Domain Authority Guide: What It is & How to Improve It

I still remember the first time I checked a client’s Domain Authority. They had been pouring money into ads, but their organic search visibility was flatlining. When I pulled up their DA score, it was sitting at 18. That number told me more in a minute than weeks of campaign reports had. Their website wasn’t seen as trustworthy in the eyes of search engines, and without authority, even great content can get buried.

This is where Domain Authority (DA) steps in. It’s not a Google ranking factor, but it’s one of the clearest ways to gauge how likely your website is to rank compared to your competitors. Think of it like a credit score for SEO: the higher it is, the more “trust” your site carries, and the easier it becomes to compete for competitive keywords.

What Exactly is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority is a predictive score developed by Moz that measures a site’s ability to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). It runs on a scale of 1 to 100, and while that range feels simple, the math behind it is powered by machine learning.

Here’s what matters most:

• Backlink profile – Both the number and quality of websites linking back to yours.
• Linking root domains – The diversity of those websites. Do you have 100 links from one site or 100 links from 100 different high-authority sites? The latter is far more powerful
• Spam signals – Toxic or manipulative links can drag your score down.

A DA score above 60 is usually a sign you’re playing in the big leagues. Scores in the 40–50 range are average. Newer websites often start in the teens and twenties, and that’s completely normal.

It’s important to note that DA isn’t static. Your score shifts as your backlink profile evolves and as Moz updates its model. That’s why regular monitoring matters, because what looks strong today could slip tomorrow if competitors outpace your link-building.

Quick Facts That Simplify Domain Authority

Let’s clear away some confusion with a few quick facts:

1. It’s comparative, not absolute. A DA of 30 might look weak in one industry but very competitive in a niche with low competition.
2. Backlinks carry the most weight. Not all links are created equal, one quality backlink from a respected publication can do more for your DA than hundreds of low-quality directory links.
3. It’s dynamic. Expect your DA to rise and fall as your backlink profile and competitors’ strategies change.
4. Tools differ. Moz has DA, Ahrefs uses Domain Rating (DR), and SEMrush uses Authority Score (AS). They’re not interchangeable, but they’re all useful benchmarks.

Why Domain Authority Matters for SEO

If you’ve ever wondered why your competitor with fewer blog posts keeps outranking you, the answer often comes down to authority. Google doesn’t look at Domain Authority directly, but DA is a reliable reflection of how strong your backlink profile and overall SEO performance are compared to others in your niche.

When your DA climbs, you’re not just earning bragging rights, you’re opening the door to higher rankings, more organic clicks, and compounding visibility. Let’s break it down:

1. Competitive Benchmarking

Think of DA as your scoreboard. By comparing your DA against competitors, you quickly see where you stand. If your site sits at 32 and your closest competitor is at 45, you’ve got some catching up to do. That comparison highlights gaps in authority and shows you where to focus your link-building and content strategies.

2. Backlink Analysis

Your backlink profile is the lifeblood of Domain Authority. Every link pointing to your site is a vote of trust in the eyes of search engines. But here’s the catch: not all votes are equal. A backlink from a leading publication in your industry carries far more weight than a link from a random blog. Tools like Moz, Ahrefs, and SEMrush can show you not only how many backlinks you have, but also their quality, relevance, and trustworthiness.

3. Organic Traffic Growth

A strong DA doesn’t just look good on paper, it drives results. As your authority grows, so does your ability to rank for competitive keywords. That visibility translates into more clicks, more leads, and ultimately more revenue. In fact, at Hiigher we’ve seen firsthand how improving a client’s authority score correlates directly with their organic traffic curves. Once the authority needle moves, everything else, from impressions to conversions, tends to follow.

Key point: DA isn’t a vanity metric. It’s a practical benchmark that helps you evaluate whether your SEO efforts are working and how much trust search engines assign to your website compared to others.

Understanding the Digital Health of a Website

You wouldn’t ignore regular health checkups, and the same principle applies to your website. Assessing digital health means looking at the metrics that reveal whether search engines see your site as credible and trustworthy. Domain Authority is one of the most reliable indicators in this checkup.

