Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It's scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater likelihood of ranking. New websites typically start with a DA of 1, while the highest-authority sites like Google, Facebook, and Wikipedia sit near 100.

Here's the most important thing to understand upfront: Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor. Google doesn't use Moz's DA score in its algorithm. It's a third-party metric created by Moz to approximate the relative strength of a domain. That said, DA correlates well with actual rankings and is extremely useful as a benchmarking tool. Think of it like a credit score for your website: it's not the actual decision, but it's a reliable indicator of where you stand.

How Is Domain Authority Calculated?

Moz calculates Domain Authority using a machine learning model that considers over 40 factors. The most significant ones are:

  • Linking root domains: How many unique websites link to your domain. This is the single biggest factor. One link from 100 different sites matters much more than 100 links from one site.
  • Total number of backlinks: The raw count of all links pointing to your domain, weighted by quality.
  • Link quality: Links from high-DA sites carry more weight. A single link from a DA 80 news site is worth more than dozens of links from DA 10 blog directories.
  • MozRank and MozTrust: Moz's proprietary metrics that evaluate link popularity and trustworthiness.
  • Site age and size: Older, larger sites tend to accumulate more authority over time.

DA is calculated on a logarithmic scale, which means going from 20 to 30 is much easier than going from 70 to 80. The higher your DA, the harder it becomes to improve. This is by design: it mirrors how competitive rankings become at the top of search results.

What Is a Good Domain Authority Score?

This is one of the most common questions in SEO, and the answer is: it depends on your competition. A DA of 30 might be excellent in a niche market where most competitors are at 15-25, but inadequate in a competitive industry where top players have DA 60+.

That said, here are general benchmarks:

DA Range Rating Typical Sites
1-10 Very Low Brand new websites, parked domains
11-20 Low New blogs, small local businesses
21-30 Below Average Growing sites with some backlinks
31-40 Average Established small businesses, niche blogs
41-50 Above Average Well-known brands, popular blogs
51-60 Strong Industry leaders, mid-size companies
61-80 Very Strong Major brands, large publications
81-100 Exceptional Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Amazon

Good DA by Industry

The average Domain Authority varies significantly by industry because some industries naturally attract more backlinks than others:

  • Technology/SaaS: Average DA 35-45. Tech content gets shared and linked frequently.
  • Finance: Average DA 40-55. Heavy regulation means fewer but more authoritative sites.
  • Local services (plumbing, HVAC, etc.): Average DA 15-25. Local businesses typically have fewer backlinks.
  • E-commerce: Average DA 25-40. Highly competitive, with big players dominating.
  • Health/Medical: Average DA 30-50. YMYL (Your Money Your Life) content tends to come from established, authoritative sources.

The key is comparing your DA to your direct competitors, not to the internet at large. If your competitors average DA 25 and you're at DA 30, you're in a strong position regardless of the absolute number.

Domain Authority vs. Page Authority vs. Domain Rating

DA often gets confused with related metrics:

  • Domain Authority (DA): Moz's metric for the overall strength of an entire domain. Predicts how well any page on the domain might rank.
  • Page Authority (PA): Also from Moz. Measures the strength of a specific page rather than the entire domain. A new page on a DA 50 site might have a PA of 15 until it earns its own backlinks.
  • Domain Rating (DR): Ahrefs' equivalent metric. Uses a different methodology and different data, so DA 50 and DR 50 are not the same thing. DR tends to be more influenced by raw link quantity.
  • Authority Score: Semrush's version. Combines backlinks, organic traffic, and spam signals.

When someone says "authority score" without specifying the tool, always ask which one they mean. The numbers are not interchangeable.

How to Check Your Domain Authority

There are several ways to check DA:

  • Moz Link Explorer: The official source. Free for limited checks (10 queries per month).
  • MozBar browser extension: Shows DA for any page you visit directly in your browser. Free with a Moz account.
  • TrackSEO: Our $2.99 audit reports include Domain Authority via Moz integration, displayed alongside your technical SEO score, backlink profile, and content analysis. It's one report for the complete picture.
  • Bulk DA checkers: Tools like Small SEO Tools and Website Authority Checker let you check multiple domains at once. Useful when analyzing competitors.

For context on how DA fits into a broader SEO evaluation, see our guide on what is a good SEO score.

