Domain Authority (DA) is a third-party score, developed by Moz, that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, based mainly on the quantity and quality of its backlinks. It runs on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating stronger link profiles. DA is not a Google metric and does not directly affect rankings.
Businesses often chase a higher Domain Authority score as a proxy for SEO progress, and it works fine as a rough benchmark against competitors. The risk is treating it as a goal instead of an indicator. A site can have a low DA and still outrank a high-DA competitor for a specific search, because Google weighs relevance, content quality, and user experience alongside links. For the mechanics of how links pass value, see Page Authority, its page-level counterpart.
Key takeaway
Domain Authority is Moz’s estimate of ranking strength based on backlinks. It is not used by Google, doesn’t measure content quality or on-page SEO, and should only be compared relatively against similar sites at the same point in time.
How is Domain Authority calculated?
Moz calculates DA using a machine-learning model trained on how well sites in its Link Explorer index rank in Google, based on dozens of factors including the number of linking root domains, the quality of those domains, and overall link profile size. The score updates on a rolling basis rather than on a fixed schedule.
Because the model is proprietary, you can’t reverse-engineer an exact DA target for a page. Two sites with similar link counts can score differently depending on the authority of the domains linking to them. A single link from an established news site typically moves DA more than dozens of links from low-quality directories.
Why does Domain Authority matter, and what doesn’t it do?
Domain Authority matters as a quick way to benchmark your site’s link profile against competitors before pitching backlinks or planning outreach. It does not determine your Google ranking position, is not part of Google’s algorithm, and won’t tell you why a specific page is or isn’t ranking.
Use DA to answer questions like
