Domain Authority (DA)
A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results, scored on a scale from 1 to 100.
Domain authority is a metric created by Moz that estimates how well your website will rank in search engine results. Scored from 1 to 100, higher numbers indicate a greater ability to rank. A brand-new website might start with a DA of 1, while major sites like Wikipedia or Google.com score in the 90s. Most small business websites fall somewhere in the 10-40 range, which is perfectly normal and competitive for local searches.
It’s important to understand that DA is not a Google metric — it’s a third-party prediction tool. Google doesn’t use domain authority in its ranking algorithm. However, DA is still useful as a comparative benchmark. It helps you gauge your site’s strength relative to competitors and track your progress over time. If your DA increases from 15 to 30 over a year, you’re generally building a stronger web presence.
The primary factor that influences domain authority is the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your website. When reputable, relevant websites link to yours, it signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable. Other factors include your site’s age, content quality, and overall SEO health. Building DA is a long-term process — there are no quick fixes.
For small business owners, focus less on chasing a specific DA number and more on the activities that improve it: creating valuable content that people want to link to, building relationships with complementary businesses, getting listed in quality directories, and earning local press coverage.