What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website might rank in search engine results. It ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a stronger ability to rank. The score is calculated based on factors like the number and quality of backlinks pointing to a domain.

DA is not a Google metric. It is a third-party tool created to help SEOs compare websites and estimate their relative ranking potential. Google does not use Domain Authority in its algorithm at all.

The Myth About Domain Authority

One of the most widespread misconceptions in SEO is that Domain Authority directly affects rankings. Many website owners obsess over increasing their DA score, believing it will automatically improve their Google rankings.

This is false.

Google has explicitly stated that it does not use Domain Authority as a ranking factor. Google does not even acknowledge DA as part of its evaluation process. The metric exists entirely outside Google's systems.

What DA does reflect is backlink profile strength. Since backlinks are a ranking factor Google does use, a site with high DA often ranks well, but not because of the DA score itself. The underlying signals that create a high DA, like quality backlinks and site authority, are what Google measures directly.

Focusing only on improving DA without improving the actual factors Google cares about is a waste of effort. DA is a symptom, not a cause.

Domain Authority vs Page Authority

While Domain Authority measures the strength of an entire domain, Page Authority (PA) measures the ranking potential of a single page. Both use a 1 to 100 scale and are calculated using similar factors, but PA focuses specifically on the backlinks and signals for one URL rather than the whole site.

A page with strong PA on a site with lower DA can still rank well if that specific page has earned quality backlinks and optimized content.