What Is Domain Authority? The Complete Guide to DA Scores in 2026

Domain Authority (DA) is a score from 0 to 100 that predicts how well a website is likely to rank on search engine results pages. Developed by Moz, it's calculated using dozens of signals — primarily the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to your site. The higher the score, the stronger your site's overall link profile. New websites typically start around 1; Wikipedia and Google sit near 100.

If you're thinking about SEO, working with an agency, or trying to evaluate a website's credibility, you'll encounter Domain Authority constantly. This guide explains what it actually measures, what a good score looks like, how it compares to similar metrics, and what you can do to improve it.

What is Domain Authority and who created it?

Domain Authority was created by Moz, an SEO software company. Moz introduced it as a way to give webmasters and marketers a single number that approximates how strong a website's backlink profile is — and by extension, how competitive it might be in search results.

The score is calculated by a machine learning algorithm that analyzes your site's link profile and benchmarks it against thousands of other websites. The algorithm considers over 40 different signals, but the most important factors are:

• Linking root domains — how many unique websites link to yours

• Total backlinks — the overall volume of inbound links

• Link quality — the authority and trustworthiness of the sites linking to you

• Spam score — indicators that your link profile may be artificially inflated

The score runs from 1 to 100 on a logarithmic scale. That means it's significantly harder to improve from 60 to 70 than from 10 to 20. Gains get progressively smaller as the number rises.

Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?

No. This is the most important thing to understand about DA.

Google does not use Moz's Domain Authority score as a ranking signal. Google has its own internal systems for evaluating site quality and link authority, but DA is not among them.

Domain Authority is a third-party metric. It's Moz's best approximation of ranking strength, built by observing patterns across search results. It correlates with rankings in many cases because it tracks backlinks, and backlinks do influence Google's algorithms — but the score itself is not something Google reads or uses.

Why does this matter? Because some marketers and agencies treat DA as if it's an official Google metric. Chasing a specific DA number for its own sake is a mistake. What actually improves both your DA and your Google rankings is the same thing: earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites.

DA score ranges: what's good, average, and low?

DA scores are relative. A good score depends heavily on your industry and who you're competing with. Here are the general benchmarks most SEOs use in 2026:

• 1-10: Very new sites or sites with almost no backlinks

• 11-20: Early-stage sites, limited link building done

• 21-30: Emerging presence, some organic link acquisition

• 31-40: Established site with moderate link profile

• 41-50: Solid authority, competitive in many niches

• 51-60: Strong authority, consistently competitive

• 61-80: High authority, dominant in most niches

• 81-100: Elite sites — major publications, tech giants, universities

Context matters more than the absolute number. If you're in a niche where your top competitors have DA scores of 25-35, a DA of 40 puts you in a strong position. If you're competing against major publications with DA 90+, a DA of 60 is still miles behind.

The average DA across the web is just 21. The median is around 15. So if you're at DA 30 with a relatively new site, you're already above average — even if industry leaders in your space sit at 70+.

In 2026, the average DA needed to rank on the first page of Google is roughly 50-70, but this varies significantly by keyword competitiveness and industry.

Domain Authority vs Domain Rating: what's the difference?

Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) measure similar things but come from different tools:

• Domain Authority (DA): created by Moz, scale 0-100, uses Moz's link index, 40+ factors including MozTrust and MozRank, machine learning model

• Domain Rating (DR): created by Ahrefs, scale 0-100, uses Ahrefs' link index, primarily backlink-focused, logarithmic formula

• Other authority metrics: Domain Score and Authority Score (Semrush), URL Rating (Ahrefs for individual pages)

• None of these are Google metrics — they all approximate link authority from different angles using different data sets

Which should you use? It depends on which tool you primarily use for SEO. If you're a Moz user, track DA. If you use Ahrefs, track DR. Focus on building real authority through great content and genuine backlinks — the metrics will follow.

What factors affect your Domain Authority score?

Since DA is primarily a measure of your backlink profile, the factors that most influence it are:

1. Number of unique linking domains

The more distinct websites that link to yours, the better. A thousand links from one domain counts for much less than 100 links from 100 different domains.

2. Quality of linking domains

A single link from a high-authority news site or industry publication is worth far more than dozens of links from obscure, low-quality sites. DA measures not just how many sites link to you, but how authoritative those sites are.

3. Relevance of linking domains

Links from websites in your industry or on related topics tend to carry more weight than links from completely unrelated sites.

4. Spam score

If your link profile includes links from spammy, low-quality, or penalized sites, Moz's spam score component will work against you. Toxic links can actually lower your DA.

5. Competitive landscape

DA is a relative metric. As other sites in your space acquire new, high-authority links, your score may drop even if your own link profile hasn't changed.

6. Site age and history

Older domains with consistent link acquisition over time tend to have higher DA scores than new domains, all else being equal.

How to check your Domain Authority score

You can check DA for free using:

• Moz's Link Explorer (moz.com/link-explorer) — free checks with a Moz account

• MozBar — a browser extension that shows DA as you browse any website

• Moz's free Domain Analysis tool — check any domain without an account, with limited data

• Third-party tools like Semrush and Ahrefs also display DA alongside their own metrics

When checking DA, always look at your DA, your top competitors' DA, the DA of sites you're trying to earn backlinks from, and your site's trend over time.

