What Is Domain Authority? How Does It Impact SEO?
What Is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that estimates how likely a website is to rank in search engine result pages (SERPs). The score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a stronger ability to rank.
Although DA is not a Google ranking factor, it’s widely used in the SEO industry as a benchmark for domain strength.
How Is Domain Authority Calculated?
Moz calculates DA using several key factors, including:
Total number of backlinks
Linking root domains (unique referring domains)
Link quality and relevance
Spam Score (potentially harmful links)
Site structure and content performance
The score is based on a machine learning algorithm that models how often a domain appears in Google’s top search results.
How does Domain Authority affect SEO
While Domain Authority doesn’t directly affect your rankings, it plays a strategic role in SEO in the following ways:
1. Competitive Benchmarking
Use DA to compare your site with competitors targeting similar keywords. A higher DA usually means more ranking potential.
2. Link Building Strategy
High-DA websites are considered more trustworthy. Securing backlinks from such domains can significantly improve your own DA and search visibility.
3. Keyword Targeting
Low-DA websites may struggle to rank for highly competitive keywords. Focusing on long-tail or low-competition keywords can be a better initial strategy.
Domain Authority vs Page Authority
Domain Authority evaluates the ranking potential of your entire domain.
Page Authority (PA) measures the ranking strength of individual pages.
Both scores are useful for assessing where to focus your SEO efforts—domain-wide or on specific high-value content.
How to Improve Your Domain Authority
Boosting your DA takes time and consistent SEO efforts. Here are proven ways to increase your score:
Earn quality backlinks from reputable sites in your niche
Remove spammy or toxic links using disavow tools
Create link-worthy content (guides, statistics, case studies)
Optimize your internal linking to distribute authority site-wide
Ensure technical SEO best practices are followed
Improve site speed, mobile-friendliness, and user experience
Common Misconceptions About Domain Authority
Let’s clear up a few misunderstandings that often confuse SEO beginners:
“DA is a Google Ranking Factor”
False. Google has confirmed it does not use Domain Authority in its algorithms. It’s a third-party metric, not an official ranking signal.
“A high DA guarantees top rankings”
Also false. While a high DA helps, rankings depend on many factors: content relevance, keyword targeting, on-page SEO, user experience, and more.
“I need to obsess over my DA score”
Not necessary. It’s better used as a guiding metric than an end goal. Focus on building value and authority naturally, and your DA will grow as a byproduct.
Domain Authority (DA) scores typically update every 3 to 4 weeks, depending on when Moz refreshes its link index and recalculates the metrics behind DA.
Tools to Check Domain Authority
Several SEO tools can help you monitor your Domain Authority and evaluate your competitors:
1. Moz Link Explorer
The original source of Domain Authority. Provides in-depth data on your link profile and DA score.
2. Ahrefs (Domain Rating)
While not DA specifically, Ahrefs offers Domain Rating (DR), a similar metric for backlink strength.
3. SEMrush (Authority Score)
SEMrush uses its own Authority Score, combining backlink, traffic, and other SEO metrics.
4. Ubersuggest
Provides an estimated DA score along with backlink data and keyword rankings.
How Often Does Domain Authority Change?
Moz updates its DA scores approximately once a month. When the update occurs, your Domain Authority might go up, down, or stay the same, depending on several factors:
Factors That Can Cause Your DA to Change:
Backlink Changes
Gaining or losing backlinks (especially from high-DA domains) can shift your score.
Link Profile of Other Sites
Since DA is a relative score, changes in other websites' authority can affect your own.
Moz Index Update
New data from Moz’s web crawler might reveal previously undetected links or remove outdated ones.
Changes to Moz’s Algorithm
If Moz updates the algorithm behind DA calculations, scores can shift site-wide.
Why Your DA Might Drop (Even if You Did Nothing Wrong)
You lost one or more valuable backlinks
Competitors improved their link profiles
Moz updated their link database
A previously strong linking site lost authority
You gained low-quality or spammy backlinks
Pro Tip
Don't stress about small fluctuations. DA is a trend-based metric, not a real-time performance indicator. Instead of chasing numbers, focus on long-term strategies like:
Building quality backlinks
Improving content
Enhancing user experience
Fixing technical SEO issues
Conclusion
Domain Authority is a valuable SEO metric for measuring and improving your site’s ability to rank in search engines. While it doesn’t directly impact rankings, improving your DA means strengthening the very signals that do—such as link quality, relevance, and content authority.
As you build high-quality backlinks, publish valuable content, and maintain strong technical SEO, your Domain Authority—and your actual search rankings—will improve in tandem.