Domain Authority Explained
What DA actually measures, why Google doesn't use it, and what to track instead of chasing the number itself.
Domain Authority is the number almost everyone checks first, and the one most people misunderstand.
It's part of our link building guide because it's usually where a conversation about links starts — but it's a measurement of a link profile, not a link-building tactic in itself. For how the underlying links actually work, see backlinks.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a third-party metric developed by Moz. It scores a website from 1 to 100 on a logarithmic scale — meaning the jump from 20 to 30 is far easier than the jump from 70 to 80 — based primarily on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to that domain.
It was built to model, not replicate, how search engines evaluate ranking strength. That distinction matters more than it sounds.
Domain Authority vs Domain Rating
DA isn't the only version of this idea. Ahrefs publishes a near-identical metric called Domain Rating (DR).
| Metric | Built by | What it's based on |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | Moz's own link index and proprietary scoring model |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | Ahrefs' own link index and proprietary scoring model |
Because each tool crawls the web independently and scores it with its own formula, the same site will almost always show a different DA and DR. Neither number is official, and neither is interchangeable with the other.
Why Google doesn't use it
What actually moves your score
Because DA is derived mainly from your backlink profile, it moves as a side effect of the same activity that improves your actual rankings:
- Earn backlinks from relevant, trusted sites. Quality and relevance move the score more than raw volume — see what makes a backlink valuable.
- Get featured or covered, not just linked. Digital PR tends to earn links from sites with strong scores of their own, which passes through.
- Contribute content to established sites in your field. Done well, guest posting does the same thing on a smaller scale.
- Avoid link schemes that promise a fast score bump. Bulk or paid links usually do more damage than good — see toxic links.
What a "good" score looks like
There's no universal target. A DA of 25-30 can be genuinely strong for a local service business competing against similarly sized sites, and unremarkable for a national publisher. The only useful comparison is against the specific competitors you're trying to outrank in search — not an abstract number.
Where to go next
Start with backlinks for what actually moves this score, then guest posting and digital PR for the two most durable ways to earn them.
Frequently asked questions
What is Domain Authority in simple terms?
Domain Authority (DA) is a score from 1 to 100, created by the SEO software company Moz, that estimates how likely a website is to rank well in search results based mainly on the strength of its backlink profile. Higher generally means a stronger link profile, but the scale is logarithmic, so climbing from 40 to 50 is much harder than climbing from 10 to 20.
Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. DA is a third-party metric built by Moz to model ranking strength — Google does not use it and has said so directly. It's a useful proxy for comparing your site's link strength against competitors, not a number Google's algorithm reads or rewards.
What's the difference between Domain Authority and Domain Rating?
Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's metric; Domain Rating (DR) is the equivalent metric from Ahrefs. Both estimate a site's backlink strength on a 0-100 scale using their own proprietary formulas and their own crawl data, so the same website will usually show a different DA and DR score — neither is more "official" than the other, and neither is a Google metric.
What counts as a "good" Domain Authority score?
There's no universal good score — it only means something relative to your competitors in the same niche. A DA of 30 can be strong for a local service business competing against similar-sized sites, and unremarkable for a national media brand. Compare your score to the sites you're actually trying to outrank, not to an abstract benchmark.
How do you increase Domain Authority?
Indirectly, by earning backlinks from relevant, trusted sites — DA moves as a side effect of a healthier link profile, not as a target you optimise for directly. There's no shortcut that raises the score without also building real links; services that promise a specific DA number by a deadline are usually selling low-quality links that create more risk than benefit.
Chasing a score, or chasing rankings?
Send us the domain. We'll tell you what's actually moving your visibility versus what's just moving a number.