Domain authority (DA) is one of the most important ranking factors for SEO. It measures the strength and authority of a website domain, based on metrics like age, trustworthiness, backlinks, and traffic.
A higher DA generally leads to better search engine rankings. This guide will teach you everything about domain authority, how to check it, and tips to increase your website's DA.
Domain authority is a score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It's rated on a 100-point logarithmic scale. The higher the DA, the better a domain will rank for relevant keywords.
Google uses over 200 ranking factors to determine search rankings. While Google doesn't directly use DA, many of the factors that influence DA also impact Google rankings. That's why DA serves as a useful metric and benchmark for SEO performance.
Here are some of the main benefits of having a higher DA:
Maximizing your website's domain authority needs to be a core priority in any SEO strategy. Let's look at how to check your current DA.
Wondering what your website's current domain authority score is? There are a few easy ways to check it:
The easiest way is to use Moz's official MozBar browser extension for Chrome. Just install the extension, visit your website, and the DA score will display right in the toolbar.
The MozBar also shows metrics like Page Authority (PA), spam score, link metrics, and more. It's a useful free SEO tool for on-page optimization.
Another option is to use SEOToolsPark's Domain Authority Checker tool. Just enter your root domain and hit Check DA. It will display the domain authority for your website, along with other stats like Page Authority distribution.
This tool also lets you compare up to 20 domains side-by-side for competitive research. You can even check historical DA to see how it has changed over time.
Many SEO tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking, and Serpstat also provide domain authority metrics. Most of them derive DA estimates based on their own algorithms and Mozscape data.
While they may not match Moz's official scores, these tools can still be useful for tracking directional changes and competitor comparisons. Some even provide DA forecasts based on your current efforts.
No matter which tool you use, aim for the highest possible DA for your website. Now let's look at proven ways to improve your domain authority.
Here are the top methods to legitimately increase your website's domain authority and search engine presence:
The foundation of higher DA is having a well-structured, optimized website. Make sure you have:
Optimizing your on-page elements signals to Google that your website is authoritative and relevant for your focus keywords.
One of the strongest DA drivers is referring domains - the number of unique domains that link back to your website.
Getting contextual backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites tells Google that your content is trustworthy. This leads to direct DA gains.
Outreach, guest posting, partnerships, and high-quality content are all ways to earn authoritative backlinks at scale.
As a general rule, links from higher DA websites pass on more authority and ranking power.
For example, a backlink from a site with DA 80 will boost your DA by more than 10 links from DA 30 sites. Focus on link-building partnerships with reputed, trusted domains in your industry.
Low-quality links from spammy, shady websites can actually hurt your domain authority. Google's Penguin algorithm penalizes websites with toxic backlink profiles.
Regularly check your backlink profile for sketchy, artificial links using tools like Ahrefs and Semrush. Disavow any harmful links to protect your website's reputation.
Social signals play an indirect role in SEO by amplifying your content reach. When articles get frequently shared, it signals quality and trust.
Higher social activity metrics (likes, shares, bookmarks, etc) have a modest positive correlation with higher domain authority.
An alternative tactic is to acquire and repurpose an expired domain name that already has a high DA. This provides a shortcut to higher authority.
Look for expired domains with healthy, relevant backlink profiles in your niche. Redirect the domain to your current website or do a 301 forward to pass on link equity.
Moz's Domain Authority Checker is a free tool that allows you to easily check the latest domain authority for any website.
To use it:
The tool will instantly display the domain authority score for that website on a 100-point scale.
For example, if you enter moz.com, it currently shows a DA of 93, which is considered very high authority.
In addition to the DA score, the tool also shows the following metrics:
These added stats provide more context into what's driving and influencing the domain's authority.
The Moz DA checker is completely free to use with no registration required. It's one of the quickest ways to check the latest domain authority for any website.
Bookmark the tool and check your own site's DA regularly to track changes over time. Use it to do competitive research on rivals in your space as well.
A higher DA score indicates better search visibility and authority potential. Now let's examine how to diagnose issues hurting your website's domain authority.
There are a few possible reasons why your website has a lower domain authority score:
Then, duplicate, or stale content signals irrelevancy to search engines. Focus on publishing in-depth, useful content optimized with keywords and links. Refresh old content as well.
Site errors, slow speeds, and mobile formatting problems indicate a lack of authority. Audit for technical SEO issues using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and ScreamingFrog.
Unnatural links from low quality, irrelevant sites dilute your domain's authority. Routinely check your backlink profile and disavow spam links.
Minimal social shares, likes, and comments suggest content lacks interest. Promote your best content through social channels to boost engagement.
Domain age, siloed content, over-optimization, and thin affiliate sites can all limit DA growth. Ensure your information architecture follows best practices.
With the right diagnosis, you can pinpoint issues dragging your domain authority down and develop the right solutions to boost it.
A: For most websites, a DA between 20-40 is considered average or moderate authority. DA of 50+ is good, and 70+ is generally high authority. But aim for the highest DA relative to competitors.
A: DA generally accrues slowly over time by building quality content and backlinks. With consistent, diligent efforts, expect to increase DA by 5-10 points per year on average.
A: No, domain authority does not have an expiration date. However, your DA can decrease if you stop putting in work to maintain and build authority-accruing assets.
A: There is no direct way to transfer DA from one site to another. But you can 301 redirect an old domain or do a domain name swap to pass on some metrics like backlinks and trust.
A: DA and Google rank are correlated but not identical. Think of DA as an overall authority estimate while rank evaluates page-specific signals. But higher DA leads to better rankings.
Focus on continually improving your domain authority.
Over time, this leads to better search visibility, lower cost-per-click, increased traffic, and greater trust and conversions. Now that you know how to check and increase domain authority, use this guide to start growing your website's DA.
Monitor it regularly and work on boosting it month-over-month. An authoritative domain is the foundation for sustainable search engine success.
Domain authority is a crucial metric that reflects your overall search engine presence and website authority. By regularly checking and monitoring your site's domain authority using Moz's free tools, you can diagnose issues and track SEO progress. Improving DA leads directly to higher rankings, lower CPC, more traffic, and greater trust.
This guide covered the basics of understanding, checking, and improving domain authority with proven tactics like optimizing on-page elements, earning backlinks from authoritative domains, monitoring toxic links, and analyzing competitor DA.
Keep ramping up your efforts to boost DA, and you will notice your website steadily climbing in search rankings over time.
