What is a Good Domain Authority Score?
Last Updated on November 2, 2026 by Becky Halls
If you’re diving into SEO, you’ve likely come across the concept of domain authority (DA). But what is a good domain authority score? A domain authority score is a metric developed by Moz to predict how likely a website is to rank on search engines. It ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating stronger ranking potential. Understanding what constitutes a “good” DA score and how it impacts your search performance is key to building a successful SEO strategy.
Quick answer: there is no single “good” domain authority score, because DA is relative to your competitors. As a rough guide, 1–30 is typical for new or small sites, 31–50 is moderate, 51–60 is strong, and above 60 is excellent. The score that matters most is one that’s competitive for the search results you want to rank in.
What Is a Good Domain Authority Score?
Domain authority is calculated by evaluating multiple factors, primarily focusing on quality backlinks. Moz uses machine learning predictions and data from its own index to provide a score between 1 and 100. The calculation involves more than 40 signals, including linking root domains and the number of total links. Importantly, DA adapts to the competitiveness of specific industries, making it a comparative rather than absolute measure of site strength.
To answer what is a good domain authority score, it’s important to understand that DA is a relative metric. There isn’t a single “good” score—it depends on your industry, competition, and the size of your site. However, here’s a rough breakdown:
- 1–30: Typically new or smaller sites with room to grow.
- 31–50: A moderate score, common for sites still building their backlink profile.
- 51–60: Strong, a reputable site with solid authority.
- 61+: Excellent, usually well-established sites in competitive industries.
Tip: Compare your DA to your competitors’ scores rather than aiming for a specific number. If your competitors have a DA in the 40s, a similar or higher score could be considered “good” for your niche.
Why Is Domain Authority Important?
A good domain authority score signals that your website has quality backlinks, relevance, and trustworthiness—all essential for ranking well in search engines. Higher DA scores often correlate with higher rankings, leading to better organic traffic and increased visibility.
Common Misconceptions about Domain Authority
Some believe domain authority is a direct factor in Google’s ranking algorithm, but it is not officially used by search engines. Instead, DA is a third-party metric created to give webmasters an idea of their site’s potential performance in search results. It’s also common to think of DA as a quick fix; however, increasing it requires consistent SEO efforts, quality content, and strategic link-building over time.
How It Impacts SEO:
- Increased Ranking Potential: Websites with higher DA are more likely to rank for competitive keywords.
- Better Credibility: A higher DA establishes trust with both search engines and users, making your site appear more credible.
- SEO Benchmarking: DA serves as a benchmark for monitoring the success of your SEO efforts over time.
Why Your DA Score Can Change Without Any Work
DA is calculated on a logarithmic scale, so the higher you climb, the harder each extra point becomes. Moving from 20 to 30 is far easier than moving from 70 to 80. Scores also shift whenever Moz updates its link index, because newly discovered links, lost links and de-duplication all change the numbers even if nothing changed on your site. Look at multi-week trends against close competitors rather than reacting to a single day’s movement. For the page-level equivalent, see our guide to domain authority vs page authority.
How to Set a Realistic DA Target for Your Niche
- Pick the keyword you want to rank for and its intent.
- Check page one. Record the DA of each ranking domain using Moz Link Explorer or the MozBar extension.
- Note the range. The lower end of that range is a sensible first target.
- Compare it with your own DA. A small gap can be closed with relevant links and stronger content. A large gap needs a longer plan.
- Recheck after Moz index updates so your target stays current.
How Long Does It Take to Raise Domain Authority?
There’s no fixed timeline, because authority compounds. Early on, a few strong, relevant links can move the score quickly. Later, gains slow down and each point needs more effort. Treat any forecast as a range rather than a date: plan a conservative, a realistic and an ambitious scenario over 3, 6 and 12 months, then compare your actual progress each month. What tends to help most is relevant, in-content links from a variety of sites, content that’s worth citing, and steady monthly progress rather than a big burst followed by nothing. Don’t treat DA as the goal itself. It’s a way to judge how much work it takes to compete.
