Short answer: Domain Authority (DA) is a score from 1 to 100 created by Moz that estimates how likely a website is to rank, based mainly on the links pointing to it. It is a third-party comparison metric, not something Google uses. To increase it, earn links from more relevant, trusted websites by publishing content worth citing, doing digital PR and fixing lost or broken links. Compare your score with competitors rather than chasing a number.
This guide is for site owners and marketers who have been quoted a DA figure by an agency, a link seller or a client and want to know what it really means. You will learn how the score works, what counts as good for your niche, how it compares with DR and Authority Score, and the link-earning work that actually moves it, along with the ranking signals it only approximates.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a metric from the SEO software company Moz. It looks at a whole domain (for example example.com) and predicts, on a 1 to 100 scale, how well it is likely to rank compared with other sites. Moz builds it from its own crawl of the web, mainly the number and quality of linking root domains, and uses a machine learning model trained on real search results.
Three features matter when you read a DA score:
- It is comparative. A DA of 30 means nothing on its own. It only tells you something next to the sites you compete with.
- It is not linear. Moving from 20 to 30 is far easier than moving from 70 to 80, because the scale is logarithmic.
- It moves for reasons outside your site. When Moz updates its index or model, or when other sites gain links, your score can change without you doing anything.
Moz also has Page Authority, which scores a single URL rather than a domain. My guide to Page Authority covers the differences.
Does Google use Domain Authority?
No. Google has said so repeatedly. Search Engine Journal’s review of Google’s statements collects quotes from 2015 to 2022, including John Mueller in 2020: “Google doesn’t use Domain Authority at all when it comes to Search crawling, indexing, or ranking.” In 2022 he added that “you do not need DA for Google Search.”
So why does DA still correlate with rankings? Because it is built from the same raw material Google does care about: links from other websites. Backlinko’s study of 11.8 million results found the top result had three times more referring domains than positions 2 to 10, and that site-wide link authority (measured by Ahrefs’ DR) correlated with higher rankings. The authors are clear it is a correlation study. My reading: DA is a rough proxy for one part of what Google measures, nothing more.
Mueller has also said Google does have “some metrics that are more on a site level”. That is not DA, and you cannot see it. What you can influence is the underlying reality: whether real, relevant websites link to and mention you, and whether your content earns trust. Google’s guidance on helpful, reliable content says that of the E-E-A-T aspects, trust is the most important, and that E-E-A-T itself is not a specific ranking factor.
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DA vs DR vs Authority Score
| Metric | Tool | Scale | Based on | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | 1 to 100 | Moz’s link index and a model trained to predict rankings | Comparing your site with competitors in Moz |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | 0 to 100, logarithmic | Followed links from unique domains, weighted by the linking domain’s DR and how many sites it links to | Judging link profile strength; nofollow-only links do not raise it |
| Authority Score (AS) | Semrush | 0 to 100 | Links plus organic traffic and spam signals | Spotting sites with links but no real traffic |
| Google’s own signals | Not published | Many signals, including links, relevance and quality | The only one that affects rankings |
Because each tool crawls a different slice of the web, the same site can score DA 35, DR 48 and AS 29. Pick one metric, use it consistently, and compare like with like.
What is a good Domain Authority?
A good score is one that is competitive for the searches you want to win. A local plumber in Karachi does not need the DA of a national newspaper; it needs to be in the same range as the other plumbers ranking in the map pack and organic results for its area. A SaaS company competing globally faces a much higher bar.
How I benchmark in practice:
- Search your five most important keywords from the location you target.
- List the domains in the top ten for each, ignoring giants like Wikipedia, YouTube and directories you cannot realistically replace.
- Record their DA (or DR) and, more usefully, their number of referring domains.
- Look at the median, not the top. That is your realistic target zone.
Often the gap is smaller than people expect, and sites ranking with lower scores win because their pages match the query better. My guide on competitor analysis shows the full process.
Referring domain gap calculator
How to read it: this measures one input (unique linking websites) that correlates with authority scores and rankings. It ignores link quality and relevance, which matter more than raw counts, and competitors keep earning links too. Treat it as a planning aid, not a forecast.
How to increase Domain Authority (by earning real authority)
Every reliable way to raise DA is also a way to earn the links and trust Google responds to. Every shortcut to raise DA directly, such as buying links on high-DA sites, carries real risk. This is the order I work in.
