What Is Domain Rating (DR) vs Domain Authority (DA)?
Updated: Sep 10
Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) are two of the most commonly used third-party SEO metrics for evaluating websites and backlink profiles.
They look similar because both use a 0 to 100-style scale and are often used to compare websites. But they are not the same metric, they are not calculated by the same company, and neither one is a Google ranking score.
Domain Rating is Ahrefs’ metric for measuring the relative strength of a website’s backlink profile. Domain Authority is Moz’s predictive score for how likely a website is to rank in search results.
Understanding the difference matters when you are evaluating competitors, researching backlink opportunities, or deciding where to invest your link-building efforts.
This guide explains how DR and DA work, what they can and cannot tell you, and how to use them without treating either score as a substitute for actual SEO analysis.
DR vs DA at a Glance
Metric | Domain Rating (DR) | Domain Authority (DA) |
Developed by | Ahrefs | Moz |
Main purpose | Measures relative backlink-profile strength | Predicts ranking potential |
Scale | 0 to 100 | 1 to 100 |
Primary data | Backlink profile | Moz's link data and predictive model |
Google metric? | No | No |
Useful for | Backlink research and link prospecting | Competitive benchmarking |
Higher score means | Stronger backlink profile within Ahrefs' index | Greater predicted ability to rank within Moz's model |
Should it be used alone? | No | No |
The most important point is simple: DR and DA are third-party SEO benchmarks, not measures of how Google officially scores a website.
Google has its own ranking systems and uses many signals to determine which pages appear for a query. Google specifically explains that PageRank and other link-analysis systems are part of Search, but PageRank is only one part of a much broader ranking system.
What Is Domain Rating (DR)?
Domain Rating (DR) is an Ahrefs metric that measures the relative strength of a website's backlink profile.
It is scored from 0 to 100 using a logarithmic scale. As the score gets higher, gaining additional points generally becomes more difficult.
DR is primarily concerned with the link relationships between websites. It does not directly measure a site's content quality, organic traffic, brand reputation, or technical SEO performance.
Ahrefs describes DR as a measure of "link popularity" and calculates it using information about referring domains and the strength of those linking domains.
How Is Domain Rating Calculated?
Ahrefs' explanation of DR centers on three important factors:
The number of unique referring domains linking to a website
The DR of those referring domains
How many unique domains those referring websites link to
Ahrefs also considers whether links are followed. Nofollowed links do not increase a site's DR in the same way as followed links.
The basic concept can be illustrated like this:
More relevant referring domains + stronger referring domains + fewer competing outbound domains = greater potential contribution to DR
However, this does not mean that every backlink from a high-DR website is automatically valuable.
For example, a high-DR publication may link to thousands of different domains. The DR contribution from an individual link can therefore be very different from what the site's headline DR score might suggest.
Ahrefs also warns against treating DR as a standalone measure of website quality or legitimacy. A site can have a high DR without necessarily being a strong backlink prospect.
What Does a High DR Actually Tell You?
A high DR generally indicates that a website has a comparatively strong backlink profile within Ahrefs' index.
It can be useful for:
Comparing the backlink strength of competitors
Prioritizing potential link prospects
Identifying websites with established link profiles
Understanding the relative strength of different domains
Finding sites that may be worth investigating further
But DR does not prove that a website is trustworthy, relevant, reputable, or worth pursuing for a backlink.
A site with DR 80 can still have poor editorial standards, irrelevant traffic, weak topical relevance, or a backlink profile that does not make it appropriate for your campaign.
What Is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority (DA) is a proprietary Moz metric designed to predict how likely a website is to rank in search engine results.
DA uses a 1 to 100 scale. Higher scores indicate stronger predicted ranking potential within Moz's model.
Unlike DR, which is specifically focused on backlink-profile strength, DA is designed as a predictive metric. Moz uses link data and a machine learning model to estimate a site's ability to rank.
