaming Hardware · Computer Components & Accessories · Cameras & Photography Equipment · Wearables · Electronics (other)
Toys & Games · Sporting Goods · Books · Musical Instruments · Arts & Crafts Supplies · Baby Products · Beauty Products · Pet Products · Office Supplies · Party Supplies · Retail & Specialty Goods (other)
K-12 Private Schools · Tutoring · Higher Education · Trade & Vocational Schools · Online Courses & EdTech · Education (other)
Salons & Barbershops · Day Spas · Nail Salons · Tattoo & Piercing · Beauty & Personal Care (other)
Gyms & Personal Training · Yoga & Pilates Studios · Nutrition & Wellness Coaching · Massage Therapy · Fitness & Wellness (other)
Firearms & Hunting · Outdoor Recreation · Sports & Outdoors (other)
Pet Grooming · Pet Boarding & Daycare · Pet Training · Pets & Animals (other)
Charitable Foundations · Advocacy Organizations · Trade Associations & Chambers of Commerce · Community Organizations · Educational Nonprofits · Health Related Nonprofits · Nonprofit & Charity (other)
Churches & Congregations · Faith Based Ministries · Religious Publishing & Media · Faith Based Nonprofits & Missions · Religious Education · Religious & Faith (other)
Municipal & Local Government · State Government · Federal Agencies · Public Utilities · Public Safety · Courts & Judicial · Government & Public Sector (other)
Wedding Venues & Planning · Event Planning · Photography & Videography · Music & DJ Services · Art Galleries · Events, Arts & Entertainment (other)
Hotels & Lodging · Travel Agencies · Vacation Rentals · Tourism & Attractions · Travel & Hospitality (other)
SaaS · Cybersecurity · App Development · Data & AI · Technology & Software (other)
Industry & Trade Publications · Local & Regional News · Business & Financial Press · Consumer Magazines · Enthusiast & Special Interest · Broadcast & Radio · Digital Media & Newsletters · News, Media & Publications (other)
These exchange only with each other. A gambling site can earn a link from a crypto site, and neither can earn one from a roofer or give one to a dentist. It works both ways, and there is no setting that opens it. A link from one of these categories is something a site should choose on purpose and never receive by accident.
Gambling & Casino · CBD · Cannabis · Crypto · Adult · Pharmacy & Online Pharmacy · Peptides & Research Chemicals · Payday & Short-Term Loans · Tobacco & Vape · Regulated & Restricted (other)