TL;DR

Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's 0–100 score estimating your site's ranking potential. It's not a Google metric, but it correlates well with actual rankings and is widely used to benchmark SEO progress.

Key Points

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Domain Authority is a Moz metric, not an official Google ranking factor — Google uses its own internal signals

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DA is calculated primarily from the quality and quantity of inbound backlinks to the root domain

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The scale is logarithmic: moving from 20 to 30 is easier than moving from 70 to 80

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Similar metrics include Ahrefs' Domain Rating (DR) and Semrush's Authority Score — all measure backlink strength differently

How Domain Authority Is Calculated

Moz calculates Domain Authority using machine learning against Google's actual search results^[1]. The primary inputs are the number of unique root domains linking to your site, the authority of those linking domains, and the overall quality of your Backlink profile. Moz updates DA scores regularly as its link index refreshes. A new website starts at DA 1, and scores increase as the site earns more high-quality inbound links over time.

How to Use DA in Practice

Domain Authority is most useful as a relative benchmark, not an absolute target. When evaluating link building opportunities, compare your DA to potential link sources — earning a Backlink from a DA 70+ site carries more weight than one from a DA 15 site^[1]. Similarly, when entering a new keyword niche, check the DA of the top-ranking competitors: if they're all DA 80+ and you're at DA 20, you'll need significant content and link building investment to compete. Track your own DA trend over months to measure link building momentum.

Domain Authority vs. Page Authority

Domain Authority measures the strength of the entire root domain (skribra.com), while Page Authority (PA) measures the ranking potential of a specific URL (skribra.com/blog/seo-tips)^[1]. Both use the same 0–100 scale and similar methodology. For competitive analysis, DA helps you evaluate the overall site; for specific keyword battles, PA helps you compare the exact pages competing in the SERP.

SOURCES

Moz — What Is Domain Authority?

Ahrefs — Domain Rating: What It Is and How to Improve It

Last updated: June 8, 2026

Related Terms

Backlink

A hyperlink from one website pointing to a page on another website, used by search engines as a signal of authority and trust.

SERP

The page Google or another search engine displays in response to a user's query, containing organic results, paid ads, and rich features like featured snippets, image packs, and knowledge panels.

Organic Traffic

Website visitors who arrive through unpaid search engine results, as opposed to paid ads, social media, direct visits, or referral links.

Keyword Difficulty

A score (typically 0–100) that estimates how hard it would be to rank on the first page of Google for a given keyword, based primarily on the authority of pages currently ranking.

Put it into practice

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