That distinction is important.
DA is not Google's assessment of a website's authority.
It is Moz's estimate based on its own data and methodology.
How Is Domain Authority Calculated?
Moz uses data from its link index and a machine learning model to calculate DA.
The model looks at a site's link-related characteristics and compares them with patterns associated with websites that rank in search results.
Because DA is a predictive metric, the score should be interpreted as a comparative benchmark, not a direct measurement of Google's ranking systems.
This means a DA score can be useful when comparing similar websites, but it should not be interpreted as:
"Google considers this website to have an authority score of 70."
"Google does not publish a Domain Authority score for websites."
Domain Rating vs Domain Authority: The Key Difference
The easiest way to remember the distinction is:
DR measures backlink-profile strength.
DA predicts ranking potential.
Both metrics rely heavily on link data, which is one reason they can sometimes produce similar-looking results. But their underlying methodologies and purposes are different.
DR is particularly useful when your question is:
"How strong is this website's backlink profile compared with other websites in Ahrefs?"
DA is more useful when your question is:
"How does this website's predicted ranking ability compare with other websites according to Moz?"
Neither question is exactly the same as:
"Will Google rank this website higher?"
"That last question requires much broader analysis."
DR vs DA: Which Metric Should You Use?
There is no universally better metric.
The better choice depends on what you are trying to evaluate.
Use DR for Backlink Prospecting
DR can be useful when building a list of potential backlink opportunities.
For example, imagine you have 200 websites that are relevant to your industry.
You could use DR as one filtering criterion to identify websites with established backlink profiles.
But don't stop there.
A better prospecting process combines DR with:
Topical relevance
Organic search visibility
Relevant traffic
Referring domains
Content quality
Editorial standards
Link placement opportunities
Audience fit
Page-level relevance
Spam risk
This prevents a common mistake: choosing a website simply because its DR is high.
Use DA for Competitive Benchmarking
DA can be useful when comparing your website with competitors inside the Moz ecosystem.
For example, if several direct competitors have significantly higher DA scores, that may indicate differences in their link profiles and broader competitive strength.
But the score should be treated as a starting point for investigation.
Look at the actual pages ranking for your target queries, the referring domains behind those pages, the quality and relevance of their content, and the strength of the competitors' overall search presence.
What DR and DA Cannot Tell You
This is where many SEO teams misuse third-party authority metrics.
Neither DR nor DA can answer every question you need to make a good link-building decision.
1. They Don't Prove Website Quality
A high score does not automatically mean a website is reputable.
A site can have a strong backlink profile while publishing poor content or operating in a niche unrelated to yours.
2. They Don't Prove Topical Relevance
A DR 80 website about an unrelated subject may be a worse prospect than a DR 35 website that publishes consistently about your industry.
Relevance should be evaluated before the authority score.
3. They Don't Tell You Whether a Site Has Real Organic Visibility
A domain can have a strong backlink profile but very little useful search traffic.
Check organic visibility separately.
4. They Don't Guarantee Rankings
A higher DR or DA does not guarantee that a page will outrank another page.
Google uses many ranking systems and signals, and Google states that its ranking systems work at the page level as well as using some site-wide signals.
5. They Don't Measure the Value of Every Individual Link
A site's overall DR does not tell you exactly how valuable one particular backlink will be.
You still need to consider the linking page, context, relevance, placement, surrounding content, and whether the link is editorially appropriate.
6. They Don't Replace Human Review
Third-party metrics are useful for scaling analysis, but they should support human judgment rather than replace it.
A Better Backlink Prospect Evaluation Framework
Instead of asking only:
"What is the DR or DA?"
Use a broader evaluation framework.
