Domain Authority
Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, measured on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100.
Domain Authority is not a Google metric — Google does not use DA in its algorithm. It is a third-party approximation based on link profile analysis. Similar metrics include Ahrefs' Domain Rating (DR) and Semrush's Authority Score.
DA is useful for competitive analysis and benchmarking, not as an absolute measure of quality. A DA 40 site can outrank a DA 70 site if its content better matches search intent. DA is logarithmic, meaning going from 20 to 30 is much easier than going from 70 to 80.
Improve DA by earning high-quality backlinks, removing or disavowing toxic links, and maintaining a clean technical foundation. Focus on page-level metrics and actual rankings rather than obsessing over domain-wide scores.
Related terms
Backlinks
Backlinks (inbound links) are hyperlinks from external websites that point to your site. They act as votes of confidence and are a major ranking factor for search engines.
Link Building
Link building is the practice of acquiring hyperlinks from external websites to your own, with the goal of improving search engine rankings through increased authority and trust signals.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO encompasses all optimization activities performed outside of your website to improve its search engine rankings, primarily focused on building backlinks and brand authority.
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