1. Fix what you already have
- Reclaim lost links. Find backlinks pointing to pages that now return 404 and redirect those URLs to the closest live page.
- Turn mentions into links. Search for your brand name on news sites, directories and partner sites that mention you without linking, and ask politely. See unlinked brand mentions.
- Check redirects and HTTPS. Old http, www or migrated URLs should redirect cleanly so links to them still count.
2. Publish things people want to cite
Links come from content that is useful to other writers: original data, local research, clear explanations, tools, templates and strong opinions backed by experience. My list of ways to get backlinks for free has more ideas. A Pakistani business can stand out simply by publishing data or guidance specific to its market that international sites do not have, such as local price comparisons, regulatory explainers or survey results.
3. Do digital PR and build relationships
Offer expert comments to journalists, sponsor or speak at local events, join trade associations, and collaborate with suppliers and partners on genuinely useful content. These are the core of ethical link building and produce the kind of editorial, relevant links that move both authority metrics and real rankings. My guide on digital PR for small businesses lists practical angles.
4. Strengthen internal linking and site structure
Internal links do not raise DA, which is based on external links, but they spread the authority your site earns to the pages that need it. Link from your most-linked pages to your key services and guides. See internal linking.
5. Build topical depth
Sites that cover a topic thoroughly attract links naturally and are easier for Google to trust on that topic. Plan clusters of related content rather than isolated posts; my guide to topical authority explains how.
6. Grow at a natural pace
Steady growth from varied, relevant sources is normal. A sudden spike of links from unrelated sites is not. My guide to link velocity covers what natural growth looks like.
Mistakes I see with Domain Authority
- Buying “high DA” guest posts. Many sites sold on DA, including a lot of Pakistani and South Asian guest post networks, have inflated scores from link schemes and little real traffic. Paid links that pass ranking credit break Google’s spam policies. Check a site’s organic traffic and relevance before you care about its DA.
- Using DA as an agency KPI. A DA increase can be bought or manufactured. Organic traffic, leads and rankings for target queries cannot. My SEO agency checklist covers better questions to ask.
- Panicking when DA drops. Index updates change scores across the web. If your traffic and rankings are stable, a DA drop usually means nothing.
- Disavowing links to raise DA. Moz does not read your Google disavow file, and disavowing good links can hurt you in Google.
- Ignoring relevance. One link from a respected site in your industry is worth more to you than dozens from unrelated blogs with higher scores.
How to check Domain Authority
You can check DA with Moz’s free Link Explorer or MozBar extension (limited free queries), DR with Ahrefs’ free Website Authority Checker, and Authority Score in Semrush. Check the same metric for your competitors at the same time, and record referring domains alongside the score. To see how your site is actually performing in Google, which matters more, use Search Console; my guide to finding a website’s SEO ranking walks through it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. DA is a Moz metric, and Google has stated many times that it does not use it. It correlates with rankings because it is built mostly from links, which Google does use in its own way.
What is a good Domain Authority score?
There is no universal good score. It depends on who you compete with. Compare your DA with the sites ranking for your target keywords; being in their range is what matters.
How long does it take to increase Domain Authority?
It usually takes months, because it depends on earning new links and on Moz recrawling and updating its index. Scores at the high end of the scale rise much more slowly because the scale is logarithmic.
Why did my Domain Authority drop?
Common reasons are a Moz index or model update, lost backlinks, or competitors gaining links faster. If your Google traffic is steady, a drop is rarely a problem.
Is Domain Rating the same as Domain Authority?
No. DR is Ahrefs’ metric and measures backlink profile strength from followed links only. DA is Moz’s metric and is modelled to predict rankings. They often move in the same direction but give different numbers.
Can a low-DA site outrank a high-DA site?
Yes, often. Google ranks pages for specific queries, so a focused, relevant page on a smaller site can beat a general page on a strong domain, especially for specific and local searches.
Sources
- Backlinko, “We Analyzed 11.8 Million Google Search Results” (2016, updated April 2025).
- Search Engine Journal, “Is Domain Authority a Google Ranking Factor?” (January 2023).
- Ahrefs, “Domain Rating (DR): What It Is and How to Increase It” (2022, updated 2024).
- Google Search Central, “Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content” (last updated October 2026).
If you want a realistic picture of the link gap between you and the sites outranking you, and a plan to close it without risky shortcuts, my off-page SEO service starts there. You can also ask me a question about your site.
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