Domain Authority (DA) is a Moz-developed SEO metric that predicts how well a website may rank in search engine results.
What Is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by Moz that estimates a domain’s ability to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of ranking well.
DA is not a Google ranking factor, but it’s widely used in SEO for competitive analysis, link building, and evaluating site authority.
How Is DA Calculated?
Moz calculates Domain Authority using dozens of factors, including:
- Number and quality of linking root domains
- Spam Score
- MozRank and MozTrust
- Link profile strength
- Machine learning models
It’s a relative metric, meaning it’s best used to compare websites in the same industry or search space — not as an absolute measure.
Why DA Matters in SEO:
- Helps assess how competitive a domain is
- Useful for evaluating link prospects
- Guides strategy for outreach, content, and partnerships
- Indicates whether a website is gaining authority over time
Example:
If Website A has a DA of 65 and Website B has 30, Google is more likely to rank content from A — all else being equal.
Tips to Improve Your DA:
- Earn high-quality backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites
- Remove or disavow toxic links
- Create valuable, link-worthy content
- Ensure strong internal linking and site structure
- Maintain technical SEO health (site speed, crawlability, mobile UX)
