A good Domain Authority score depends on your industry and what you are competing against, not on a fixed number
Domain Authority is a search ranking prediction score created by Moz, a third-party SEO company. It ranges from 1 to 100 and estimates how likely a website is to rank well in search results. A score of 30 to 40 is typical for a small business or new site. A score of 50 to 60 suggests an established site with real traffic. A score above 70 is rare and usually belongs to large publishers, universities, or government agencies.
The catch: Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor. Google does not use it. Moz calculates it by looking at how many other websites link to yours, how authoritative those linking sites are, and a few other signals. It is a prediction tool, not a measurement of how Google actually ranks you. A site with a lower Domain Authority score can still rank higher than a site with a higher score if Google thinks the lower-scoring site answers the search question better.
What matters more than the number itself is whether your score is moving up or staying flat. A site that gains 5 points over six months is doing something right — usually building real links or publishing content that other sites want to reference. A site stuck at 25 for two years is not gaining traction, even if 25 is not a bad starting point.
Key Takeaways
- Domain Authority is a prediction score from Moz, not a Google ranking factor, and ranges from 1 to 100 with most small sites scoring between 20 and 50.
- A "good" score depends on your industry — a local plumber at 15 may outrank a national competitor at 35 if Google thinks the local site answers the search better.
- Upward movement matters more than the absolute number; a site gaining points over months is building real authority, while a flat score suggests stalled growth.
- You can check your Domain Authority free through Moz's toolbar or through other SEO tools, but do not pay for services that promise to raise it quickly.
How Domain Authority is calculated and what the numbers actually mean
Moz builds Domain Authority by analyzing backlinks — the links from other websites pointing to yours. The algorithm looks at how many links you have, how authoritative the sites linking to you are, and how diverse those links are across different domains. If a major news site links to you, that counts more than a link from a brand-new blog. If you have 100 links all from the same website, that counts less than 50 links spread across 50 different sites.
The score is logarithmic, meaning the jump from 10 to 20 is much easier than the jump from 70 to 80. A new site can reach 20 in a few months. Reaching 80 takes years of consistent work and usually requires being a recognized authority in your field. This is why the score flattens out — the higher you go, the harder each additional point becomes.
Moz updates Domain Authority roughly once a month. You might see your score jump or drop slightly from month to month, especially if you gained or lost a major link. These small fluctuations are normal and do not mean your site is in trouble. A drop of 2 or 3 points is noise. A drop of 10 or more points suggests you lost significant links or Moz recalibrated its algorithm.
What a good score looks like in different industries
A local service business — plumber, electrician, dentist — does not need a high Domain Authority to rank well locally. A score of 15 to 25 is common and often sufficient, because Google weighs local signals (your address, phone number, reviews, local citations) more heavily than Domain Authority for local searches. If you are a plumber in Denver searching for "plumber near me," Google cares more about your location and reviews than whether you have 50 backlinks.
A regional or national e-commerce site typically needs a score of 30 to 50 to compete. This usually comes from a mix of backlinks from industry sites, press mentions, and links from directories or review platforms. A score of 40 for an online retailer is solid; a score of 25 suggests you are newer or smaller and will need to work harder to rank for competitive keywords.
A content or news site competing nationally needs a score of 50 or higher to rank consistently for broad topics. This is because many competitors in that space also have high scores, so you need to match them to compete. A personal blog at 15 can still rank for niche topics with low search volume, but it will not rank for popular keywords where established sites score 60 or higher.
Why Domain Authority is useful but not the whole picture
Domain Authority is useful as a rough health check. If your score is rising, you are building links and visibility. If it is flat or falling, something needs to change. It is also useful for comparing yourself to competitors — if your competitor scores 45 and you score 20, you know they have more established authority and you will need to work harder to outrank them for competitive keywords.
But Domain Authority alone does not determine rankings. Google ranks individual pages, not whole domains. A page on a low-authority site can rank higher than a page on a high-authority site if the low-authority page better answers the search question. Google looks at page-level factors like content quality, keyword relevance, user experience, and page speed alongside domain-level factors like authority.
