Want to know your website's Domain Authority score? You can find your site DA through the DA checker. Domain Rating is one of the most important SEO metrics that determines your site's ranking potential.
But calculating Domain Rating manually is complicated. That's why we've created the ultimate domain rating checker that lets you find your DR score instantly!
In this guide, you'll learn:
Let's get started!
Domain Rating, often abbreviated as DR, indicates the strength and authority of a website's domain name. It's one of the most crucial domain authority metrics in SEO.
Domain Rating is scored on a 100-point logarithmic scale. The higher your DR score, the better it is for your rankings.
A high Domain Rating means Google sees your site as trustworthy and reputed. As a result, your pages have a better chance of ranking against competitive keywords. Here you can also know your PA through the free PA checker.
Here are some key benefits of having a high DR score:
Clearly, checking and improving your Domain Rating should be a priority. But how exactly can you get your DR score? Know more about DA/PA score.
There are several free online tools that can instantly check your domain's rating and authority. Here are the top 4 options:
Ahrefs provides the most accurate domain rating checker tool. It shows standard metrics like Domain Rating and URL Rating.
To use it:
The detailed report also shows your strongest and weakest pages. You can further analyze metrics like total backlinks, referring domains, and traffic estimates.
Ahrefs is the best domain authority checker, but the free account has limited searches. You'll need a paid account for more features.
Moz also offers a free Domain Authority metric very similar to DR.
To check it:
Moz provides 100 free lookups per month. A paid account unlocks more searches, full analytics, rank tracking, and other SEO tools.
SEOToolsPark lets you check Domain Ratings for free without registration.
To use it:
While SEOToolsPark is easy to use, its results may not be fully accurate. Still, it's useful for a quick domain authority estimate.
Neil Patel's Ubersuggest is another free alternative:
Ubersuggest also shows the domain score of your root and subpages. However, the score is on a 100-point scale so not directly comparable to DR.
In summary, Ahrefs should be your first choice to check accurate Domain Rating scores. Moz and SEOToolsPark are good free alternatives. Now let's see how you can improve your domain authority.
Here are proven tips to boost your DR score over time:
Make sure your site follows all technical best practices:
Paying attention to these technical factors will build your domain's authority and value.
Google associates aged domains with more trust and stability. Simply having an older registered domain can gradually improve your DR.
But newly created sites shouldn't worry too much. With good content and backlinks, you can still build authority over time. Also, monitor your backlinks and make sure you get quality backlinks.
Well-researched, comprehensive content is one of the best ways to enhance domain authority.
Focus on creating useful, engaging articles with appropriate keywords. Promote your content to drive more internal and external links.
This strengthens your domain's topical relevance. Long-form content above 2000 words also performs better from an SEO perspective. Make sure pages are easy to scan with appropriate headers and formatting.
The number of referring domains (RDs) pointing to your website positively influences Domain Rating. Try guest posting on authoritative sites in your industry to gain more referral domains.
Another option is to build partnerships with relevant blogs and arrange content syndication.
The link mentions in resource pages like lists and roundups also add to your referring domains. Reach out to quality sites in your field and pitch ideas for expert quotes or contributed content.
While referral domains matter, the total number of backlinks to your domain is still a ranking factor.
Aim to get backlinks from diverse sources:
Focus on getting links from quality sites, not spammy or paid links. Organically earning links takes time and effort but pays off a long time.
Sometimes past SEO efforts or competitors can lead to manipulative links pointing to your domain. This happens mostly with expired paid links and low-quality PBNs.
Disavow these toxic links using Google Search Console:
This removes their negative effects on your site's Domain Rating and algorithmic reputation.
By consistently applying these tactics, you can build domain authority and climb higher in the SERPs.
Next, let's answer some common questions about DR metrics.
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about Domain Rating:
A) A Domain Rating between 30-50 is decent for most sites. DR above 60 is considered very good. Premium brands can achieve scores above 90.
For new sites, focus on reaching a DR of at least 20 within the first few months.
A) Domain Authority (DA) developed by Moz is an industry-standard metric like Domain Rating. Both indicate the strength of a domain on a logarithmic 1-100 scale.
In practice, DA and DR correlate very closely. A score of 50 would be average for both metrics.
Tools like Ahrefs and Moz make minor calculations so scores can vary slightly between them. But DA and DR fundamentally measure the same domain authority attributes.
A) Changing your root domain will reset any Domain Rating metrics and authority earned so far.
It's safer to modify your existing domain if needed (e.g. adding "www") rather than completely changing domains.
If your current domain has no authority, it's fine to change to a better brand name early on. But try to finalize your domain name before investing significant time in content building and SEO.
A) There are no instant shortcuts to artificially inflate Domain Rating. Higher scores are earned slowly by consistently publishing quality content and acquiring backlinks.
Expect your DR to grow at a steady pace over months as your site matures. Temporary dips are also normal. Focus on long-term authority building rather than obsessing over short-term DR fluctuations.
A) Paid Ahrefs users can export domain analysis reports as PDFs to download all data including DR scores. The Ahrefs API also makes it easy to extract DR information. For example, you can automatically pull your latest Domain Rating into a Google Sheet for tracking.
A) There is no absolute upper limit to Domain Rating. The maximums depend on your niche and industry. Ultra-popular sites like Wikipedia, YouTube, Amazon, and eBay have DR scores above 90. However such high ratings are difficult to achieve for most sites.
A more realistic goal is reaching a DR between 50-80 which is considered excellent for any competitive niche.
Now you know how to check your DR score for free, interpret your domain authority, and improve it for better SEO.
Domain Rating is a crucial metric that determines your site's search ranking potential and authority. Checking your DR score regularly with Ahrefs, Moz, or SEOToolsPark allows you to track your progress.
Focus on improving technical SEO factors, publishing high-quality content, earning backlinks, and managing toxic links. With this domain authority optimization approach, you can steadily increase your DR over time and also check the DA of your site through a free DA checker
Aim for at least a Domain Rating of 30-50 to start seeing improved organic traffic and conversions. The higher your score, the bigger the boost to your SERP rankings.
Now you have a complete guide to understanding Domain Rating, check it with the best tools, and take the right steps to increase your website's domain authority.