What Is Domain Authority? A Practical Guide

Quick answer

Domain Authority (DA) is a 1–100 score made by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results compared to others. It sums many signals—mainly backlinks—into a single number you can use for benchmarking and planning.

What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority is a metric, not a Google rule. It was created by Moz to estimate a site's ability to rank. Think of it as a health score for your domain's backlink and trust profile. For background reading see Wikipedia's entry and the original Moz write-up.

How the DA score works

Range: 1 to 100. Higher is stronger.
Logarithmic scale: moving from 20 to 30 is easier than 70 to 80.
Main input: number and quality of linking root domains (unique sites that link to you).
Other inputs: link quality, internal link structure, and many proprietary signals. Moz updates DA regularly.

Why DA matters (and what it does not)

DA is useful, but limited.

Useful for: quick benchmarking, spotting strong competitor sites, and prioritizing link targets.
Not a direct Google ranking factor: Google doesn't use Moz's DA score. Still, DA correlates with ranking because sites with good links tend to rank better. See HubSpot's explanation for context.
Don't chase the number: focus on the activities that raise real SEO results—traffic, rankings, and conversions.

How DA is calculated (short, simple)

Moz uses a model that combines dozens of signals into one score. Key factors you can act on:

Linking root domains: more unique sites linking in is powerful.
Link quality: links from trusted, relevant sites count more.
Spam filters: low-quality or manipulative links can hurt perceived strength.

For more detail see Moz's page and guides like MonsterInsights's breakdown.

What is a good DA score?

Context matters. DA compares you to other sites. Use these rough ranges:

DA range	What it means
0-20	New or low-link sites. Focus on basic content and earning first links.
21-40	Growing sites with some links. Good for local and niche keywords.
41-60	Established sites. You can compete for broader keywords.
61+	Authority-level sites. Hard to catch without big content and PR moves.

Benchmarks vary by industry. See Network Solutions's guide for examples.

3-step playbook to increase Domain Authority

Be realistic: raising DA takes months. Do these three things in order.

Fix the basics (technical + content). Make your site crawlable, fast, and helpful. Remove thin pages. Add clear topic pages that others would link to. Internal linking helps spread value.
Earn high-quality backlinks. Prioritize links from relevant, trusted sites. Tactics:

Guest posts on niche sites.
Resource pages and link roundups.
Broken-link recovery (find broken links on other sites, suggest your page).
PR and data-driven content that journalists link to.

Clean toxic links and monitor progress. Use tools to find spammy links and disavow only when needed. Track linking root domains, referring domains, and organic traffic—not just the DA number.

For tool-based checks see Conductor's authority article and WordStream's how-to.

Checklist by DA range (what to do first)

0-20: Create 5 strong pages, fix basics, start outreach to small niche blogs.
21-40: Publish pillar content, do broken-link outreach, earn links from industry blogs.
41-60: Launch data or original research, scale guest posting to high-authority sites, build PR relationships.
61+: Focus on brand PR, partnerships, and content that earns natural editorial links.

How to use DA strategically

Use DA to compare sites quickly when prospecting links.
Set realistic goals: a 10-point jump is a big win for mid-range sites.
Use DA alongside other metrics: organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates.

Common myths

Myth: DA is a Google ranking factor. Reality: It's a third-party metric. Google doesn't use Moz's score.
Myth: More links always beat better links. Reality: One relevant, authoritative link often beats many low-quality ones.
Myth: DA moves fast. Reality: It usually changes slowly as links accumulate or are lost.

Tools and next steps

Start with these actions now:

Check your DA on Moz's tool.
Run a backlink audit with your preferred SEO tool and track linking root domains.
Use this link building guide, this backlink analysis tool page, and this on-site SEO checklist to prioritize work.