If you have worked with SEO, backlinks, or guest posting, you have probably seen terms such as DA 20, DA 50, or DA 80.
DA stands for Domain Authority. It is a popular SEO score created by Moz.
But what is domain authority, and what does the score actually tell you?
Domain Authority helps SEO professionals compare websites. It looks at different link-related signals and gives a domain a score from 1 to 100.
A higher score can suggest that a website has a stronger link profile according to Moz. However, DA is not an official Google score. It is also not a direct Google ranking factor.
This difference is important.
You should use DA as one part of your SEO strategy, not as the only way to judge a website.
In this guide, you will learn what Domain Authority means, how it works, how the domain authority calculation is made, and what you can do to build a stronger website.
What Is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a domain authority metric developed by Moz.
It predicts how likely a domain is to rank in search engine results pages when compared with other websites.
The score ranges from 1 to 100.
New websites normally start with a low score. Larger and more established websites may have much higher scores.
However, a high DA does not mean a website will automatically rank at the top of Google.
Domain Authority is a comparative SEO score.
It is designed to help you compare one domain with another.
For example, imagine you are studying five websites in the same niche. DA can give you one way to compare their relative authority.
You should still check other important factors before making an SEO decision.
Who Created Domain Authority?
Domain Authority was created by Moz, an SEO software company.
Moz provides several SEO tools that marketers and website owners use for keyword research, backlink research, site analysis, and other SEO tasks.
DA is one of its best-known metrics.
It is important to remember that Moz is not Google.
Moz calculates DA using its own data and systems. Google uses separate ranking systems when deciding which pages appear in its search results.
Therefore, Domain Authority should not be confused with an official Google measurement.
How Does Domain Authority Work?
Domain Authority attempts to estimate the relative ranking strength of a complete domain.
Moz studies link data and other signals to produce the score.
The score is useful mainly for comparison.
For example, suppose you have three websites in the same industry:
- Website A: DA 18
- Website B: DA 42
- Website C: DA 67
Website C has the highest Domain Authority according to Moz.
That does not automatically make Website C the best website.
Website B could have more relevant content for your niche. Website A could have better organic traffic. Website C could have a strong backlink profile but little topical relevance to your business.
DA gives you information.
It does not give you the complete answer.
How Is Domain Authority Calculated?
The exact domain authority calculation is controlled by Moz and can change as its model develops.
Moz uses a machine-learning model and link-related data to calculate the score.
The calculation involves factors including the strength and structure of a domain’s backlink profile.
One area to understand is linking root domains.
A linking root domain is a unique website that links to your site.
For example, imagine Website A links to your site 50 times.
Those links may represent 50 backlinks, but they still come from one linking root domain.
If 50 different websites each link to your site once, you may have 50 linking root domains.
The number of linking root domains can therefore provide different information from the total backlink count.
Moz can use link-related signals when estimating authority.
This is why earning links from a wider range of useful websites can be different from receiving many links from the same source.
What Does a Domain Authority Score Mean?
DA uses a scale from 1 to 100.
Higher scores represent greater predicted authority within Moz’s system.
However, you should not think of DA like a school grade.
DA 30 does not mean a website is 30% good.
DA 80 does not mean a website is 80% perfect.
The score is relative.
Its value becomes clearer when you compare similar websites.
A small local business website may naturally have a lower DA than a major international publication.
That does not mean the local business website is poor quality.
Context matters.
What Is a Good Domain Authority?
There is no single DA number that is good for every website.
A good score depends on your niche and competitors.
For example, DA 30 may look low when compared with major news websites. But it may be strong within a small and specialized industry.
Instead of asking:
“Is DA 40 good?”
A more useful question is:
“How does this DA compare with similar websites in my niche?”
This gives the number more context.
Is High DA Always Better?
Not necessarily.
A high DA can suggest that a domain has strong authority according to Moz.
But higher DA does not make a website better in every situation.
Imagine you are looking for a guest posting opportunity for an SEO website.
You find two options.
Website A has DA 75 but mainly publishes content about entertainment.
Website B has DA 45 and publishes detailed SEO and digital marketing content.
Website B may be more relevant to your audience and topic.
You should therefore look at DA together with relevance, traffic, content, and links.
Why Is Domain Authority Important for SEO?
Domain Authority can make website research easier.
If you have hundreds of domains to analyze, DA gives you a quick way to make initial comparisons.
SEO professionals may use it during:
- Competitor research
- Link building
- Guest posting
- Website evaluation
- Backlink analysis
- Outreach research
- Digital PR
However, DA should usually be a starting point.
After checking the score, study the website itself.
Look at its content, traffic, rankings, backlinks, and niche.
This creates a more complete picture.
