If you have ever used an SEO tool, you would have seen at least one number called Domain Authority or Domain Rating next to every website. But what does that figure really imply, how is it computed, and how much should you care about it?
This tutorial addresses all those questions clearly so that you can use domain authority well in your SEO approach.
Domain Authority (DA) is a score produced by Moz that predicts a website’s ability to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). The score is 1-100 points. Higher scores indicate higher authority and ability to rank.
Ahrefs has its own equivalent metric called Domain Rating (DR). The two ratings are computed a little differently, but both assess the overall strength and authority of a website’s backlink profile.
The key factors that influence domain authority are the number and quality of backlinks that point to the site. The main factors are:
DA and DR are third-party measures and not official Google scores you need to grasp. Google utilizes its own internal PageRank algorithm that is not publicly available.
Domain Authority is not absolute; it is relative. A 30 score could be great in a low competitiveness niche, but not so good in a competitive business like banking or legal. Here is a general guide:
Though it’s not a direct Google ranking criteria, DA is a good indicator of how well your website is going to rank in search. Higher DA sites have stronger link profiles that are perceived as trustworthy by Google, which makes it easier to rank for more competitive keywords.
DA also helps in checking the possible origins of links. If you’re creating backlinks, focus on sites with a DA of 30 or more. Learn more about this in our guide on the elements of a powerful backlink.
That is the one thing that will have the most influence. Every high authority link you earn will boost your DA score. Guest posting, digital PR, and manual outreach are the keys to gaining connections from relevant, authoritative websites. Check out our full guide on building relevant backlinks for better SEO.
Spammy and low-quality backlinks pull your DA score down. Regularly check your backlink profile and disavow any bad connections. Our Toxic Backlink Guide shows you exactly how to detect and fix them.
Backlinks will come naturally over time with original research, in-depth instructions, free tools, and data-driven content. The more linkable your material, the faster your DA will grow.
A good internal linking structure helps Google understand your content hierarchy and spreads authority over your website. Make sure the most significant pages on your site get internal links from other relevant sites on your site.
Domain Authority is something that builds over time. A new website will typically have a DA of 1 to 10 during the first few months. Building links regularly and creating great content can slowly improve your score.
Domain Authority is the strength of your whole website, and Page Authority (PA) is the strength of a specific individual page. Both scores are calculated in the same way and include identical parameters. For competitive keywords, it helps to have a high DA website and good PA on the specific page you are aiming to rank.
If you want to skip the hard work and get high-quality backlinks produced for you, Backlinkier’s link-building service produces high-quality backlinks that will directly increase your domain authority and search rankings over time.
Explore more SEO guides in our insights section.
Your customers are searching. Make sure they find you first. Let’s build a strategy that actually moves the needle—more visibility, more traffic, more revenue.