How to improve your Domain Authority

Improving DA is not really a goal in itself — it's a byproduct of doing the right SEO work. Focus on what actually drives quality backlinks, and your DA will follow.

1. Create link-worthy content

Content that earns organic links does so because it's genuinely useful, credible, or unique. Original research, data studies, comprehensive guides, free tools, and definitive how-to resources are all formats that attract links naturally.

2. Build backlinks actively

Link building is outreach — finding websites that might link to your content and making the case for why they should. Tactics include:

• Guest posting — contributing articles to other sites in your industry

• Broken link building — finding broken links on other sites and suggesting your content as a replacement

• Digital PR — creating newsworthy stories or original data that journalists pick up

• Resource page link building — getting listed on curated resource pages in your niche

• HARO and journalist requests — responding to journalists who need expert quotes

3. Earn links from high-DA sites

A backlink from a DA 80+ publication is worth far more than ten links from DA 20 sites. Prioritize quality over volume. One well-placed feature in an industry publication will move your DA more than a hundred directory listings.

4. Audit and disavow toxic links

If your link profile includes links from spammy or penalized sites, they can hurt both your spam score and DA. Use Moz's Spam Score tool or Google Search Console to identify suspicious links. If you can't get them removed, use Google's disavow tool.

5. Fix your technical foundation

A site with broken pages, slow load times, crawl errors, or thin content doesn't attract or keep quality links. Make sure your technical SEO is clean — fast pages, proper redirects, working internal links — before investing heavily in link building.

6. Be patient

Domain Authority improves slowly. It's common to spend 6-12 months on consistent link building before seeing meaningful movement. The logarithmic scale makes every additional point harder to earn.

Common misconceptions about Domain Authority

• "I need a high DA to rank" — Not necessarily. For low-competition keywords, even DA 15-25 can achieve first-page rankings with strong content and good on-page SEO

• "Buying links will increase my DA" — Purchased links often come from low-quality sources Moz's spam detector recognizes. They can hurt your DA and get your site penalized by Google

• "My DA dropped — something is wrong" — DA can drop when linking sites remove their links, when Moz updates its algorithm, or when competitors gain more links than you. A DA drop isn't automatically a sign of a Google penalty

• "DA and Page Authority are the same" — Domain Authority measures your entire website's backlink profile. Page Authority measures a specific individual page

• "Improving DA will directly improve rankings" — What causes both is the same underlying work: earning better backlinks and building better content

  
  

Starting from zero: building authority for a new website

Every strong domain started at DA 1. If you're launching a new website, here's the realistic trajectory:

Months 1-3: Focus entirely on creating excellent foundational content. Get your technical SEO right, and register your domain. The best way to start is to get your domain set up correctly from day one. Use domain name search to find a strong, memorable domain name — ideally a .com with your brand or relevant keywords — and buy a domain before someone else does.

Months 3-6: Start light outreach. Guest post on one or two relevant sites. Submit to quality industry directories. Look for broken link opportunities.

Months 6-12: Scale your content production and link building. Track which content attracts links naturally and double down on formats that work.

Year 2+: DA in the 20-40 range becomes realistic with consistent effort. Reaching 50+ typically requires 2-3 years of serious link building on a quality site.

What is domain authority FAQ

Is Domain Authority a ranking factor?

No. Domain Authority is a metric created by Moz, not Google. Google doesn't use it as a ranking signal. It's a useful indicator of link profile strength, but it's a third-party approximation, not an official Google measure.

What is a good Domain Authority score?

It depends on your industry and competition. Generally: 1-20 is low, 21-40 is building, 41-60 is solid, 61-80 is strong, 81-100 is elite. The average across all websites is around 21. A good score is one that competes well against your direct competitors.

How often does Domain Authority update?

Moz updates DA scores periodically — roughly every few weeks — as it crawls new links and recalibrates its model. Scores don't update in real time.

Can my Domain Authority decrease?

Yes. DA can drop if sites that previously linked to you remove those links, if Moz's algorithm is updated, if competitors gain more links than you, or if your site accumulates toxic links. A drop is not automatically a sign of a Google penalty.

What is the difference between Domain Authority and Page Authority?

Domain Authority measures the overall strength of your entire website's backlink profile. Page Authority measures the strength of a specific individual page. Both are Moz metrics on a 0-100 scale.

How is Domain Rating different from Domain Authority?

Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' equivalent of Moz's Domain Authority — both score on a 0-100 scale and measure backlink profile strength. They're calculated differently using different data sets, so scores won't match exactly. Neither is a Google metric.

How long does it take to improve Domain Authority?

Meaningful DA improvement typically takes 6-18 months of consistent link building. Moving from DA 10 to DA 30 is faster than moving from DA 50 to DA 70, due to the logarithmic scale.

Does social media affect Domain Authority?

Not directly. Social media links are typically nofollow and don't pass link equity. However, social media can amplify content reach, which leads more people to discover and link to your content — indirectly supporting DA growth.

What is a spam score?

Spam Score is a Moz metric (separate from DA) that estimates the percentage of sites with similar link profiles that have been penalized or banned by Google. A high spam score is a red flag for link profile quality.

Can I check Domain Authority for free?

Yes. Moz offers free DA checks through its Domain Analysis tool and MozBar browser extension, with limited lookups per day. Many SEO tool trial versions also display DA.