Video: How to Increase Domain Rating (Website Authority) (Ahrefs)
Stop overpaying for a number. Every link offer you get quotes a score, DA 45, DR 60, and most buyers treat it as the whole story. It is not. Both are useful, both are third-party estimates, and both are easy to game if you do not know how to read them. The video above breaks down how these authority scores work; here is what they actually mean and where they mislead.
Key takeaways
- Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) are third-party scores, not Google metrics.
- DA predicts ranking ability broadly, DR measures backlink strength specifically.
- A high score with no organic traffic is a red flag, not a green light.
- Use DA and DR to shortlist, then judge on real traffic and relevance.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a score from 1 to 100 created by Moz that predicts how well a site might rank in search. It is calculated mostly from the size and quality of a site’s backlink profile. Higher is better, but the scale is relative: moving from 20 to 30 is far easier than moving from 70 to 80.
What is Domain Rating?
Domain Rating is Ahrefs‘ equivalent, also 1 to 100, and it focuses specifically on the strength of a site’s backlink profile: how many unique sites link to it and how strong those sites are. Because Moz and Ahrefs use different data and formulas, the same website can have a noticeably different DA and DR.
What is the difference between DA and DR?
The short version: DA tries to predict overall ranking potential, while DR measures backlink authority more narrowly. Neither includes traffic the way people assume. A site can carry a strong DR because it once attracted links, then lose all its readers, and the DR barely moves. That gap is exactly where link sellers hide low-quality inventory.
Does Google use Domain Authority?
No. This is the part most people miss. Neither DA nor DR is a Google ranking factor, and Google has repeatedly said it does not use a single site-wide authority score like these. They are helpful third-party estimates built by SEO tools, useful for comparison, but they are not what Google is actually scoring.
What is a good Domain Authority?
It depends on your niche and competition, but as a rough guide: DA 30 to 50 is solid for foundational links, 50 to 70 competes for harder keywords, and 70 plus is premium. The same bands apply to DR. Just remember the number only means something next to real traffic. A DR 60 site with 40 visits a month is a number, not an audience.
How sellers game the score
Because DA and DR are based on backlinks, they can be inflated with a burst of cheap links, expired-domain tricks, or network links, without any real readers showing up. That is why a flashy score paired with a flat traffic line is a warning, not a win. Always cross-check the score against organic traffic, which we walk through in how to vet a guest post site in 5 minutes.
How to actually use DA and DR
Treat them as a first filter, not a verdict. Use the score to build a shortlist, then confirm real organic traffic, relevant ranking keywords, and topical fit before you pay. Price should track all of that together, which is the logic behind our tiers in how much do backlinks cost.
How AstroLinks uses these metrics
We sort the marketplace by Domain Authority so you can filter quickly, but every site is also vetted for genuine organic traffic and relevance before it reaches you, so the score always sits next to real data. See how the tiers map to price on our pricing page and backlink service.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between DA and DR?
Domain Authority (Moz) predicts a site’s overall ranking potential, while Domain Rating (Ahrefs) measures the strength of its backlink profile more narrowly. Because they use different data and formulas, the same site can have a different DA and DR.
Does Google use Domain Authority?
No. Neither Domain Authority nor Domain Rating is a Google ranking factor. They are third-party scores built by SEO tools like Moz and Ahrefs, useful for comparison but not the metric Google actually uses to rank pages.
What is a good Domain Authority?
As a rough guide, DA 30 to 50 is solid for foundational links, 50 to 70 competes for harder keywords, and 70 or above is premium. The number only matters next to real organic traffic and topical relevance.
Next step: Tell us your target Domain Authority and niche and we will send matching US sites with the traffic data attached so you can see the score in context. Get a free quote.