Domain Authority is a score that predicts how well your website will rank in search results

Domain Authority (often called DA) is a number from 1 to 100 that estimates how likely your website is to rank high when someone searches for something related to your content. It is not a Google metric — Google does not publish it — but it is built on the same principle Google uses: websites with more trusted links pointing to them tend to rank higher.

The score comes from a company called Moz, which analyzes the web and assigns each domain a number based mostly on how many other websites link to yours and how authoritative those linking sites are. A site with a DA of 5 will struggle to rank for competitive searches. A site with a DA of 60 or higher has a real chance at the top positions, assuming the content itself is solid.

You cannot directly improve your DA score — you improve it by doing the things that make websites trustworthy: publishing content people want to link to, building relationships with other site owners, and earning mentions from established sources in your field. The score is a reflection, not a goal.

Key Takeaways

  • Domain Authority ranges from 1 to 100 and predicts how well your site will rank, but it is not a Google metric and Google does not use it directly.
  • The score is based mainly on the number and quality of websites linking to yours, so sites with more trusted backlinks have higher DA.
  • You cannot directly change your DA — it changes as a side effect of earning links from other reputable sites and publishing content worth linking to.
  • A higher DA makes it easier to rank for competitive keywords, but a low DA site can still rank if the content is relevant and the keyword is less competitive.
  • You can check your site's DA for free using Moz's toolbar or other SEO tools, and you can track how it changes over time.

How Domain Authority is calculated

Moz builds DA by looking at link data from search engines and the open web. The algorithm considers how many sites link to you, how authoritative those sites are themselves, and how relevant those links are to your content. A link from a major news outlet counts for more than a link from a small blog, and a link from a site in your industry counts for more than a random link from an unrelated site.

The score is relative, not absolute. Moz compares your site to all other sites on the web and ranks you on a curve. This means your DA can go down even if you gain new links — if other sites are gaining links faster, you fall behind. It also means the scale is logarithmic: the difference between a DA of 10 and 20 is much easier to achieve than the difference between 70 and 80.

Moz updates DA scores roughly once a month, so you will not see changes when ready after earning a new link. Check your score periodically — monthly or quarterly — rather than weekly, since the data does not refresh that often.

Why Domain Authority matters for ranking

Search engines use links as votes of confidence. When a trusted website links to yours, it signals to Google that your content is worth reading. Sites with higher DA have already accumulated more of these votes, so they start from a stronger position when competing for rankings.

This matters most when you are competing for keywords that many sites are targeting. If you are writing about a common topic — say, "how to fix a leaky faucet" — you are competing against established home improvement sites, manufacturer guides, and YouTube channels. A higher DA gives you an advantage in that fight. If you are writing about something niche — say, "how to repair a 1987 Volvo 240 fuel pump" — DA matters less because fewer sites are competing, and relevance becomes the main factor.

A low DA site can still rank for the right keywords. New sites start with a DA of 1, and many successful websites ranked well in their early years before they had high authority. The key is matching your content to keywords where the competition is not dominated by high-DA sites.

How to check your Domain Authority

The easiest way is to use Moz's free browser toolbar. Go to moz.com, read the toolbar for Chrome or Firefox, and it will show your DA score and your competitors' scores whenever you visit a website. You do not need to create an account for basic DA checking.

If you prefer not to install a toolbar, you can use other free SEO tools. Ubersuggest, SEMrush, and Ahrefs all display DA or their own authority metrics (they call them different names, but they measure similar things). These tools often require you to enter your domain name on their website, and some require a free account.

Check your DA once a month or once a quarter to see the trend over time. A single number does not tell you much — what matters is whether it is going up, staying stable, or dropping. An increasing DA means you are earning more trusted links. A dropping DA might mean you lost some links or other sites are gaining faster.

The difference between Domain Authority and Page Authority

Moz also publishes Page Authority (PA), which works the same way but for individual pages instead of entire domains. Your homepage might have a PA of 35 while a popular blog post has a PA of 50. Page Authority is useful when you want to know which of your own pages are strongest and which might need more links.

For ranking purposes, both matter. Google considers the authority of the entire domain and the authority of the specific page. A high-DA site with a low-PA page will rank better than a low-DA site with a high-PA page, but a high-DA site with a high-PA page will rank best of all.

When you are building links, aim to get them pointing to your strongest pages — usually your homepage or your most important content. This concentrates authority where it helps most.

What Domain Authority does not tell you

DA is a prediction tool, not a may provide. A site with a DA of 40 might rank higher than a site with a DA of 50 if the lower-authority site has better content, better keyword targeting, or better user experience. Google's algorithm considers hundreds of factors beyond links, and DA only captures one piece of the picture.

DA also does not measure traffic, revenue, or success. A site with a DA of 15 might make more money than a site with a DA of 45 if it targets profitable keywords or has a better business model. Authority is about ranking potential, not business value.

Finally, DA does not measure the quality of your content or your informed. A site can have high authority and publish poor information if it has accumulated links over time. Always evaluate the actual content on a site, not just its DA score.

How to improve your Domain Authority over time

Since DA is based on links, the main way to improve it is to earn more links from trusted sources. This happens naturally when you publish content that other people want to reference. Write guides that solve real problems, create original research or data, or produce something unique enough that other sites want to link to it.

You can also earn links by building relationships with other site owners and journalists in your field. If you run a local business, get listed in local directories. If you write about a topic, reach out to other writers and offer to collaborate or contribute. If you have informed, offer to be quoted in articles or to write guest posts.

Avoid buying links or using link schemes — these violate Google's guidelines and can result in penalties that actually lower your ranking. Focus on earning links the slow, legitimate way: by being useful and building trust in your community.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I improve my Domain Authority quickly?

No. DA is based on accumulated links over time, and Moz updates the score monthly. Even if you earned ten high-quality links this week, you would not see the change reflected in your DA for at least a month, and usually longer. Think of DA as a long-term indicator, not something to chase week to week.

Does a low Domain Authority mean my site will not rank?

Not at all. New sites start with a DA of 1 and can rank well for less competitive keywords. If you are targeting keywords that big sites are not competing for, your DA matters much less than content quality and relevance. Focus on ranking for keywords where you have a real chance, and your DA will grow as a side effect.

Is Domain Authority the same as Google PageRank?

They are similar in concept — both measure authority based on links — but they are different metrics. Google stopped publishing PageRank publicly years ago. DA is Moz's own interpretation of how authority works, based on publicly available link data. Google's actual ranking algorithm is more complex and considers many factors DA does not measure.

Should I worry if my Domain Authority goes down?

Not necessarily. DA can drop if other sites are gaining links faster than you, even if you are gaining links too. It is a relative score, so you can be doing well and still see it drop. What matters more is whether your traffic and rankings are improving. If your traffic is up but your DA is down, you are doing fine.

Can I check my competitors' Domain Authority?

Yes. Use the same tools you use to check your own DA — the Moz toolbar, Ubersuggest, or other SEO tools. Enter your competitor's domain and you will see their DA score. This is useful for understanding the competitive landscape and knowing what authority level you need to compete for a given keyword.