Definition
Domain Authority (DA) is a 1–100 score developed by Moz that predicts how well an entire domain is likely to rank in search results, based on backlink profile, content quality, and historical performance — not a direct Google metric, but a useful third-party proxy.
Domain Authority is a useful proxy for relative competitiveness, not a goal. Google does not use Moz's DA in its algorithm; it has its own internal authority signals. But DA correlates well enough with actual ranking outcomes that SEOs use it as shorthand for "how strong is this domain".
The practical use is comparison: a DA-30 domain can usually outrank another DA-30 domain on the same query through better content and on-page work, but cannot reliably outrank a DA-80 domain on a competitive query no matter how good the content. DA helps you pick winnable battles. It also rewards link building over content quality alone — which is why content-focused strategies that don't earn links tend to underperform their content quality.
Origin
Moz introduced Domain Authority in 2005 (initially called mozRank). Ahrefs has Domain Rating (DR) as a parallel metric; SEMrush has Authority Score. All three are correlated but not identical, and none are Google's actual signal.
How it works
- Measured 1–100 on a logarithmic scale (going from 30 to 40 is much easier than 70 to 80).
- Inputs include linking root domains, link quality, and on-domain trust signals.
- Updated periodically by Moz's crawler; not real-time.
- Use to compare your domain to competitors on the same SERP.
- Rising DA over time signals improving link profile and authority.
- Don't optimise DA directly — optimise the underlying drivers (links, content, technical health).
When to use it
Use when
- When sizing competitive difficulty on a query.
- When tracking long-term authority growth.
- When triaging which queries are realistically winnable.
Skip when
- As a goal in itself. Moz's score isn't Google's; chasing it for its own sake misses the actual rankings.
Key metrics
- DA (Moz), DR (Ahrefs), Authority Score (SEMrush) — pick one consistently.
- Number of referring domains.
- Quality distribution of referring domains.
Examples
- Domain authority climbed from 18 to 41 over 18 months of content + earned links.
- DA is a useful proxy, not a goal — Google doesn't use it directly.
- We won't beat Forbes (DA 95) on this query — let's pick a long-tail variant.
In practice at Makreate
Makreate's SEO retainer tracks DA as one signal among many — but the real measure is ranked, converting queries. On a recent client we tracked DA growth alongside organic conversion: DA went from 24 to 47 over 18 months, but the more meaningful number was that organic conversions 4.2×'d in the same window. DA is the leading indicator; converting traffic is the result.
Advertising →Common mistakes
- Optimising for DA as the goal.
- Buying links to inflate DA. Modern algorithms detect; recovery is brutal.
- Comparing DA across niches. Authority distributions vary by industry.
- Treating DA as Google's metric. It's Moz's. Google has its own and won't share it.
- Ignoring DA when picking battles. A DA-25 site shouldn't try to outrank DA-90s on head terms.
Frequently asked
DA, DR, or Authority Score?
All three are roughly equivalent proxies. Pick one tool's metric and stay consistent — comparing across tools is misleading.
Is DA a Google ranking factor?
No. Google doesn't use Moz's score. But the underlying drivers (links, content, history) are very much ranking factors.
How do I increase DA?
Earn high-quality backlinks, ship great content, fix technical issues, and let it compound. There's no shortcut — DA is a lagging indicator of years of work.