Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engine result pages (SERPs).
Here are the key aspects of Domain Authority:
- Score Range: The score ranges from 1 to 100, with a higher number indicating a greater likelihood of ranking well.
- Purpose: It’s primarily used as a comparative metric to evaluate the strength and competitiveness of one website against others, especially within the same niche.
- Calculation: DA is calculated using a machine learning model that considers multiple factors, most notably the quality and quantity of backlinks (links from other websites) pointing to the domain, but also factors like the number of linking root domains.
- Logarithmic Scale: The score is calculated on a logarithmic scale, meaning it’s much harder to increase your score from 70 to 80 than it is from 10 to 20.
- Not a Google Ranking Factor: It is crucial to understand that Domain Authority is a third-party metric created by Moz, not a metric used by Google to determine search rankings. Google uses its own complex algorithms.
- Other Metrics: Other SEO tools like Semrush and Ahrefs have created similar metrics (e.g., Authority Score, Domain Rating) that serve a similar benchmarking purpose.
In short, DA is a useful barometer for SEO professionals to gauge a website’s overall strength and track progress over time.