Domain Authority.

Domain Authority (DA) is a search ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank in search engine results. Scored on a scale of 1–100 (higher is better), DA is calculated using multiple link-related signals—number of linking root domains, quality of those domains, and overall link profile strength. It's a comparative metric, best used to benchmark against competitors rather than as an absolute quality measure.

DA vs. Other Authority Metrics

DA is Moz's metric; Ahrefs uses Domain Rating (DR); SEMrush uses Authority Score. All three measure link profile strength but use different methodologies and scales, so they should not be directly compared across tools. None perfectly predicts Google rankings—Google uses its own internal PageRank calculation—but third-party metrics provide useful approximations for competitive benchmarking.

Using DA Strategically

DA is most useful for: comparing your link profile strength against competitors, evaluating the quality of potential link acquisition targets (higher DA sites provide more link equity), setting realistic ranking expectations for new content, and tracking the impact of link building campaigns over time. A DA of 30–50 represents a solid foundation; 50–70 is strong; 70+ is elite.