Domain authority
doh-MAYN aw-THOR-ih-tee
A score predicting how well a website will rank in search results, based on its backlink profile and overall site quality.
Domain authority is a metric created by Moz that predicts how well a site will rank in search results. It scores sites from 1 to 100 based on the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to the domain. Higher scores mean stronger ranking potential.
Domain authority is not a Google metric. Google has not confirmed using any single authority score. But domain authority correlates well with ranking ability because backlinks are a known ranking factor. Sites like Wikipedia (DA 95+) and GitHub (DA 95+) rank for almost everything. A brand-new blog (DA 10) struggles to rank for anything competitive.
For content marketers, domain authority matters because it determines which keywords you can realistically target. A site with DA 30 should not target 'what is marketing' against HubSpot (DA 90+). Instead, target specific long-tail queries where competition is weaker.
Examples
A startup's content team assesses their competitive position.
Their site has DA 25. Their main competitors have DA 60-80. The team focuses on long-tail keywords and niche topics where DA matters less than content quality.
A company builds domain authority through guest posts and PR.
Over 18 months, the team publishes guest posts on high-DA sites and gets press coverage from tech publications. Their DA grows from 20 to 45. Posts that previously ranked on page 3 start appearing on page 1.
A marketer uses DA to evaluate backlink opportunities.
A podcast invites them for a guest episode. The podcast's website has DA 65. A link from their show notes page would be valuable. A link from a DA 5 blog would barely move the needle.
Frequently asked questions
Is domain authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Domain authority is a third-party metric created by Moz. Google does not use it directly. But the factors that drive domain authority (quality backlinks, site trust) are correlated with what Google does use to rank pages.
What is a good domain authority score?
It is relative to your competitors. A DA of 30 is strong in a niche with mostly DA 15-25 competitors. It is weak against competitors with DA 70+. Focus on growing your DA relative to your competitive set, not hitting an absolute number.
Related terms
Links from other websites pointing to your site, which signal authority and trust to search engines.
The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query, containing organic results, ads, and rich features.
A specific, multi-word search phrase with lower volume but higher intent than broad keywords.
Links between pages on the same website that help users navigate and help search engines understand site structure.
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