What is Domain Authority? The Complete Guide for 2026

What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine result pages (SERPs). Domain Authority scores range from 1 to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater likelihood of ranking.

It's important to understand that Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor. It's a third-party metric created by Moz to help SEO professionals estimate how competitive a website is. Google uses its own internal metrics that are not publicly disclosed.

How is Domain Authority Calculated?

Moz calculates Domain Authority using a machine learning algorithm that evaluates multiple factors:

• Link Profile: The number and quality of websites linking to your domain
• Linking Root Domains: How many unique domains link to you
• MozRank: Link popularity score based on link equity
• MozTrust: How close your site is to trusted seed sites
• Spam Score: Flags that indicate potentially spammy link profiles

The algorithm compares your domain against millions of websites in Moz's index and assigns a score based on where you fall in the distribution.

Domain Authority vs. Page Authority

While Domain Authority measures the predictive ranking strength of entire domains, Page Authority (PA) measures the strength of individual pages.

A website might have a high DA but individual pages could have varying PA scores depending on the links pointing to those specific pages. Both metrics are useful for different purposes in your SEO strategy.

What is a Good Domain Authority Score?

Domain Authority is best used as a comparative metric rather than an absolute measure. Here's a general guideline:

• DA 1-20: New or small websites with limited backlink profiles
• DA 21-40: Growing websites with decent authority
• DA 41-60: Established websites with strong link profiles
• DA 61-80: Very authoritative websites with excellent backlinks
• DA 81-100: Top-tier websites (Wikipedia, Google, major news sites)

The most important factor is how your DA compares to your direct competitors. If your competitors have DA 40 and you have DA 25, that gap represents opportunity.

10 Strategies to Improve Domain Authority

1. Build High-Quality Backlinks

The most effective way to improve DA is earning backlinks from authoritative websites. Focus on quality over quantity—one link from a DA 70 site is worth more than 100 links from DA 10 sites.

2. Create Link-Worthy Content

Develop comprehensive resources, original research, infographics, and tools that naturally attract links. Content that provides unique value gets shared and linked to organically.

3. Remove Toxic Backlinks

Audit your backlink profile regularly and disavow spammy or toxic links. A clean link profile is essential for maintaining and improving DA.

4. Improve Internal Linking

Strong internal linking helps distribute link equity throughout your site and helps search engines understand your site structure.

5. Guest Posting on Authoritative Sites

Write high-quality guest posts for reputable publications in your industry. This builds both backlinks and brand awareness.

6. Digital PR and Media Coverage

Get featured in news outlets, industry publications, and podcasts. Media mentions often come with high-authority backlinks.

7. Build Relationships with Influencers

Connect with thought leaders and influencers in your space. Authentic relationships lead to natural link opportunities.

8. Fix Broken Link Opportunities

Find broken links on other websites that could link to your content. Reach out to webmasters offering your resource as a replacement.

9. Optimize Technical SEO

Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, secure (HTTPS), and properly structured. Technical issues can indirectly affect your link-earning potential.

10. Be Patient and Consistent

Domain Authority takes time to build. Focus on consistently creating great content and earning quality links over months and years, not days.

Common Domain Authority Myths

• Myth: DA is a Google ranking factor. Reality: It's a third-party metric, not used by Google.
• Myth: Higher DA always means better rankings. Reality: DA is predictive, not deterministic.
• Myth: You can quickly boost DA. Reality: Sustainable DA growth takes consistent effort over time.
• Myth: DA is the only metric that matters. Reality: Consider traffic, conversions, and other metrics too.

Tools for Checking Domain Authority

Several tools can help you check and monitor Domain Authority:

• Moz Link Explorer: The official source for DA scores
• Ahrefs: Uses Domain Rating (DR), a similar metric
• SEMrush: Uses Authority Score, their own authority metric
• Referivo: Aggregates authority metrics from multiple sources for link building