Key Metrics for Digital Health

1. Backlink Strength: Look at how many unique domains link to you and how diverse those sources are. A hundred links from one site won’t move the needle the way a handful of links from reputable, diverse sites will.
2. Quality Backlinks: Relevance matters. Links from respected, high-authority sites in your industry will boost your DA more than unrelated ones.
3. DA Score Benchmarking: Don’t just track your score in isolation. Compare it against competitors regularly to understand whether your SEO work is actually closing the gap or if you’re falling behind.

SEO tools like Moz, Ahrefs, and SEMrush make it easy to keep track of these numbers and adjust your link-building strategy in real time.

Indicators of Website Trust

Your DA score isn’t just about rankings, it’s about trust. Scores above 60 usually mean your site is widely trusted. Scores between 40 and 60 are solid and competitive in many industries, while scores under 40 signal room for growth.

To keep that trust intact, run regular backlink audits to identify and remove toxic links, the kind that can drag your score down. Also, strengthen your on-page SEO so search engines see consistency between your content quality and your backlink profile. Together, these efforts reinforce your website’s credibility.

Where to Check and Track Domain Authority

Knowing your Domain Authority is one thing, but consistently tracking it is where the real progress happens. The good news? You don’t need to guess. Several reliable tools give you a clear view of your authority score, backlink profile, and competitor benchmarks.

Here are the top platforms most SEO pros (and agencies like Hiigher) rely on:

Moz’s Link Explorer

This is the original DA tool, built by the same team who created the metric. With Moz Link Explorer, you can:

• Enter your website URL to get your DA score, total backlinks, and number of unique linking domains.
• Check Page Authority (PA) on your most important pages.
• Spot your top-linked content, so you know what’s earning the most link equity.
• Compare your DA with competitors to uncover opportunities.

Pro tip: Don’t just check your score once and forget it. Make it part of your monthly SEO routine. That way, you can connect changes in your DA with recent campaigns, content launches, or link-building efforts.

Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR)

Ahrefs uses its own metric, called Domain Rating. It runs on a 0–100 scale, similar to DA, but its calculation leans heavily on backlink quantity and quality. The Ahrefs toolbar and browser extension also make it easy to spot-check any site you visit. This is handy when you’re doing competitor research or vetting potential backlink opportunities.

SEMrush Authority Score (AS)

SEMrush combines backlink quality, organic search performance, and traffic data into one Authority Score. It gives you a broader look at not just who’s linking to you, but also how your site is performing in search overall. If you want a single metric that blends both authority and traffic health, SEMrush AS is one to watch.

Moz Link Explorer in Action

Let’s take a closer look at how you can put Moz Link Explorer to work for you.

How to Use Moz Link Explorer Step by Step

1. Enter your site URL. Within seconds, you’ll see your DA score, total backlinks, and number of linking root domains.
2. Check your top-linked pages. This tells you which content is pulling in the most authority. If one blog post is a clear winner, double down on that topic.
3. Compare with competitors. See how your DA and backlinks stack up against others in your space. This is often where “aha moments” happen.
4. Review your spam score. This helps you flag potentially harmful backlinks before they cause issues.

When you use this tool regularly, it feels less like guesswork and more like reviewing a financial dashboard. You’ll see what’s paying off and where to reinvest.

Making Sense of DA Results

Remember, your DA is a comparative score. A DA of 45 might be excellent in a local service niche, while the same number could be average in eCommerce. Always interpret results in context:

• Backlink profile: is it diverse and high quality?
• Linking domains: Are you earning links from respected industry sites or just low-level directories?
• Spam score: Are there toxic links that need cleaning up?
• Trends over time: is your score rising, flat, or declining?

By keeping an eye on these indicators, you’ll turn DA tracking into a roadmap for action instead of just a static number.

MozBar: Checking DA Directly in Your Browser

If you want DA data without bouncing between tools and dashboards, MozBar is a must-have Chrome or Firefox extension. It overlays key SEO metrics as you browse, saving you time and making competitor analysis effortless.

