Domain Rating vs Domain Authority: What DR and DA Mean for Link Building
Domain Rating vs Domain Authority explained: what DR and DA measure, how they differ, what a good score is and how to judge a link beyond the number.
Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) are both scores from 0 to 100 that estimate how strong a website’s backlink profile is. DR comes from Ahrefs and DA comes from Moz. Neither is used by Google, but both are the most common way agencies compare sites when they buy or build links.
This guide explains what each metric measures, how they differ, what a good score looks like and how to judge a link beyond the number. It matters because most link providers, including our own guest posts priced by DR, use these scores to set prices.
What is Domain Rating (DR)?
Domain Rating is Ahrefs’ measure of the strength of a website’s backlink profile. It looks at how many unique websites link to a site and how strong those linking sites are. The scale is logarithmic, so moving from DR 70 to 80 is much harder than moving from 20 to 30.
What is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority is Moz’s score predicting how likely a site is to rank in search results, based mainly on its links. It is also logarithmic, and Moz describes it as a comparative metric rather than an absolute one.
Domain Rating vs Domain Authority at a glance
| Domain Rating (DR) | Domain Authority (DA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Ahrefs | Moz |
| Scale | 0–100, logarithmic | 0–100, logarithmic |
| Based on | Links from unique domains and their strength | Link data, used to predict ranking ability |
| Used by Google? | No | No |
| Best used for | Comparing sites within Ahrefs | Comparing sites within Moz |
Because they use different link indexes and formulas, the same site can show DR 45 and DA 32, or the other way round. Compare sites using one metric, not a mix of both.
What is a good domain authority or domain rating?
There’s no universal “good” score. It depends on the niche and on who you’re competing with:
- Local businesses can rank well in their area with a modest score, because local results lean on the Google Business Profile, reviews and citations.
- National or competitive niches usually need much stronger profiles.
The useful question isn’t “is this score good?” but “how does it compare with the sites already ranking?” Check the top results for the client’s main keywords and note their scores.
Why DR alone isn’t enough to judge a link
A site’s DR can be inflated by links that don’t reflect real trust. Before you pay for a link, check four things alongside the score:
- Relevance: does the site cover the client’s niche or location?
- Real organic traffic: does the site rank for anything, and is traffic stable?
- Outbound links: does it link out to every topic for a fee?
- Content quality: would a real reader find the page useful?
A DR 35 site in the client’s niche with steady traffic is often worth more than a DR 70 site that publishes anything. That’s why link prices that rise with DR should always come with traffic and relevance checks. We go deeper on what moves the price in link building pricing.
Example: comparing two link offers
| Site A | Site B | |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating | DR 68 | DR 38 |
| Topic | General news, every topic | The client’s industry |
| Organic traffic | Falling, mostly from unrelated keywords | Steady, from industry keywords |
| Outbound links | Dozens of paid links per page | Editorial links only |
| Verdict | Risky, despite the higher score | The better link |
The higher number doesn’t make Site A the better choice. Relevance, real readers and editorial standards matter more than the score.
How to raise a site’s DR or DA
Both scores rise when more strong, unique websites link to the site. In practice:
- Earn links from relevant sites through outreach and guest posts
- Create pages worth linking to, such as data, guides and tools
- Turn existing brand mentions into links
- Build a natural base of profile and directory links on newer sites
Don’t chase the number for its own sake. Focus on links that would be worth having even if the scores didn’t exist, and plan the anchor text for each link so the profile stays natural.
Using DR and DA in client reports
Clients often ask about DR or DA because they’ve seen it in a tool. Show it as a trend over time, next to the metrics that matter more: rankings for target pages, organic traffic and enquiries. A rising score with flat traffic is not a win.