Domain Authority

Domain Authority (DA) is a score from 1 to 100, created by the SEO software company Moz, that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results. A higher DA suggests a stronger, more established site. Competitors and similar third-party scores (like Ahrefs' Domain Rating) work on the same idea.

DA is calculated largely from a site's backlink profile — how many other sites link to it and how authoritative those linking sites are. A brand-new local plumber's site might have a DA in the single digits, while an established regional publication could be in the 70s.

Here is the point that trips up countless business owners: Domain Authority is NOT a Google ranking factor. Google has stated repeatedly that it does not use any single "domain authority" score. DA is Moz's own prediction — a useful third-party estimate, but not something Google looks at when ranking your pages.

So how should you actually use it?

• As a comparison tool — sizing up your site against competitors at a glance.
• As a rough trend line — watching whether your link-building efforts are moving the needle over time.
• Not as a goal in itself — chasing a DA number can lead to spammy link-building that hurts you.

The real drivers of rankings are relevance, quality content, genuine backlinks, and a technically sound site. DA is a reflection of some of those things, not the cause of rankings. Focus on the fundamentals in our backlinks guide and let the score follow.