How to Improve Your Domain Authority

Since DA is primarily based on backlinks, improving it comes down to earning quality links while maintaining a healthy site. Here are the most effective strategies:

This is the biggest lever. Focus on quality over quantity:

  • Create linkable assets: Original research, data studies, free tools, comprehensive guides, and infographics naturally attract links. Content that provides unique data is especially powerful because other sites cite you as a source.
  • Guest posting: Write articles for reputable sites in your industry. Choose sites with DA higher than yours for maximum impact. One guest post on a DA 50+ site is worth more than ten on DA 15 blogs.
  • Digital PR: Get mentioned in news articles, industry publications, and resource roundups. Services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connect you with journalists looking for expert sources.
  • Broken link building: Find broken links on other sites in your niche, then offer your content as a replacement. Use tools like Check My Links (browser extension) or Ahrefs' broken link report.

Low-quality and spammy backlinks can drag down your authority. Common toxic link sources include:

  • Link directories and link farms
  • Foreign-language spam sites
  • PBN (Private Blog Network) links
  • Sites with malware or deceptive content

Use Google Search Console's disavow tool to tell Google to ignore these links. Be conservative: only disavow links that are clearly spam. TrackSEO reports flag toxic backlinks automatically so you know which ones to address.

3. Create Consistently Excellent Content

Backlinks come to sites that produce content worth linking to. A regular publishing cadence of high-quality, in-depth content builds authority over time:

  • Publish at least 2-4 pieces of substantive content per month
  • Update existing content annually to keep it fresh and accurate
  • Cover topics comprehensively so your content becomes the go-to resource
  • Use proper internal linking to distribute authority across your site (see our internal linking guide)

4. Fix Technical SEO Issues

While technical SEO doesn't directly affect DA, it affects how well search engines can crawl and index your site, which indirectly impacts how well your content ranks and attracts links:

  • Fix broken internal links (404 errors waste link equity)
  • Ensure fast page load times (Core Web Vitals matter for user experience)
  • Implement proper redirects (301 redirects preserve link equity from old URLs)
  • Submit an XML sitemap and fix crawl errors in Google Search Console

Running a TrackSEO technical audit flags all of these issues in a single report. It's the fastest way to find and fix problems that might be holding back your authority growth.

Common Domain Authority Myths

Myth: "I need a high DA to rank"

False. Pages with low DA can and do outrank high-DA sites when they have better content, stronger page-level authority, or more relevant backlinks. DA is a domain-level prediction. Individual page rankings depend on many more factors.

Myth: "DA directly affects my Google rankings"

False. Google has confirmed they don't use Domain Authority or any third-party authority metric. DA is Moz's approximation of domain strength, and while it correlates with rankings, it's not a direct input.

Misleading. Because DA uses a logarithmic scale, early gains are fast but higher levels require exponentially more effort. Going from DA 10 to 20 might take months. Going from 50 to 60 might take years. And any "service" promising to boost your DA by 20 points in a week is almost certainly using spammy tactics that will hurt you long-term.

Myth: "A DA drop means my site is penalized"

Not necessarily. Moz periodically updates its algorithm and link index. When they do, DA scores can fluctuate across the board. A drop of 2-3 points after an index update is normal. Check Moz's blog for announcements about index updates before panicking.

DA Alternatives Worth Knowing

Domain Authority is the most well-known authority metric, but it's not the only one. For a well-rounded view, consider checking multiple metrics:

  • Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR): Available with Ahrefs subscription ($129+/mo). Strong backlink data. See our Ahrefs pricing breakdown for details.
  • Semrush Authority Score: Combines backlinks, organic traffic, and spam detection. Available with Semrush plans ($139.95+/mo).
  • Majestic Trust Flow: Focuses on the quality/trustworthiness of backlinks rather than quantity. Free for limited checks.

For a comprehensive comparison of tools that check authority metrics, browse our guide to the best SEO tools for small business.

FAQ: Domain Authority

What Domain Authority does a new website start with?

New websites typically start with a DA of 1. It can take several months of consistent content creation and link building to reach DA 10-15. Don't be discouraged by a low starting score. Every authoritative site on the internet started at 1.

How often does Domain Authority update?

Moz updates Domain Authority scores approximately once per month when they refresh their link index. However, changes in your DA lag behind your actual link building efforts by several weeks because Moz's crawlers need time to discover and process new links.

Is a DA of 30 good?

It depends on your niche. For a local service business, DA 30 is excellent and likely puts you ahead of most competitors. For a national e-commerce brand competing against major retailers, DA 30 is a starting point. Always compare your DA to your specific competitors, not arbitrary benchmarks. Run a TrackSEO report to see your DA alongside your competitors' scores for proper context.

Can Domain Authority go down?

Yes. DA can decrease if you lose backlinks (sites that linked to you remove or change the links), if Moz updates their algorithm, or if other sites grow faster than yours (remember, DA is a relative score). Regularly monitoring your backlink profile helps you catch and address lost links early.