Definition

What Is Domain Authority (DA)?

A third-party score (0–100) developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, based primarily on the quality and quantity of backlinks.

Related Terms

Backlink

SEO

Keyword

Content Strategy

Above the Fold

Example

A new Webflow agency site starts with DA 1 and grows to DA 28 after 12 months of content marketing and press mentions.

There is a 0.293 correlation between domain-level link authority (Moz Domain Authority) and Google rankings — making backlink profile strength the strongest measurable domain-level predictor of search ranking potential, according to Moz's Search Ranking Correlation Study.

Synonyms:

DA, Domain Rating (DR), Website authority

Acronyms:

DA / DR

What it applies to

Any website competing for organic search traffic. Domain Authority (and its equivalent, Ahrefs' Domain Rating) is a proxy metric used to estimate ranking potential and to compare link profile strength against competitors.

How Domain Authority is calculated

  • Moz's Domain Authority algorithm evaluates: the total number of unique domains linking to the site (referring domains), the authority of those linking domains (do high-DA sites link to you?), and the spam score of the link profile.
  • It is scored on a logarithmic 0–100 scale — moving from DA 10 to DA 20 is much easier than moving from DA 60 to DA 70.
  • DA updates periodically as Moz recrawls the web — fluctuations are normal and do not always reflect changes in actual ranking performance.

How to use it practically

  • Use DA/DR to benchmark your link profile against competitors — a useful context for setting realistic SEO expectations and timelines.
  • When evaluating potential link building opportunities, DA/DR helps prioritise — links from DA 60+ sites are more valuable than links from DA 20 sites.
  • Do not obsess over the number itself — focus on acquiring quality backlinks, and DA will increase as a result.

Domain Authority: Common Questions Answered

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