Factor | What to Check |
Relevance | Does the site cover your industry or audience? |
Organic visibility | Does it receive meaningful search traffic? |
Referring domains | Does it have a diverse backlink profile? |
DR/DA | How does its authority compare with relevant competitors? |
Content quality | Is the content useful, original, and well maintained? |
Editorial quality | Does the site publish genuine editorial content? |
Link placement | Could the link appear naturally within relevant content? |
Audience fit | Would the site's readers actually benefit from your resource? |
Spam risk | Does the site appear dominated by low-value or manipulative content? |
Commercial intent | Is the site primarily built to sell links? |
This approach produces a much better prospect list than sorting hundreds of websites by DR or DA alone.
Example
Suppose you have two potential websites:
Website A
DR: 75
High number of backlinks
Very broad topic coverage
Little relevant traffic
Many commercial guest posts
Weak audience overlap
Website B
DR: 42
Strong topical relevance
Real organic visibility
Engaged industry audience
Natural opportunity for a contextual reference
Website A has the higher DR.
Website B may still be the better backlink opportunity.
The metric is only one part of the decision.
Are DR and DA Ranking Factors?
No. DR and DA are not Google ranking factors.
They are proprietary metrics created by third-party SEO platforms
.
Google's ranking systems use many signals to determine which pages are relevant and useful for a search. Google also confirms that link analysis and PageRank remain part of its ranking systems, but it does not use Ahrefs' DR or Moz's DA as its own scores.
This distinction matters because it changes how you interpret your reporting.
If your DR increases from 40 to 50, that does not automatically mean your Google rankings will improve.
Likewise, if your DA falls, it does not automatically mean that your organic traffic will fall.
A change in a third-party metric can reflect changes in that platform's index, methodology, or the relative strength of other websites in its database.
Why Do DR and DA Sometimes Move in Different Directions?
It is normal for the same website to have different DR and DA scores.
Ahrefs and Moz have different:
Crawlers
Link indexes
Data sets
Calculation methodologies
Scoring systems
Models
As a result, the same backlink profile can produce different scores.
For example, a website might have a DR of 55 and a DA of 42.
That does not necessarily mean one platform is wrong.
It means the two platforms are measuring or modeling the site's strength differently.
The important thing is to compare like with like.
If you are using DR for a campaign, use DR consistently across the sites you are evaluating.
If you are using DA for competitive benchmarking, use DA consistently.
Avoid treating the two scales as interchangeable.
Does a Higher DR Mean a Better Backlink?
Not necessarily.
DR can help you prioritize prospects, but a high score does not automatically make a backlink valuable.
A strong backlink prospect should ideally have:
Relevant subject matter
A real audience
Meaningful organic visibility
Strong editorial standards
A natural reason to reference your content
A relevant page where the link could fit
A backlink profile that does not raise obvious quality concerns
This is why a lower-DR site can sometimes be a better opportunity than a much higher-DR site.
Relevance and genuine editorial value matter.
How Should You Improve DR and DA?
Don't build your entire SEO strategy around increasing either metric.
Instead, focus on activities that create genuine search value and naturally strengthen your backlink profile.
Create Link-Worthy Content
Original research, useful resources, industry studies, data analysis, tools, expert commentary, and genuinely useful guides can give other websites a reason to reference your work.
Earn Relevant Editorial Links
Prioritize links that make sense because another publisher wants to provide useful information to its audience.
Use Digital PR
Digital PR can help brands earn coverage and links by giving journalists, publishers, and industry websites something genuinely useful to reference.
Build Relationships in Your Industry
Strong relationships can create opportunities for expert contributions, interviews, research collaborations, original commentary, and editorial mentions.
Improve the Pages You Actually Want to Rank
Don't focus only on increasing your domain-level score.
If your objective is to improve the visibility of a specific commercial or informational page, build useful content and relevant links that support that page.
Ahrefs itself recommends focusing link-building efforts on the pages you want to rank rather than simply trying to increase DR.
What About Buying Links?
This is an important distinction.
Buying advertising or sponsorship placements is not automatically prohibited.
However, Google says links that are paid for advertising purposes should be appropriately qualified, such as with nofollow or sponsored, when applicable.
