What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority explained clearly with real-world examples and practical significance for marketers.
Domain Authority is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages, measured on a scale from 1 to 100.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) represents a website’s overall strength and credibility in the eyes of search engines. Moz founder Rand Fishkin and his team created this metric to help marketers understand relative website authority without relying solely on Google’s internal algorithms. The score uses machine learning models to predict ranking ability based on data from Moz’s web index of over 40 trillion links.
The calculation considers multiple ranking factors including:
- Linking root domains
- Number of total links
- MozRank
- MozTrust
- Other proprietary metrics
Moz’s algorithm processes these signals through a neural network that correlates link data with actual search rankings across thousands of search results.
How Domain Authority Scoring Works
Domain Authority operates on a logarithmic scale, meaning it becomes progressively harder to increase scores at higher levels. Moving from DA 20 to 30 requires significantly less effort than jumping from DA 70 to 80. A website with zero backlinks typically starts with a DA of 1, while established sites like Wikipedia achieve scores near 100.
The metric updates regularly as Moz recrawls the web and discovers new links. Scores can fluctuate based on competitors gaining or losing authority, algorithm updates, or changes in a site’s link profile. Moz calculates DA by comparing a website’s link profile against all other sites in their index, making it a relative rather than absolute measurement.
Domain Authority in Practice
Major brands demonstrate the practical application of Domain Authority across different industries. Amazon maintains a DA of 96, reflecting its massive link profile from millions of product pages, news coverage, and business partnerships. The e-commerce giant’s authority stems from links from supplier websites, financial news coverage, and consumer review platforms.
In the media space, CNN achieves a DA of 95 through extensive news coverage, social media engagement, and citations from other news outlets. The news organization benefits from breaking news stories that generate natural backlinks from blogs, government websites, and international media sources.
B2B software company HubSpot operates with a DA of 92, built through their comprehensive content marketing strategy. Their marketing blog attracts links from marketing agencies, business publications, and educational institutions. HubSpot’s free tools and resources generate organic backlinks from users who reference their content.
Domain Authority for Smaller Businesses
Smaller businesses can achieve meaningful DA growth through focused strategies. Local restaurant chains often reach DA scores of 25-35 by earning links from food bloggers, local newspapers, and tourism websites. SaaS startups commonly build DA scores of 40-50 through guest posting, industry partnerships, and thought leadership content that attracts citations from relevant publications.
Why Domain Authority Matters for Marketers
Domain Authority serves as a comparative benchmark for measuring SEO progress and competitive analysis. Marketers use DA scores to evaluate link building opportunities, with higher-authority sites typically providing more valuable backlinks. A link from a DA 80 website generally carries more weight than multiple links from DA 20 sites.
The metric helps prioritize SEO investments and set realistic expectations for organic search growth. Companies with DA scores below 30 should focus on fundamental SEO practices and content creation, while sites above DA 50 can pursue more advanced link building strategies and competitive keyword targeting.
Digital marketing agencies use Domain Authority to demonstrate client progress and justify content marketing investments. Regular DA monitoring reveals whether SEO efforts produce measurable improvements in website authority, even when organic traffic fluctuates due to seasonal factors or algorithm changes.
Related Terms
Page Authority – Moz’s page-level ranking score that predicts individual page performance in search results.
Backlinks – Incoming links from external websites that contribute significantly to Domain Authority calculations.
Link Building – Strategic process of acquiring high-quality backlinks to improve Domain Authority and search rankings.
SERP – Search Engine Results Pages where higher Domain Authority websites typically achieve better visibility.
Organic Search – Unpaid search results that correlate with Domain Authority scores and overall website credibility.
FAQ
What’s the difference between Domain Authority vs Page Authority?
Domain Authority measures the ranking strength of an entire website, while Page Authority evaluates individual page performance. DA considers all pages and links across a domain, whereas Page Authority focuses on specific page metrics like unique linking domains and link quality to that particular URL.
How often does Domain Authority update?
Moz updates Domain Authority scores approximately every 3-4 weeks as they recrawl websites and discover new links. However, significant changes in DA typically require several months to reflect major improvements in link profiles or content strategies.
Can Domain Authority directly improve search rankings?
Domain Authority serves as a predictive metric rather than a direct ranking factor used by Google. While higher DA scores often correlate with better search performance, improving DA alone doesn’t guarantee ranking improvements without addressing other SEO fundamentals like content quality and technical optimization.
What’s considered a good Domain Authority score?
Domain Authority scores vary significantly by industry and competition level. Local businesses often consider DA 15-25 acceptable, while national brands typically aim for DA 40-60. Scores above DA 70 indicate strong authority comparable to major publications and established corporations.