Ahrefs Metric Domain Rating DR vs MOZ DA
What is Website Authority?
"Website authority" is an SEO concept that measures the overall strength of a domain. Often referred to as "domain authority," this term should not be confused with the Domain Authority (DA) metric developed by Moz. Instead, it reflects a general SEO concept synonymous with "website authority."
At Ahrefs, we use a proprietary metric called Domain Rating (DR) to measure a website’s authority. DR operates on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating stronger, more authoritative domains.
The free tool above calculates your website's authority based on Ahrefs' Domain Rating (DR).
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How Ahrefs Calculates Domain Rating (DR)
Domain Rating assesses the quantity and quality of external backlinks to a website. Here’s a simplified explanation of the process:
1. Count the number of unique domains linking to the website.
2. Evaluate the "authority" of those linking domains.
3. Factor in how many unique domains those sites link to.
4. Apply mathematical and algorithmic calculations to determine raw DR scores.
5. Map these scores to a 100-point scale.
Note: DR does not consider variables like link spam, traffic, or domain age.
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Why Domain Authority Matters
Google does not use "domain authority" as a ranking factor. However, Google representatives, including John Mueller, acknowledge a sitewide score that reflects similar metrics.
Ahrefs’ research of 218,713 domains revealed a strong correlation between Domain Rating and keyword rankings. While this doesn’t prove causation, it suggests that a high Domain Rating can indicate a domain’s ability to generate organic traffic.
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What Is a Good Domain Rating?
A “good” Domain Rating is relative. Instead of aiming for a specific score, compare your domain’s DR to competitors in your industry. A higher DR suggests a stronger domain compared to similar sites.
Rule of Thumb:
Your Domain Rating is strong if it is higher than or comparable to competitors.
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How to Improve Your Domain Rating
The only way to improve Domain Rating is by acquiring backlinks from more unique referring domains. However, boosting your site’s authority should not be the ultimate goal.
Instead, focus on earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative, industry-relevant sites to the specific pages you want to rank in Google. Research shows a strong correlation between referring domains to a page and the organic traffic that page generates.
Key Findings:
Pages with more referring domains perform better in search rankings.
Referring domains have the strongest correlation with search traffic among all backlink factors.
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Practical Uses of Website Authority
1. Benchmarking Against Competitors
Compare your Domain Rating to your competitors to evaluate your link-building progress. For instance:
Ahrefs.com has a DR of 88.
Moz.com has a DR of 91.
By analyzing competitors’ backlink profiles with tools like Ahrefs Site Explorer, you can identify untapped opportunities.
Tip: When comparing two websites with the same DR, use Ahrefs Rank (AR) to determine relative strength.
2. Evaluating Link Prospects
While Google prioritizes the authority of linking pages, sites with higher domain authority often host stronger pages. Ahrefs’ Domain Rating can serve as a proxy for evaluating link quality, but don’t rely on it alone.
Additional Considerations:
Do they have high-quality backlinks?
Do they link to many other websites? (Fewer is better.)
Are they publishing valuable content?
Is the website likely to remain active long-term?
Is the site relevant to your niche and receiving organic traffic?
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Further Reading
[How to Increase Website Authority (Domain Rating)]
Learn how Domain Rating is calculated and effective strategies to improve it.
[What is a Backlink? How to Get More Backlinks]
Explore how backlinks influence SEO and tips for earning them.
[The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building]
Understand link building fundamentals and how to build high-quality links.
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