What is Domain Authority (DA)?
Introduction
Two websites publish articles on the same topic, targeting the same keyword. One ranks on page 1. The other sits on page 4. The content quality is similar. The difference? Domain Authority.
Understanding DA helps you know where you stand competitively — and what it takes to outrank the sites above you.
What is Domain Authority? (Definition)
Domain Authority (DA) is a score from 1 to 100, developed by Moz, that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher the score, the stronger the domain’s authority and the better its overall ranking potential.
DA is a third-party metric — it is not a Google ranking factor and Google does not use it internally. However, it correlates strongly with how well sites actually rank, making it one of the most widely used benchmarks in SEO for assessing competitive strength.
DA is calculated at the domain level — it reflects the overall authority of your entire website, not any individual page. A single high-DA site will generally have stronger ranking power across all of its pages compared to a low-DA competitor.
The Domain Authority Formula
Moz does not publish its exact formula, but DA is calculated based on:
DA = f(linking root domains, total backlinks, backlink quality, MozRank, MozTrust)
The key inputs are:
- Number of unique domains linking to your site (linking root domains)
- Quality and authority of those linking domains
- Total volume of backlinks pointing to your site
- Internal link structure and overall site health
DA uses a logarithmic scale — moving from DA 20 to DA 30 is relatively easy. Moving from DA 60 to DA 70 requires significantly more effort.
Real Example of Domain Authority
Two sites are competing for the keyword “home workout plan for beginners”:
- Site A: Fitness blog, 3 years old, DA 48, 1,200 backlinks from 340 referring domains
- Site B: New fitness site, 8 months old, DA 16, 90 backlinks from 45 referring domains
Both have well-written, comprehensive articles on the topic. Site A consistently ranks on page 1. Site B ranks between positions 18 and 25 — page 2 and beyond — despite having comparable content quality.
Site B’s path forward: earn more backlinks from relevant fitness and health sites, publish consistently, and build DA over the next 12–18 months. Once DA reaches 30+, page 1 rankings for medium-difficulty keywords become realistic.
Why Domain Authority Matters
It Sets Your Competitive Baseline
Before targeting any keyword, check the DA of the sites currently ranking on page 1. If the average DA of the top 10 results is 55 and your DA is 14, that’s a gap worth understanding before committing to content creation.
It’s a Useful Benchmark for Link Building
When evaluating potential link-building opportunities, DA helps you quickly assess the value of a potential linking site. A backlink from a DA 60 site carries significantly more authority than one from a DA 10 site.
It Tracks Your SEO Progress Over Time
DA gives you a single number to track your site’s growing authority over months and years. A rising DA — even slowly — confirms your link building and content efforts are working.
Common Domain Authority Mistakes
Mistake 1: Treating DA as a Google Ranking Factor
DA is a Moz metric. Google doesn’t use it. Optimising specifically to improve your Moz DA score misses the point — focus on earning quality backlinks and producing great content, and DA will follow as a byproduct.
Mistake 2: Obsessing Over DA Instead of Page-Level Competition
A DA 70 site doesn’t automatically rank for every keyword. A specific page on a DA 30 site with strong, targeted backlinks and excellent content can outrank a DA 70 site’s weak, thin page. Always analyse the specific pages ranking for your target keyword, not just the domains.
Mistake 3: Buying Links to Inflate DA
Low-quality link schemes temporarily boost DA but create long-term risk. Google’s algorithms are designed to identify and discount unnatural link patterns. A manual penalty or algorithmic devaluation can drop your rankings far more than the DA boost was worth.
Mistake 4: Comparing DA Across Different Tools
Semrush calls it Authority Score. Ahrefs calls it Domain Rating (DR). Moz calls it Domain Authority. These are all different metrics calculated differently. A Moz DA of 40 and an Ahrefs DR of 40 are not the same thing. Be clear about which tool you’re using when making comparisons.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is a good Domain Authority score?
There’s no universal “good” DA — it’s relative to your competitors. A DA of 25 is strong if your competitors average DA 15. A DA of 50 is weak if you’re competing against sites averaging DA 70. Always benchmark your DA against the specific sites ranking for your target keywords, not against an abstract number.
Q2: How long does it take to increase Domain Authority?
DA increases slowly and non-linearly. Most new sites see DA rise from the 1–10 range to 20–30 within 12–18 months of consistent publishing and link building. Moving from DA 30 to DA 50 typically takes 2–4 years of sustained effort. The logarithmic scale means each additional point at higher DA levels requires exponentially more authority.
Q3: Can I have a high DA but still rank poorly?
Yes. DA is a domain-level metric and doesn’t guarantee rankings for specific pages. If your site has high DA but your individual pages have thin content, poor keyword targeting, or weak page-level backlinks, you can have a strong DA and still rank poorly for your target keywords. DA and page-level SEO both matter.
Conclusion
Domain Authority is your site’s competitive credit score. It won’t make or break individual page rankings, but it sets the ceiling for what’s realistically achievable on competitive keywords. Build it steadily through quality content and genuine backlinks — and use it as a benchmark to understand your competitive position, not as a target to chase for its own sake.