Here’s what MozBar gives you instantly:

• Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) for any page you visit.
• The number of linking root domains.
• Quick insights into metadata and on-page SEO elements.
• Highlighting features to analyze link opportunities directly on the page.

Workflow tip: Use MozBar when prospecting for backlinks. You’ll immediately see if a site is worth pitching or if it’s unlikely to add real authority to your profile.

Domain Overview – Tracking the Right Metrics

When it comes to Domain Authority, the biggest mistake I see is business owners staring at their DA score in isolation. A single number can’t tell the full story. To really understand your site’s authority, you need to look at the supporting metrics that fuel it.

Core Metrics to Track

1. Domain Authority (DA): Your site’s overall strength, scored from 1 to 100.
2. Page Authority (PA): Authority at the page level, showing which content pieces pull the most weight.
3. Backlink Profile: The number, quality, and diversity of links pointing to your domain.

By monitoring these metrics together, you’re not just chasing a number, you’re building a stronger foundation for long-term SEO growth.

Real-world tip: At Hiigher, we often chart DA and backlink growth side by side for clients. This helps them see which content efforts are driving authority and which need tweaking.

Competitor Benchmarking Insights

SEO isn’t done in a vacuum. You’re competing against others for visibility, and competitor benchmarking is one of the smartest ways to guide your strategy.

Here’s how to approach it:

1. Identify Key Competitors: These aren’t always who you think. Use tools to see who’s ranking for your target keywords and add them to your benchmark list.
2. Compare DA Scores: See where you stand against them. If your competitors average a DA of 50 and you’re at 38, you know the size of the gap.
3. Analyze Backlink Profiles: Look closely at what sites are linking to them. Which of those sources could realistically link to you?
4. Track Trends Over Time: Watch how competitor DA scores move. If they spike after a PR campaign or content launch, that’s your signal to adjust.

Competitor analysis isn’t about copying. It’s about learning what works in your niche and adapting it to your own brand strategy.

Free Domain Authority Tools

Not every business has the budget for full SEO suites. The good news is that you can get a solid snapshot of your DA with free tools.

Popular Free Options

• Moz Link Explorer (Free Tier): Lets you check DA and backlinks for a limited number of queries.
• Ahrefs Free Domain Rating Checker: Simple and quick for spot-checks.
• Ubersuggest: Offers DA insights, backlink data, and keyword opportunities.
• Small SEO Tools: Lets you check DA for multiple sites at once, great for quick competitor comparisons.

How to Use Free Tools Effectively

1. Cross-verify results. Different tools use different data models, so don’t rely on just one.
2. Benchmark competitors. Run checks on your top competitors to spot authority gaps.
3. Track over time. Record results monthly so you can connect changes in your DA with your SEO actions.

Even free tools, when used consistently, can give you the insights you need to make smart, data-backed decisions.

How Domain Authority is Calculated

Domain Authority isn’t a number pulled out of thin air. Moz uses a machine learning algorithm that analyzes your entire backlink profile and weighs multiple factors together. The big three are:

1. Quantity and Quality of Backlinks – Both matter, but quality wins every time.
2. Linking Root Domains – How many unique, trusted websites point back to you.
3. Spam Score – The higher this is, the more likely your DA will suffer.

Your DA score is dynamic. As your backlink profile changes, or as Moz updates its model, your score shifts. That’s why it’s normal to see your DA fluctuate month to month.

Example: If you land a backlink from Forbes or HubSpot, your DA could jump significantly. But if you gain 50 low-quality directory links, your score might not budge, or worse, it could dip if those links look spammy.

Key Factors Influencing Domain Authority

Improving DA is less about hacks and more about long-term SEO hygiene. Here are the factors that make the biggest difference:

• Backlink Portfolio Quality: One backlink from a trusted, industry-leading site can outweigh hundreds of weak links.
• Authority of Linking Domains: Links from websites that already have high DA scores carry more weight.
• Competitive Benchmarking: Your DA doesn’t exist in isolation, it’s always relative to others in your niche.