Many SEO services promise to raise your Domain Authority quickly. Most of these are scams or use tactics that violate Google's guidelines, like buying links or creating fake backlinks. Legitimate Domain Authority growth comes from creating content worth linking to, earning press mentions, and building relationships with other sites in your industry. This takes months, not weeks.
How to check your Domain Authority and track it over time
The free way is through Moz's browser toolbar. Install it, visit your website, and it displays your Domain Authority score along with Page Authority (a similar score for individual pages). You can also check competitors' scores the same way. This is free and takes 30 seconds.
Paid SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest also show Domain Authority and offer more detailed breakdowns of your backlinks, which links are helping or hurting you, and which competitors are gaining or losing authority. These tools cost $100 to $400 per month and are worth it if you are doing serious SEO work. For a small business just checking in occasionally, the free Moz toolbar is enough.
Track your score monthly in a spreadsheet. Write down the date and your Domain Authority, then check again in 30 days. Over six months, you will see whether you are trending up, flat, or down. An upward trend of 1 to 2 points per month is healthy growth. A flat line for six months suggests your link-building or content strategy needs adjustment.
What to do if your Domain Authority is low or not growing
If you are new, a low score is normal. Most sites start between 5 and 15. Focus on creating content that answers real questions in your industry, then reach out to relevant sites and ask them to link to it if it is genuinely useful. This is called outreach and is the legitimate way to build links. Do not buy links or use link schemes — Google penalizes this.
If your score is flat after six months or a year, audit your backlinks. Use a free tool like Google Search Console to see which sites link to you. Look for patterns: Are most links from low-quality sites? Are they all from one domain? Are they from irrelevant industries? If so, focus on earning links from higher-quality, more relevant sites instead. One link from a respected industry publication is worth more than 20 links from random blogs.
If your score dropped suddenly, check whether you lost a major link. Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to see which links disappeared. If a major site removed your link, reach out and ask why. If it was an error, ask them to restore it. If they removed it intentionally, move on and focus on earning new links elsewhere.
Domain Authority versus Page Authority and other ranking signals
Page Authority is similar to Domain Authority but measures individual pages instead of whole domains. A page on a low-authority site can have high Page Authority if it has many quality backlinks pointing directly to it. Page Authority is often more useful than Domain Authority for understanding which specific pages rank well.
Google also looks at signals that Domain Authority does not measure: how fast your site loads, whether it works on mobile phones, whether your content matches the search intent, how long visitors stay on your page, and whether your site has a find HTTPS connection. A site with a Domain Authority of 20 but fast loading, mobile-friendly design, and great content can outrank a site with a Domain Authority of 50 that loads slowly and has poor design.
Domain Authority is one signal among many. It is useful for understanding your competitive position and tracking progress over time, but it is not a ranking may provide. Focus on creating content that answers real questions, building links from relevant sites, and making sure your site works well for visitors. The Domain Authority score will follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Domain Authority of 30 good?
It depends on your industry and competition. For a local service business, 30 is solid. For a national e-commerce site competing against established retailers, 30 is below average. For a new site less than a year old, 30 is excellent. Compare your score to your top three competitors in your industry — if you are within 10 points of them, you are competitive.
Can I raise my Domain Authority quickly?
No. Legitimate Domain Authority growth takes months because it is based on backlinks, and earning real backlinks takes time. Services that promise to raise your score in weeks are either lying or using tactics that violate Google's guidelines. Focus on creating content worth linking to and building relationships with other sites in your industry.
Does Domain Authority affect my Google ranking?
Not directly. Google does not use Domain Authority as a ranking factor. However, the things that build Domain Authority — quality backlinks, content relevance, site age — do affect rankings. So a site with high Domain Authority usually ranks well, but the score itself is not what Google uses to rank you.
What if my competitor has a higher Domain Authority than me?
It means they have more established authority, but you can still outrank them for specific keywords if your page better answers the search question. Focus on creating better content, earning links from relevant sites, and optimizing your page for the keywords you want to rank for. Over time, your Domain Authority will grow and you will become more competitive.
Should I pay for an SEO tool to track Domain Authority?
The free Moz toolbar is enough if you just want to check your score monthly. Paid tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush are worth it if you are doing active SEO work and need detailed backlink analysis, competitor tracking, and keyword research. For a small business checking in occasionally, free is fine.