Domain Rating, often shortened to DR, is a metric developed by Ahrefs that measures the overall strength of a website’s backlink profile. It is scored on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher numbers indicating a stronger, more authoritative domain based on the quantity and quality of referring domains pointing to it. While DR is not a Google ranking factor, it is widely used in SEO to evaluate link building opportunities, compare competitor authority and analyze overall domain strength.
DR focuses specifically on backlinks and the authority passed through them. It reflects how powerful a website might appear in terms of link equity, making it a useful reference when planning SEO strategies.
What Domain Rating Really Means
Domain Rating estimates how authoritative a website is by examining the backlinks it receives from other websites. Backlinks from strong, reputable domains contribute more to DR than links from weak or newly created sites. DR also considers the number of unique referring domains and how authoritative those domains are.
Although it is a third party metric, DR gives marketers and SEOs a practical way to understand how competitive a domain is in the digital landscape.
Why DR Matters in SEO
Helps Assess Link Building Opportunities
Sites with higher DR typically offer stronger backlink value. When choosing websites for outreach or guest posting, DR helps compare the potential impact.
Provides a Competitive Benchmark
You can compare your website’s DR with competitors to understand who has stronger backlink authority.
Helps Predict Ranking Potential
Even though DR itself does not directly improve rankings, domains with higher DR often rank more easily because they have stronger backlink profiles.
Useful for SEO Reporting
DR offers a clear, simple metric that helps track your site’s authority growth over time.
How Domain Rating Is Calculated
Ahrefs uses several factors to calculate DR including:
- The number of unique referring domains
- The authority of those referring domains
- How many websites each referring domain links to
- The distribution of link equity across the web
The calculation is logarithmic, meaning it becomes harder to increase DR as the number gets higher. For example, moving from DR 10 to 20 is easier than moving from DR 70 to 80.
DR vs DA vs AS
Many SEO platforms use their own authority metrics:
- DR from Ahrefs
- DA Domain Authority from Moz
- AS Authority Score from Semrush
All measure backlink strength but use different formulas. They are not interchangeable yet all serve similar purposes in SEO analysis.
What Affects Your Domain Rating
- Acquiring backlinks from high authority websites
- Increasing the number of unique referring domains
- Earning editorial, natural links
- Removing or disavowing harmful backlinks
- Ensuring your backlink profile looks natural and diverse
Low quality or spammy links typically do not help much and may signal risk.
How to Improve Domain Rating
- Create high value content that naturally earns backlinks
- Publish data studies, tools or in depth guides
- Do targeted outreach to relevant websites
- Leverage digital PR strategies
- Contribute guest posts to reputable sites
- Build link worthy resources across your site
- Fix broken backlinks pointing to old or removed pages
Increasing DR takes time because it relies on earning quality referring domains.
Real World Example
If Website A has a DR of 75 and Website B has a DR of 25, Website A is considered far more authoritative in terms of backlinks. If you secure a backlink from Website A, it will typically carry more weight and provide more SEO benefit than a link from Website B.
Practical Tips for Using DR
- Use DR as a relative comparison metric rather than an absolute goal
- Focus on earning quality links instead of only trying to increase DR
- Track DR monthly rather than weekly because fluctuations are normal
- Evaluate backlink opportunities using DR along with relevance and content quality
- Combine DR insights with keyword research and content strategy for better results
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Domain Rating a Google ranking factor
No. DR is not used by Google. It is a third party metric created by Ahrefs, but it correlates with strong backlink profiles that may help rankings.
What is a good DR score
A good score depends on your industry. Competitive niches often have sites with DR 60 or higher, while newer websites may start between DR 0 and 20.
Why does my DR go up or down
Changes in referring domains, loss of backlinks, or redistribution of authority across the web can cause DR fluctuations.
Does having a high DR guarantee better rankings
No. DR is just one indicator. Content quality, relevance, user experience and on page SEO also play major roles.
Can I rank well with a low DR
Yes. Low competition keywords can still be ranked with low DR, especially if the content is high quality and relevant.