Regular audits are essential. Without them, toxic or irrelevant backlinks can quietly drag down your authority.

The Role of Linking Root Domains

One of the most overlooked aspects of Domain Authority is linking root domains. It’s not just about how many links you have, but how many different websites are linking to you.

Search engines see a wide spread of unique domains as a stronger sign of trust than repeated links from the same site.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Metric	Impact on DA	Actionable Step
Linking Root Domains	High	Increase domain diversity
Backlink Profile	Critical	Audit for both quality and quantity
High-Quality Backlinks	Essential	Target authoritative, relevant sites
Profile Diversity	Beneficial	Avoid link networks or spammy clusters
Regular Audits	Ongoing	Remove toxic links, spot new opportunities

Think of it like networking. If you only ever get endorsements from one friend, your reputation won’t carry far. But if dozens of respected voices across your industry vouch for you, your credibility skyrockets.

What is a Good or Average Domain Authority Score?

There’s no universal “good DA,” because context matters. But here are some practical benchmarks:

• New sites: DA 10–20 is normal. Focus on building foundational backlinks.
• Average sites: DA under 40 is common. Growth should be your goal.
• Good sites: DA 50–60 puts you in strong territory for competitive ranking.
• Industry giants: DA 90+ is rare and usually reserved for household names like Google, Microsoft, or YouTube.

For most businesses, aiming for a DA between 40 and 60 is both realistic and impactful.

Comparing Your DA Score to Competitors

Checking your own Domain Authority is useful, but the real power comes from comparing it against your competition. That’s when DA transforms from a number into a strategy tool.

Benchmarking Against Industry Leaders

Industry leaders often sit comfortably with DA scores above 60. Average players usually hover in the 40–50 range. By comparing where you stand, you can spot whether you’re falling behind, staying competitive, or pushing ahead.

Tools like Moz Pro, Ahrefs, and SEMrush make it simple to line up competitor DA scores side by side. From there, you can identify who’s consistently pulling ahead and dig into why.

Hiigher Example: One of our eCommerce clients came to us frustrated that their organic traffic had flatlined. When we benchmarked their DA against their three biggest competitors, they were sitting at 36 while competitors were averaging in the mid-50s. That gap explained their lack of visibility, and gave us a clear target. By focusing on high-authority backlinks, their DA climbed to 49 within six months, and their organic traffic followed.

Identifying Competitive Gaps

Once you’ve benchmarked, the next step is to identify what’s driving your competitors’ scores higher than yours. Nine times out of ten, it comes down to backlinks.

Here’s how to uncover those gaps:

1. Run a Competitor Backlink Audit: Tools like Moz’s Link Explorer let you see who’s linking to your competitors.
2. Spot High-Authority Domains: Make a list of websites that link to them but not you.
3. Prioritize Outreach: These are prime opportunities. If those domains found your competitors worth linking to, they may find your content valuable too.

Let’s visualize with a simple example:

Domain	Domain Authority
YourSite.com	38
CompetitorA.com	47
CompetitorB.com	44
CompetitorC.com	52
IndustryLeader.com	65

Here, you can see the gap clearly. YourSite.com at 38 has a lot of room to grow, and identifying which backlinks competitors are winning makes that growth path concrete.

Tracking DA Progress Over Time

Improving Domain Authority isn’t a “set it and forget it” job, it’s about consistent progress. The smartest way to track that progress is to set up a recurring benchmark against your own past performance and against your competitors.

How to Track Effectively

• Record Scores Monthly: Keep a simple spreadsheet of your DA, your backlink count, and your competitors’ DA.
• Chart Trends: Look for steady climbs, sharp drops, or plateaus. Each tells a story about your SEO work.
• Tie Results to Campaigns: If you see a spike after a digital PR campaign or a new content series, connect that cause-and-effect.

Think of DA tracking like checking your credit score. You’re not aiming to obsess over every small change, but you do want to see a healthy upward trend over time.

Strategies to Increase Domain Authority

Boosting your Domain Authority doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of consistent, high-quality SEO work across multiple fronts. Below are the most effective strategies, broken into categories with practical examples you can apply.

