What Is Domain Authority?
Domain authority is a number that shows how strong and trusted a website is in the eyes of search engines. It is not a score made by Google. It is a metric created by SEO tools, most famously by Moz, to guess how likely a site is to rank high in search results compared to other sites.
Definition
Domain authority is a ranking score from 1 to 100 given by some SEO tools to a whole website. A higher score usually means:
- The site has more good quality backlinks from other sites.
- The site is older or more established.
- The site has more trusted and useful content.
This score is based on many signals, such as number and quality of links, and is used to compare one domain with another.
Why Domain Authority Matters
Domain authority matters because it gives you a quick idea of how strong your website is compared to your competitors. It can help you:
- Plan realistic SEO goals. For example, competing for easier keywords if your score is low.
- Find good websites for backlinks and partnerships.
- Measure progress over time as you build links and publish better content.
Remember, domain authority is only a guide. It does not directly control Google rankings, but it often matches the real strength of a website.
How Domain Authority Works
Most domain authority scores work in a similar way:
- SEO tools crawl the web and collect data about websites and links.
- They measure how many sites link to you and how strong those linking sites are.
- They run this data through a formula to create a score from 1 to 100.
- The scale is logarithmic, which means it is much easier to go from 10 to 20 than from 70 to 80.
The score changes over time as your site, and the whole web, changes.
Domain Authority vs Page Authority
Domain authority and page authority are related but not the same:
- Domain authority measures the strength of the whole website.
- Page authority measures the strength of a single page on that website.
A site can have high domain authority but some pages with low page authority, especially if those pages are new or have few links.
Example of Domain Authority
Imagine two sites about sports shoes:
- Site A has a domain authority of 75. Many big news sites and popular blogs link to it. It has been online for 10 years.
- Site B has a domain authority of 15. It is new and has only a few links from small blogs.
If both sites publish an article on the same keyword with similar quality, Site A is more likely to rank higher because it has stronger domain authority.
FAQs
Is domain authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Google does not use domain authority as a ranking factor. It is a third party metric, but it often reflects real site strength.
What is a good domain authority score?
There is no magic number. A good score is usually higher than the scores of your direct competitors in your topic or local area.
How can I improve my domain authority?
Create helpful content, earn backlinks from trusted sites, keep your site fast and easy to use, and avoid spammy link schemes. Over time, your score may rise.
Does domain authority change quickly?
Domain authority usually changes slowly. It can move up or down when you gain or lose strong links or when the SEO tool updates its data and formula.
Do all SEO tools use the same domain authority score?
No. Different tools have their own version, with different names and formulas. For example, Moz uses Domain Authority, other tools have their own authority metrics.