Google's spam policies also identify buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges, automated link creation, low-quality directory links, and other manipulative practices as examples of link spam.
The goal should therefore be to earn links because the content or resource deserves to be referenced, rather than treating DR or DA as a number to manipulate.
How to Report DR and DA to Clients
Third-party authority metrics are most useful when they are presented with context.
Instead of reporting:
"Our DR increased by 10 points, so SEO performance improved."
Use language such as:
"Our backlink profile strengthened according to Ahrefs, while organic traffic and target-page rankings were monitored separately."
For link-building campaigns, report metrics such as:
New referring domains
Relevant referring domains
Links earned
Target pages receiving links
Organic traffic
Target keyword rankings
Referral traffic
Conversions
Link relevance
Editorial quality
This creates a much clearer picture of whether your SEO investment is actually producing business value.
DR vs DA: The Bottom Line
Domain Rating and Domain Authority are useful SEO metrics, but they answer different questions.
DR is Ahrefs' measure of relative backlink-profile strength.
DA is Moz's predictive measure of ranking potential.
Neither is a Google metric, and neither should be treated as a direct measurement of Google's view of your website.
For link prospecting, DR can be a useful screening metric. For competitive benchmarking, DA can provide another useful comparison point. But both become much more valuable when combined with relevance, organic visibility, content quality, editorial standards, and actual search performance.
The best link-building strategy is not the one that produces the highest DR or DA.
It is the one that earns relevant, credible references that support your content, improve your visibility, and contribute to real business outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DR better than DA?
Neither is universally better.
DR is particularly useful for evaluating relative backlink-profile strength and prioritizing link prospects. DA is designed to predict ranking potential and can be useful for competitive benchmarking.
The right metric depends on the question you are trying to answer.
Can a website have a high DR but a low DA?
Yes.
Ahrefs and Moz use different datasets, indexes, methodologies, and models. There is no requirement for a website to have similar DR and DA scores.
Is DR a Google ranking factor?
No.
DR is an Ahrefs metric, not a Google ranking score. Google uses its own ranking systems and signals.
Is DA a Google ranking factor?
No.
DA is a proprietary Moz metric designed to predict ranking potential. Google does not publish or use Moz's DA score as its own ranking metric.
Is a high-DR website always a good backlink opportunity?
No.
A high DR can be useful for prioritization, but you should also evaluate topical relevance, organic visibility, editorial quality, audience fit, link placement, and spam risk.
What is more important than DR or DA when evaluating a backlink?
The most important factors depend on the campaign, but a strong evaluation should consider relevance, editorial quality, organic visibility, audience fit, the quality of the linking page, and whether the link is a natural editorial reference.
DR or DA should be supporting evidence, not the entire decision.
Should I try to increase my DR or DA?
Don't make the score itself your primary SEO objective.
Focus on creating valuable content, earning relevant editorial links, improving the pages you want to rank, and increasing qualified organic visibility. DR and DA can then be monitored as secondary indicators of how your backlink profile compares within third-party databases.
Can a drop in DR or DA hurt my Google rankings?
Not directly.
A drop in a third-party metric does not automatically cause a drop in Google rankings. However, the underlying changes in your backlink profile could matter if you have actually lost valuable links or if other meaningful changes have occurred.
Monitor organic traffic, rankings, conversions, referring domains, and important backlinks alongside third-party authority metrics.
Build Better Links, Not Just Higher Scores
DR and DA are useful shortcuts for SEO analysis, but they should never become the goal of your link-building strategy.
The strongest campaigns look beyond a single number.
Evaluate the website, the audience, the content, the backlink profile, the editorial opportunity, and the relevance of the link. Then use DR and DA as additional context when deciding where to invest your time.
For a more comprehensive approach, explore 10x Linkbuilding and Content Services as part of your broader link acquisition and digital PR strategy.