1. Earning High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are still the strongest signal of authority. But here’s the key: quality beats quantity every time.

Tactics to try:

• Content Development: Publish original research, in-depth guides, or industry insights that people naturally want to reference. For example, a unique case study in SaaS marketing could earn citations from blogs, newsletters, and even podcasts.
• Strategic Outreach: Build relationships with industry bloggers, editors, and influencers. Don’t just send cold emails, offer something of value like expert quotes or fresh data.
• Link Diversity: Aim for backlinks from a wide range of domains. Ten different websites linking to you will strengthen your DA more than 100 links from the same site.

2. Auditing and Removing Toxic Backlinks

Not all backlinks are helpful. In fact, some can drag your authority down. Links from spammy, irrelevant, or manipulative sites raise your spam score and reduce trust.

How to protect your site:

• Run backlink audits every six months using Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
• Flag links from low-quality or irrelevant sites.
• Use Google Search Console’s Disavow Tool to signal you don’t want those backlinks counted against you.

Think of it like pruning a tree. By cutting away the unhealthy branches, you allow the healthy growth to thrive.

3. Optimizing On-Page SEO

Strong backlinks won’t save you if your website itself is poorly optimized. On-page SEO is what makes your content visible and valuable in the first place.

Focus on:

• Keyword Optimization: Use natural keyword placements in your titles, headers, and body text. Avoid stuffing, it hurts readability and rankings.
• Internal Linking: Connect related pages with descriptive anchor text. This spreads authority across your site and improves crawlability.
• Technical SEO: Check for fast loading speeds, mobile responsiveness, and clean site architecture. Search engines (and users) reward smooth experiences.

4. Enhancing User Experience (UX)

User signals matter. A site that loads slowly, confuses visitors, or looks outdated is less likely to attract backlinks and more likely to see high bounce rates.

Best practices:

• Aim for page load times under three seconds.
• Use a mobile-first design, over 50% of traffic comes from mobile.
• Keep navigation clear and intuitive.
• Continuously update your content so it stays relevant and valuable.

When users find your site enjoyable, they spend more time on it, share it, and link back to it, all of which feeds into stronger authority.

5. Developing a Strong Internal Linking Strategy

Internal links are your hidden weapon. By guiding both users and search engines through your site logically, you amplify authority distribution.

Steps to apply:

• Link from high-authority pages (like your homepage or top-performing blogs) to underperforming but important pages.
• Use keyword-rich, descriptive anchor text instead of generic “click here.”
• Audit your internal links regularly to fix broken paths and outdated references.

Think of internal links as the veins of your website, they carry authority throughout your ecosystem.

Producing High-Quality, Link-Worthy Content

If backlinks are the currency of Domain Authority, then content is the mint that prints that currency. Without valuable, link-worthy content, there’s nothing for others to reference or share.

What Makes Content “Link-Worthy”?

• Original Research: Data-driven studies or surveys that no one else has.
• In-Depth Guides: Content that answers a question so thoroughly, it becomes the go-to reference.
• Visual Assets: Infographics, videos, and interactive tools often attract natural links.
• Fresh Takes on Industry Pain Points: If you can explain a common frustration better, or differently, than others, you’ll earn citations.

Example: We once helped a client publish an industry benchmark report that was cited by multiple trade magazines. That single asset boosted their DA by five points in less than three months.

Common Misconceptions About Domain Authority

Domain Authority often gets misunderstood, which can lead to wasted effort. Let’s clear up a few myths:

1. Myth: DA is a Google ranking factor.
   Reality: Google doesn’t use DA in its algorithm. It’s a third-party metric, but it’s still useful for comparison and tracking.
2. Myth: A high DA guarantees top rankings.
   Reality: You can have a DA of 70 and still lose rankings if your content is poor or irrelevant.
3. Myth: DA is fixed.
   Reality: It’s dynamic. Your score changes as your backlink profile evolves and as competitors strengthen theirs.
4. Myth: All industries need the same DA to rank.
   Reality: “Good DA” is relative. A DA of 40 might dominate in a niche industry but be considered weak in eCommerce.

