What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It's scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater potential for ranking.
How to Check Domain Authority
Before we dive into how DA affects SEO, let's first understand how to check domain authority. Here are the most popular tools:
Moz (Free & Paid)
- • Free: MozBar browser extension
- • Free: Link Explorer (limited queries)
- • Paid: Moz Pro ($99/month)
- • Most accurate DA scores
Ahrefs (Paid)
- • Paid: Ahrefs ($99/month)
- • Domain Rating (DR) metric
- • Comprehensive backlink analysis
- • Competitor research tools
SEMrush (Paid)
- • Paid: SEMrush ($119/month)
- • Authority Score metric
- • SEO and PPC tools
- • Keyword research included
Free Alternatives
- • Free: Ubersuggest (limited)
- • Free: Small SEO Tools
- • Free: CheckMyLinks
- • Basic DA checking available
How Domain Authority Affects SEO
While Google doesn't directly use Domain Authority as a ranking factor, websites with higher DA typically:
- Have more high-quality backlinks pointing to them
- Receive more organic traffic from search engines
- Are considered more authoritative by search engines
- Have better chances of ranking for competitive keywords
Building Domain Authority Through Backlinks
The most effective way to increase your domain authority is by acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites. Here's how:
1. Focus on Quality Over Quantity
One backlink from a DA 90 website is worth more than 100 backlinks from DA 20 websites. Always prioritize quality and relevance when building backlinks.
2. Diversify Your Link Profile
A healthy link profile includes backlinks from various sources:
Content-Based Links
- • Guest posting
- • Resource page mentions
- • Broken link building
- • Skyscraper technique
Relationship-Based Links
- • Industry partnerships
- • Influencer collaborations
- • Community engagement
- • PR and media outreach
3. Monitor Your Progress
Use tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to track your domain authority and backlink profile. Regular monitoring helps you identify opportunities and measure success.
Best Practices for Link Building
✅ Do This
- • Create valuable, shareable content
- • Build relationships with industry influencers
- • Focus on relevant, high-authority websites
- • Use natural, contextual anchor text
- • Monitor and disavow toxic backlinks
❌ Avoid This
- • Buying low-quality backlinks
- • Using exact-match anchor text excessively
- • Ignoring link relevance and context
- • Focusing only on quantity over quality
- • Neglecting your website's content quality
Measuring Success
Track these key metrics to measure your link building success:
Conclusion
Building domain authority through high-quality backlinks is a long-term strategy that requires patience and consistent effort. Focus on creating valuable content, building genuine relationships, and acquiring links from authoritative, relevant websites. Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.
Recommended DA Checking Tools
Here are the most reliable tools for checking domain authority, from free options to premium solutions:
| Tool | Price | DA Metric | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| MozBar | Free | Domain Authority | Quick DA checks |
| Moz Link Explorer | Free (10 queries/month) | Domain Authority | Basic link analysis |
| Moz Pro | $99/month | Domain Authority | Professional SEO |
| Ahrefs | $99/month | Domain Rating (DR) | Comprehensive SEO |
| SEMrush | $119/month | Authority Score | Full SEO suite |
| Ubersuggest | Free (limited) | Domain Score | Budget-friendly |