What is Domain Authority and How to Check and Improve It
If you have spent any time studying SEO, you have almost certainly encountered the term "Domain Authority" or "DA". It is one of the most widely referenced metrics in the industry — but it is also widely misunderstood. This guide explains exactly what Domain Authority is, how it works, how to check it for free, and what you can realistically do to improve it.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages. It runs on a scale from 1 to 100 — the higher the score, the greater the predicted ability to rank. New websites typically start with a DA of 1, while major sites like Wikipedia or Amazon have DA scores in the 90s.
Domain Authority is not a metric used directly by Google. It is a third-party estimate created by Moz based on factors like the number and quality of backlinks pointing to your site. Google uses its own internal signals to rank pages, but DA is widely used by SEO professionals as a quick proxy for site authority and link-building benchmarking.
How is Domain Authority Calculated?
Moz calculates DA using a machine learning model that factors in dozens of signals, the most important of which are:
- Total number of backlinks — how many external pages link to your site
- Quality of linking domains — a link from a high-DA news site is worth far more than a link from a low-quality directory
- Linking root domains — the number of unique domains linking to you matters more than total links
- Spam score — toxic or spammy backlinks can lower your score
Because DA is calculated relative to all websites on the internet, your score can drop even if you are gaining backlinks — simply because other sites are gaining backlinks faster.
How to Check Your Domain Authority for Free
Use our free Domain Authority Checker to instantly see the DA score for any website. You can check your own domain and also check competitors' scores to understand where you stand in your niche.
- Go to the Domain Authority Checker
- Enter the domain you want to check (e.g. yourwebsite.com)
- Click Check — your DA score is returned instantly
You can also check Page Authority (PA) for individual URLs rather than the whole domain.
What is a Good Domain Authority Score?
DA is best interpreted in context. Rather than chasing a specific number, compare your DA to direct competitors in your niche:
- DA 1–20: New or very young sites, minimal backlink profile
- DA 21–40: Established sites with a growing backlink profile
- DA 41–60: Respected sites in their niche
- DA 61–80: Very strong authority, usually news sites or major brands
- DA 81–100: Top-tier global sites
If your competitors have DA in the 30s and you are at DA 35, you are well-positioned. If your competitors are at DA 60 and you are at DA 20, link building should be a priority.
How to Improve Your Domain Authority
Improving DA comes down to building a stronger, cleaner backlink profile:
- Earn high-quality backlinks — write original research, create free tools, or publish comprehensive guides that people naturally want to link to
- Guest posting — contribute articles to reputable websites in your niche and include a link back to your site
- Remove toxic links — use our Backlink Checker to identify spammy links and our Disavow File Generator to disavow them in Google Search Console
- Create link-worthy content — tools, infographics, statistics pages and definitive guides attract natural backlinks
- Fix broken links — use our Broken Links Finder to identify dead pages that may be losing link equity
DA improvement is slow — expect to see meaningful changes over 3–6 months of consistent effort. Focus on quality over quantity and your score will trend upward.
Domain Authority vs Google PageRank: Understanding the Difference
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric created by Moz, not Google. Google does not use DA in its ranking algorithms — it uses its own internal PageRank calculation and hundreds of other proprietary signals. DA is useful as a relative comparison tool for assessing competitive backlink strength between websites, but should not be treated as a direct measure of how Google evaluates a domain. Google Search Console data on clicks, impressions, and average position provides more authoritative performance insight than any third-party authority metric.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Domain Authority score?
Domain Authority scores range from 1 to 100. New domains start near 1. Scores of 30-50 represent average established websites. Scores of 50-70 represent strong, authoritative domains. Scores above 70 are very high authority, typically major publications, universities, and government sites. The most useful interpretation is relative — your DA compared to competing domains for your target keywords.
How do I increase my Domain Authority?
Domain Authority increases primarily through earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative external websites. Publishing original research, in-depth guides, and tools that other websites naturally reference generates organic backlinks. Guest posting on relevant industry publications, building relationships with content creators in your niche, and creating genuinely link-worthy content are the most sustainable strategies for increasing domain authority over time.
Does Domain Authority affect Google rankings?
DA does not directly affect Google rankings — it is a third-party metric, not a Google system. However, the underlying factors that drive DA (quality backlinks from authoritative sites) also influence Google rankings through PageRank and link-based authority signals. Improving the factors that drive DA improvement simultaneously improves the factors Google uses in its ranking algorithms for domain authority assessment.