Mistakes to Avoid When Building Domain Authority

Even seasoned marketers fall into traps when trying to boost DA. Here are the most common ones, and how to avoid them.

1. Buying Backlinks

It might sound like a shortcut, but it usually backfires. Google’s algorithms are sophisticated enough to sniff out paid link schemes. The result? You risk penalties that tank your rankings.

Case in Point: A startup in the education niche bought 500 backlinks from a link farm. Their DA spiked temporarily but crashed within months after Google flagged the links. They had to spend thousands cleaning up the mess.

2. Keyword Stuffing

Cramming keywords into your content doesn’t increase DA, it makes content unreadable. Search engines now prioritize natural language and user experience.

Example: We’ve seen sites where every other sentence had the same keyword. Instead of ranking higher, they saw increased bounce rates and lower engagement.

3. Ignoring Technical SEO

Slow site speed, poor mobile design, or broken links undermine authority signals. If users can’t enjoy your site, they won’t link to it, and search engines won’t reward it.

4. Publishing Thin Content

Short, low-value posts rarely earn backlinks. If you want to build authority, focus on depth and insight. One comprehensive guide can outperform ten shallow posts.

5. Skipping Backlink Audits

Toxic links accumulate over time. If you never audit, you might unknowingly carry backlinks that lower your DA instead of raising it.

Using Domain Authority to Refine Your SEO Strategy

Domain Authority isn’t the finish line, it’s a compass. The smartest marketers use DA trends to shape where they go next.

Here’s how to make it actionable:

1. Benchmark Against Competitors: Regularly compare your DA to peers. If they’re pulling ahead, prioritize link-building.
2. Audit Your Backlink Profile: Identify weak or toxic links, and double down on earning links from respected sites.
3. Align Content and Outreach: Build content that attracts natural backlinks, then use outreach to amplify it.

Think of DA as your SEO dashboard light. It won’t tell you everything, but when it shifts, it signals that something under the hood needs attention, or that your recent efforts are paying off.

Exploring Other Website Authority Metrics

DA isn’t the only measure of authority, and savvy SEO pros often track multiple metrics for a fuller picture.

• Moz’s Page Authority (PA): Useful for zooming in on how strong individual pages are.
• Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR): Focused heavily on backlink quality and quantity.
• SEMrush Authority Score (AS): Combines backlinks, organic performance, and traffic signals.

Each metric uses different data, but together, they give you a well-rounded understanding of how search engines may perceive your website compared to competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Domain Authority?

It’s a predictive SEO metric created by Moz that scores a site’s likelihood to rank on a 1–100 scale.

Is a DA of 20 Good?

Not really, it signals room for growth. Focus on acquiring stronger backlinks and improving your content.

How Do I Check My DA?

Use tools like Moz, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest. Many offer free checks.

What’s a “Good” DA Score?

It depends on your industry. Generally, 50–60 is considered strong, while 60+ usually indicates industry authority.

Conclusion

Now that you know what Domain Authority is, how it’s calculated, and the strategies that truly move the needle, the real question is: what will you do with this knowledge?

Your DA score is more than a number. It’s a reflection of your trust, credibility, and competitiveness in the eyes of search engines. Treat it as both a benchmark and a motivator.

• If your DA is low, see it as an opportunity. Every quality backlink, every piece of link-worthy content, and every technical improvement will move you closer to authority status.
• If your DA is competitive, don’t get comfortable. Competitors are always building too, and authority can slip if you stop investing.

The digital field rewards those who act fast and smart. Don’t just monitor your Domain Authority, improve it. Build the kind of trust that not only lifts your rankings but also creates lasting visibility.

At Hiigher, we’ve seen businesses transform their organic performance by treating DA seriously, using it not just as a score, but as a strategic compass. The sooner you align your content, backlinks, and SEO execution with authority growth, the sooner you’ll see your search presence compound.

Your next step? Don’t just watch your authority grow, shape it.