What is Domain Authority DA? In Plain English

In Plain English

Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by the company Moz. It predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engines compared to other websites.

The score ranges from 1 to 100. Higher scores mean a stronger domain with a better chance of ranking well.

Think of DA like a credit score for your website — it doesn’t guarantee results, but it gives an idea of your site’s overall strength.

How Domain Authority is Calculated

DA looks at factors such as:

• The number of other websites linking to you (backlinks).
• The quality and authority of those linking sites.
• The overall link profile of your domain.

Moz uses its own index of the web to generate the score. It is not a Google ranking factor, but many SEOs use it as a comparison tool.

Why DA Matters

• Benchmarking: Helps you compare your site against competitors.
• Link building: Shows how valuable a backlink from a site might be.
• Tracking growth: Improvements in DA often reflect stronger authority and better link quality over time.

FAQs

Q: Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Google does not use DA. It’s a third-party metric created by Moz.

Q: What is a good DA score?
It depends on your industry. A score of 20 might be strong in a small niche, while larger sites may need 50+.

Q: How can I improve DA?
By earning high-quality backlinks, creating valuable content, and improving your overall SEO profile.