Domain Authority falls under the category of Off-page SEO metrics.
It’s a predictive ranking score developed by Moz that estimates how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).
While not an official Google ranking factor, it’s considered part of off-page SEO because it primarily measures external factors like:
- The quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to your domain
- The authority of the sites linking to you
- The overall link profile of your website
Unlike on-page SEO factors (which focus on content optimization and technical elements within your website), Domain Authority looks at external signals that indicate your site’s reputation and trustworthiness across the broader internet ecosystem.
However, it’s worth noting that Domain Authority intersects with other SEO categories as well, particularly technical SEO, since factors like site structure and crawlability can indirectly impact your ability to build authoritative backlinks.
Although DA is not the only way website authority is measured, it is widely used and recognised.
Generally, Domain Authority is scored on a scale from 0 to 100. A brand-new website will have a DA of 0, while the highest DA currently is Facebook, which is a maximum of 100.
The DA figure considers around 40 different SEO elements of a website. While this doesn’t provide a complete picture of your website’s SEO (Google’s algorithm factors in over 200), it does indicate how your site compares to others and whether you can expect to rank higher or lower.
Two key points about how Domain Authority changes:
DA changes do not happen overnight; it takes time to see movement.
The higher your DA, the harder it becomes to make large upward movements compared to lower DAs.
For example, moving from a DA of 65 to 75 is more difficult than moving from 25 to 35.
5 Ways to Improve Your Domain Authority:
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Create high-quality, linkable content that naturally attracts backlinks.
This means developing comprehensive resources, original research, industry studies, or unique insights that other websites will want to reference and link to. Focus on creating content that solves specific problems or provides valuable information for your target audience.
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Build quality backlinks through targeted outreach and relationship building.
Partner with reputable websites in your industry, contribute guest posts to authoritative sites, participate in expert roundups, and engage in digital PR to earn legitimate, relevant backlinks. Remember that the quality of backlinks matters more than quantity.
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Audit and remove toxic backlinks regularly.
Keep your link profile clean by identifying and disavowing spammy or low-quality backlinks that could harm your domain authority. Use tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO tools to monitor your backlink profile and take action when necessary.
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Improve your internal linking structure and technical SEO.
While Domain Authority primarily focuses on external factors, a well-organized site architecture helps search engines better understand and crawl your content, which can indirectly impact your ability to earn quality backlinks. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and has a logical structure.
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Focus on building your brand presence and social signals.
While social shares aren’t direct ranking factors, they can increase your content’s visibility and lead to more natural backlinks. Develop a strong social media presence, engage with your audience, and create shareable content that encourages social distribution and eventual linking.