What to Work on First to Raise Your Domain Authority
If your rankings have stalled, these areas usually give the biggest gains, roughly in this order:
- Fix technical leaks. Repair broken links and 404s that have internal links pointing at them, remove redirect chains, and give orphan pages at least one internal link. This stops you wasting the authority you already have.
- Improve internal linking. Add contextual links from your strongest pages to the pages you most want to rank, and group related posts into topic clusters with a pillar page.
- Earn relevant links. Prioritise sites in or close to your niche, in-content placements and a wide spread of referring domains, built up at a steady pace.
- Make your content worth linking to. Update out-of-date pages, add real examples and templates, and answer the obvious follow-up questions on the same page before you promote it.
Run this loop for 90 days, then re-check your DA and your rankings. Don’t treat the score as the goal. Look at the traffic and revenue it’s meant to predict.
DA Isn’t the Whole Picture
Search engines look at far more than a single authority score. A site with deep, focused coverage of one topic can outrank a larger, more general domain on that topic, and consistent branding, author information and mentions across the web all help build trust. Use DA as a benchmark, and pair it with topical depth and a clear brand presence.
Tools for Measuring Domain Authority
While Moz provides a clear DA measurement, several other tools also offer authority metrics. Ahrefs ranks domains by its Domain Rating (DR), and SEMrush uses Authority Score (AS). These tools incorporate similar metrics, such as the quality and quantity of backlinks, to help users gauge their website’s strength. Comparing results across different platforms can provide a more comprehensive understanding of your site’s position.
How to Improve Your Domain Authority Score
Now that you know what is a good domain authority score, let’s look at how you can improve your DA and climb the rankings.
1. Focus on Quality Backlinks
One of the best ways to increase your domain authority is by earning backlinks from high-authority sites. The more quality backlinks you have, the more search engines trust your website.
Tip: Focus on guest blogging, outreach campaigns, and creating shareable content to earn backlinks naturally.
2. Create High-Value Content
Great content attracts backlinks. The more valuable and unique your content is, the more likely other sites will link to it, improving your DA.
Tip: Consider writing comprehensive guides, conducting original research, or publishing infographics that others in your industry will want to reference.
3. Optimize On-Page SEO
While backlinks are crucial, don’t neglect on-page SEO. Optimize your website’s content, meta tags, and internal linking structure to enhance its visibility and user experience.
Tip: Regularly audit your site for broken links, outdated content, and slow page load times, all of which can affect your DA.
4. Improve Site Usability and Technical SEO
Search engines favor websites with fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and good user experience. Improving your technical SEO can positively impact your domain authority score.
Tip: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse to monitor and improve your website’s performance.
5. Diversify Your Backlink Profile
Don’t rely on backlinks from just one or two sources. A varied link profile with links from different websites, including guest posts, directories, and social media, appears more natural and can help improve your DA.
Tip: Aim to build a mix of follow and nofollow backlinks to maintain a balanced profile.
Conclusion
So, what is a good domain authority score? It depends on your niche, competitors, and the size of your website. While aiming for a higher score is beneficial, it’s crucial to focus on relative growth in your industry. Improving your domain authority takes time, but by focusing on quality backlinks, strong content, and technical SEO, you’ll see steady progress. Keep optimizing, track your DA score, and compare it with competitors to measure your SEO success.
Domain Authority FAQs
What does domain authority mean?
Domain authority (DA) is a score from 1 to 100, developed by Moz, that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results. It’s based mainly on the quantity and quality of links pointing to the site.
Is domain authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Google doesn’t use DA. It’s a third-party metric, but it’s useful for benchmarking your site against competitors.
Do relevant links count for more?
Yes. A link from a respected site in your own niche tends to be worth more than one from an unrelated site, even if the unrelated site has a higher score.
How do I check my domain authority?
Use Moz’s Link Explorer or the MozBar extension. Ahrefs and Semrush have their own authority scores, which use different data, so stick to one tool when tracking progress.
What’s the difference between domain authority and page authority?
DA estimates ranking strength for a whole domain, and page authority estimates it for a single URL. See our guide to domain authority vs page authority.
