What Is Domain Authority in SEO?

Key Takeaways

• Domain Authority is a third-party SEO metric that estimates how likely a website is to rank in search results.
• The score is largely based on the quality and number of backlinks pointing to a website.
• Domain Authority is useful for comparing websites and evaluating link opportunities, but it is not a Google ranking factor.

If you’ve looked at any SEO tool, you’ve probably seen a score called Domain Authority (DA). It’s one of the most referenced numbers in SEO discussions, used to compare websites, evaluate link prospects, and track progress over time.

But there’s a critical misunderstanding about what Domain Authority actually is, and knowing the difference will make you a more effective SEO.

What Is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority is a score developed by Moz that attempts to predict how well a website will rank in search engine results. It runs on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher scores suggesting stronger overall ranking potential. Plenty of other SEO tools will also showcase domain authority, like SEMrush and Ahrefs (DR).

A brand-new website will typically start around 1–5. Established blogs might sit in the 30–50 range. Large news outlets, universities, and top platforms can reach 80–90+.

Domain Authority is not a Google metric. Google doesn’t use DA in its ranking algorithm. It’s a third-party estimate based on their own data and calculations.

How Is Domain Authority Calculated?

Domain authority is calculated based primarily on the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a website. Key factors include:

• Linking root domains: how many unique websites link to you
• Total backlink count: overall number of inbound links
• Link quality: links from authoritative, trusted sites count more
• Internal third-party metrics: internal link quality scores

One important nuance: DA is scored on a logarithmic scale. That means jumping from 10 to 20 is much easier than jumping from 60 to 70. Progress slows as you improve.

Domain Authority vs. Similar Metrics

Moz isn’t the only tool that has a metric like this:

Each tool calculates its score differently and uses its own data. Don’t compare scores across platforms; only compare within the same tool.

What Domain Authority Is Useful For

Even though it’s not a Google metric, DA/DR is genuinely useful as a relative comparison tool:

1) Evaluating Competition
If you’re targeting a keyword and the top-ranking pages all have DA 60+, it’s a sign you’ll need a strong backlink profile to compete. If the top pages have DA 20–30 and you’re at 15, the gap is smaller. Basically, consider it insight into the possibility of your website competing in the SERP for the given keyword.
2) Assessing Link Prospects
When deciding whether to pursue a link from another site, DA gives you a quick sense of that site’s authority. A link from a DA 50 site is generally more valuable than one from a DA 8 site. That being said, if your site has a domain rating of 8 and you receive a link from a website that has a domain rating of 20, you have a better chance of improving your domain rating. That is, so long as you aren’t buying spammy links and the link is relevant to your brand.

Another aspect of domain authority is when a business receives a link from another brand that is not similar. There are different weights to the types of links you receive, so keep that in mind.
3) Tracking Progress Over Time
Watching your own DA grow, even slowly, is a useful signal that your link-building efforts are working.

What Is Domain Authority Not Useful For?

• Predicting rankings on its own: content quality, user intent, and on-page SEO all matter too
• Guaranteeing that a link will help you: relevance matters as much as authority
• Replacing Google’s own metrics: DA doesn’t reflect what Google actually sees

A page with a DA of 20 can absolutely outrank a DA 50 page if it’s better optimized, more relevant, or better matches search intent. Especially if the content is higher quality and more recent than the higher domain.

How to Improve Your Domain Authority

Since DA is driven by your backlink profile, improving it means building better links:

• Earn editorial backlinks from relevant, reputable sites in your niche.
• Create linkable assets like original research, detailed guides, free tools, or comprehensive resources that others want to cite.
• Remove or disavow toxic links, like poor-quality spammy links, which can drag your score down. Do Not Buy Links from sites promising you to improve your domain rating by linking to a lot of other sites.
• Guest post strategically on respected publications.
• Strengthen your internal linking. While it won’t directly boost DA, it helps distribute link equity across your site and improves overall SEO health..

Results take time. Meaningful DA improvement typically takes months, not weeks.

From An SEO Perspective

Domain Authority is a useful benchmarking tool, not a ranking guarantee. Use it to compare your site against competitors, evaluate potential link sources, and gauge whether your SEO efforts are moving in the right direction. It’s part of a bigger picture that SEOs and digital marketers can use to help evaluate opportunities from keywords to target, all the way to competitor performance and visibility.

Just don’t let a lower-than-expected DA discourage you. A well-optimized, highly relevant page on a DA 20 site can outrank a mediocre page on a DA 60 site. Quality content, proper optimization, and a growing backlink profile will move both your DA and your actual rankings over time.