Domain Authority and Backlink Profile
A site’s backlink profile is an important part of authority analysis.
A backlink profile includes the links pointing to a website.
When reviewing it, you can look at:
- Total backlinks
- Linking root domains
- Link relevance
- Anchor text
- Link quality
- Follow and nofollow links
- New links
- Lost links
A website can have thousands of backlinks without having a healthy profile.
For example, many links may come from only a few websites.
Other links may come from unrelated or weak sources.
This is why backlink quantity alone is not enough.
What Are Inbound Links?
Inbound links are links from other websites pointing to your website.
They are commonly called backlinks.
For example, imagine another marketing blog mentions your SEO guide and links to it.
That is an inbound link.
Useful content can naturally attract inbound links over time.
Links from relevant websites may also introduce your content to new readers.
When analyzing authority, look at where these links come from rather than simply counting them.
Linking Root Domains Explained
Linking root domains are unique domains that link to your website.
This is an important concept because 100 links from one website are different from 100 links coming from 100 different websites.
For example:
Site A has 1,000 backlinks from 15 domains.
Site B has 500 backlinks from 120 domains.
Site A has more backlinks.
Site B has more unique linking root domains.
This example shows why you need more than one metric when studying links.
Domain Authority and Page Authority
You may also hear about domain authority and page authority.
Both are Moz metrics, but they focus on different levels.
Domain Authority focuses on the whole domain.
Page Authority focuses on an individual page.
For example, your website may have a Domain Authority of 50.
One blog post could have a different Page Authority because PA looks at the individual URL rather than the whole website.
Understanding domain authority and page strength can be useful when evaluating both websites and specific URLs.
DA vs Page Authority
The difference is simple:
DA = entire domain
PA = individual page
Suppose you are researching a backlink from a large website.
The domain may have strong authority, but the page containing your link could be new.
Looking at both levels gives you more information.
You should still avoid making decisions based only on these scores.
Domain Authority vs Domain Rating
Domain Authority and Domain Rating are also commonly confused.
DA comes from Moz.
Domain Rating, or DR, comes from Ahrefs.
Both scores use a 1-to-100 style scale, but they are not calculated in the same way.
DR focuses strongly on backlink profile strength within Ahrefs’ system.
DA predicts relative ranking potential using Moz’s system.
A domain might have DA 50 and DR 62.
That is normal.
The scores do not need to match because they come from different databases and calculations.
Is Domain Authority a Google Ranking Factor?
No.
Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor.
Google does not use Moz’s DA score to decide where a page should rank.
This is one of the most important points to understand.
DA is created by Moz.
Google has its own systems for ranking pages in engine results pages SERPs.
However, some factors connected with a strong website can also be useful for SEO.
For example, a site may have useful content and strong inbound links. These qualities can support its online visibility.
But that does not mean Google reads the DA number.
Does High DA Guarantee Better Rankings?
No.
A high authority score cannot guarantee higher rankings.
Google evaluates pages and searches using many signals.
A page still needs to match the user’s search and provide useful information.
A high-DA website can publish a poor article.
A lower-DA website can publish an excellent article that answers a specific query very well.
That is why you should not treat DA as a ranking guarantee.
Can a Low-DA Website Rank on Google?
Yes.
A lower Domain Authority does not automatically prevent a website from appearing in Google.
An individual page may perform well for a relevant search even when the overall website has a lower DA.
This can happen when the content closely matches the user’s needs and the competition is reasonable.
New websites also need time to develop their content and link profiles.
Do not assume that a low DA means SEO is impossible.
How to Improve Your Domain Authority
Many website owners want to improve your domain authority, but the best approach is not to chase the number itself.
Work on building a better website.
Here are some useful areas to focus on.
1. Create High-Quality Content
Publish useful content that solves real problems.
Your articles should provide information people genuinely want.
Strong content may naturally attract links, mentions, and shares.
Do not create pages only for search engines.
Create them for your audience first.
2. Earn Relevant Backlinks
Backlinks can play an important role in authority metrics.
Try to earn links from useful and relevant websites.
You can do this through:
- Original research
- Helpful guides
- Digital PR
- Guest contributions
- Industry partnerships
- Expert commentary
- Useful tools or resources
Focus on relevance and quality instead of raw backlink numbers.
3. Increase Linking Root Domains
Getting many backlinks from one website is not the same as earning links from different domains.
A diverse group of relevant linking websites can create a broader backlink profile.
Do not try to manipulate this metric.
Instead, publish content that different websites have a real reason to reference.
4. Improve Existing Content
You do not always need to publish new articles.
Update old content.
Add useful examples. Fix outdated information. Improve formatting. Add internal links where they help users.
Better content can support your wider SEO efforts.
