How to Measure Domain Authority — And Whether It Even Matters

By Emily Redmond, Data Analyst at Emilytics · April 2026

TL;DR: Domain Authority (DA) is a proprietary metric from Moz that correlates with ranking ability. Higher DA = easier to rank. But it's not a ranking factor—it's a leading indicator. A site with DA 30 can rank above DA 50 if the content is better.

What Is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority is Moz's prediction of how well a domain will rank in search results.

Scale: 1–100. Higher is better.

What it measures: Links. Specifically, the quality and quantity of links pointing to a domain.

How Moz calculates it: They run billions of search queries, see which sites rank, count their links, and build a correlation model. High-ranking sites tend to have lots of quality links. Hence, links = authority.

The caveat: It's a correlation, not a causation. Google doesn't use "Domain Authority" in its algorithm. Moz is making an educated guess about ranking ability based on link patterns.

Think of DA like a credit score. High credit score doesn't guarantee you'll get a loan. But it correlates with loan approval. Similarly, high DA correlates with ranking ability but doesn't guarantee rankings.

Why People Obsess Over DA

DA became a shorthand for "will this site rank?"

If you're a startup (DA 15) trying to rank against a site with DA 65, you're going uphill. The established site has more links, more authority, more trust signals. All else equal, it will rank higher.

So people use DA as a proxy for: Can we realistically win this keyword?

This is useful. But it's also dangerous if you trust it too much.

How to Check Your Domain Authority

Tool 1: Moz Link Explorer

Go to moz.com/link-explorer. Enter your domain. Free version gives you limited checks; paid version gives unlimited.

You'll see:

Domain Authority (DA): 1–100 scale
Page Authority (PA): 1–100 scale for individual pages
Backlinks: Count and quality
Referring Domains: How many unique domains link to you

Tool 2: Ahrefs Domain Rating

Ahrefs calls it "Domain Rating" (DR) instead of DA. Same concept, different calculation.

Scale: 1–100
Based on referring domains and their authority
Often slightly different from Moz's DA

Tool 3: SEMrush Domain Authority

SEMrush also has its own version. All three tools (Moz, Ahrefs, SEMrush) correlate with ranking ability but are calculated slightly differently.

Bottom line: Use one tool consistently. Don't compare Moz DA (50) to Ahrefs DR (45) thinking they're the same. They measure slightly differently.

A Better Way to Think About DA

Instead of obsessing over absolute DA, compare relative DA:

Your site: DA 25 Competitor for keyword X: DA 50

Gap: 25 points. That's significant.

Competitor for keyword Y: DA 28

Gap: 3 points. That's winnable.

Use DA to pick your battles. Target keywords where your DA is close to the top-ranking competitors. You'll rank faster.

💡 Emily's take: I've seen DA 20 sites rank above DA 60 sites for specific keywords because the DA 20 site had better content and recent links. DA is a starting point, not a ceiling. Don't dismiss a keyword just because the competition has higher DA.

How to Improve Domain Authority

DA improves when you get backlinks from other authoritative sites. That's it.

Create linkable content. Original research, data, stories that people want to link to.
Earn links through outreach. Email journalists, bloggers, and relevant websites offering to share your content.
Build relationships. Guest posting, co-marketing, partnerships naturally generate links.
Improve your site. Fast, secure, mobile-friendly sites get more links.

Don't buy links. Google will penalize you.

Domain Authority vs. Other Metrics

How does DA compare to other ranking signals?

Metric	What It Measures	Impact on Ranking	Reliability
Domain Authority	Link quality/quantity	Leading indicator	Moderate
Backlinks	Quantity of links	Direct signal	High
Content Quality	Depth, relevance, uniqueness	Direct signal	High
CTR	User signal (click probability)	Indirect signal	Moderate
Topical Authority	Site's expertise on topic	Direct signal	High
Page Speed	Load time	Direct signal (since 2021)	High

DA is useful context, but it's not the whole story. Content quality, link quality, and topical authority matter equally or more.

When DA Actually Matters

It matters for:

Competitive keywords. If you're targeting "project management software" (extremely competitive), DA matters. You'll struggle if you're DA 20 competing against DA 70+ sites.
New domains. A brand-new site (DA 0–10) can rank for low-competition keywords but will struggle with medium-competition. As DA builds, you can target harder keywords.
Link-building strategy. Higher DA sites are better link sources. A link from DA 60 passes more authority than a link from DA 10.

It doesn't matter for:

Long-tail keywords. "Best project management tool for 5-person design agencies" is low-competition. DA 15 can beat DA 70 with better content.
Niche topics. If you're the only site covering a specific problem, DA is irrelevant.
Emerging niches. In new spaces (like AI analytics 5 years ago), early movers build authority quickly. DA lags behind real ranking ability.

The Real Question: Can You Rank?

Instead of asking "What's my DA?", ask:

What's the average DA of sites ranking for my keyword?
How far below them is my DA?
Is that gap closeable with better content + links?

If the gap is 40+ points, it's a tough uphill battle. Pick easier targets first.

If the gap is 10–15 points, it's winnable. Better content and targeted backlinks can close that gap in 3–6 months.

Check Google Search Console for your average position on keywords you're targeting. Position 8–10 means you're close. Position 15+ means there's a big gap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Domain Authority a ranking factor?

A: No. Google doesn't use "Domain Authority." Moz invented it. But it correlates with ranking ability, which makes it useful as a proxy.

Q: Can I rank with low DA?

A: Yes, especially for long-tail keywords. Many niches are dominated by sites with DA 20–40. It's totally doable.

Q: How much should I invest in link building?

A: If you're competing in competitive spaces (e.g., SaaS, finance, health), 20–30% of SEO effort should be link-building. For niches and long-tail, less.

Q: Does links to internal pages (Page Authority) matter?

A: Yes. If your homepage has DA 40 but you want to rank a blog post, that post needs internal links (and ideally external links). Page Authority (PA) matters for individual pages.

Q: Is there a minimum DA to rank on page 1?

A: No. Depends on keyword competition. Some keywords on page 1 are DA 10. Others require DA 50+. Check each keyword.

The Bottom Line

Domain Authority is useful context. It tells you the relative link strength of competitors and gives you a sense of how hard a keyword will be to rank for.

But it's not a wall that blocks you. It's a hill. Higher DA = steeper hill. But plenty of sites climb steep hills with better content and focused effort.

Don't let low DA stop you from targeting keywords you care about. Check the competition. If the DA gap is closeable, go after it.

Emily Redmond is a data analyst at Emilytics — the AI analytics agent watching your data around the clock. 8 years experience. Say hi →