5. Improve Your Internal Linking
Internal links connect pages within your own website.
They can help visitors discover related information.
They can also help search engines understand how your pages connect.
Link relevant pages together naturally.
Avoid adding internal links that provide no value.
6. Keep Your Website Healthy
Technical issues can make it harder for visitors and search engines to use your site.
Check:
- Broken pages
- Broken links
- Mobile usability
- Page speed
- HTTPS
- Navigation
- Crawlability
- Indexing
A strong website should work well, not just have a strong authority score.
7. Monitor Your Backlink Profile
Use SEO tools to review your links regularly.
Look for new inbound links and lost links.
Check which pages attract the most links.
Study your strongest referring domains.
This information can help you understand what types of content attract attention.
Can You Increase Your Domain Authority Quickly?
There is no reliable button or shortcut to increase your domain authority instantly.
DA may change when Moz updates its link data or scoring model.
Your score can also change even if you have not made major changes to your website.
Remember that DA is comparative.
Changes across other websites can affect how your domain compares.
Instead of trying to force a quick increase, focus on long-term improvements.
Build good content.
Earn useful links.
Improve your site.
Track progress over time.
Domain Authority for Link Building
DA is popular in link building because it provides a quick comparison between domains.
Suppose you have a list of 200 websites.
Checking every website manually can take time.
DA can help you organize the list before performing deeper research.
But never choose a link only because the site has high DA.
Also check:
- Organic traffic
- Ranking keywords
- Website niche
- Content quality
- Referring domains
- Backlink profile
- Website history
- Editorial quality
- Link relevance
These are all important factors in website evaluation.
Domain Authority for Guest Posting
DA is also widely used when evaluating guest posting sites.
Advertisers often look for websites above a certain DA.
This can be useful for filtering options.
However, a guest posting website should not be judged only by its Domain Authority.
A relevant website with real traffic and useful content can be more attractive than an unrelated high DA website.
Check whether the site publishes content related to your topic.
Look at recent articles.
Check whether pages appear in search engine results pages.
Review its backlink profile and organic visibility.
This gives you much more information than DA alone.
Common Mistakes When Using Domain Authority
One of the biggest mistakes is treating DA as Google’s own score.
It is not.
Another mistake is assuming that a high DA makes every page on a website powerful.
Remember that DA looks at the domain level.
An individual page can have different strength and visibility.
Other common mistakes include:
- Buying backlinks only because of DA
- Ignoring website relevance
- Ignoring organic traffic
- Comparing websites from completely different niches
- Assuming DA guarantees rankings
- Ignoring content quality
- Looking only at total backlinks
- Ignoring linking root domains
- Trying to manipulate DA instead of improving SEO
Use DA for research, not as your entire strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a Moz SEO metric that predicts the relative ranking strength of a domain compared with other domains. It uses a score from 1 to 100.
What is a good Domain Authority score?
There is no universal good DA score. Compare your website with similar competitors in the same niche rather than using one fixed number.
Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Domain Authority is a Moz metric. Google does not use Moz’s DA score as a direct ranking factor.
Is high DA good?
High DA can indicate stronger authority according to Moz’s model. However, it does not guarantee traffic, content quality, relevance, or Google rankings.
How can I improve my Domain Authority?
Focus on creating useful content, earning relevant backlinks, attracting quality linking root domains, improving your website, and maintaining a healthy backlink profile.
Can a low-DA website rank?
Yes. Lower-DA websites can rank for relevant searches. DA does not determine Google rankings.
What is the difference between Domain Authority and Page Authority?
Domain Authority measures the whole domain. Page Authority estimates the relative strength of an individual page.
What is the difference between DA and DR?
DA is a Moz metric, while DR is an Ahrefs metric. They use different data and calculations.
Does more backlinks mean higher DA?
Not always. Link quality, unique linking domains, and other factors can matter. A large number of weak links does not automatically create a strong website.
How often does Domain Authority change?
DA can change as Moz updates its data and model. It can also move as the wider link landscape changes.
Final Thoughts
So, what is domain authority?
Domain Authority is a third-party SEO score created by Moz. It helps compare the relative strength of domains and is commonly used for backlink research, competitor analysis, link building, and guest posting.
But DA is not a Google ranking factor.
A high score also does not automatically mean a website is high quality.
Use the domain authority metric together with other signals. Check organic traffic, ranking keywords, content quality, inbound links, linking root domains, relevance, and the overall backlink profile.
If you want to increase your domain authority, do not focus only on the number.
Build a better website. Publish useful content. Earn relevant links. Improve technical SEO and create a strong experience for visitors.
That approach supports a stronger long-term SEO strategy while also improving the factors that authority tools try to measure.
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