Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages. Scored on a logarithmic scale from 1 to 100, DA is used as a relative metric to compare your website's authority against competitors—not as an absolute ranking indicator.
Domain Authority is Moz's proprietary metric and is NOT a Google ranking factor. Google's original PageRank algorithm is an internal signal Google uses, but it's no longer publicly exposed via the Toolbar PageRank that used to show in browsers. DA correlates with Google rankings because both are heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of backlinks—but they are fundamentally different systems. OpenPageRank (from OpenPageRank.io) is a more modern public approximation of Google's PageRank, which Traffic-Checker uses in its calculations.
Moz's DA score factors in: the total number of linking root domains, the quality (authority) of those linking domains, the total number of backlinks, and MozRank/MozTrust scores. The scale is logarithmic, meaning it's significantly harder to increase from DA 70 to DA 80 than from DA 10 to DA 20. New websites start with a DA of 1.
DA changes based on what's happening across the entire web—not just your site. If many new high-authority sites launch or gain links, the relative DA of existing sites may drop even without any changes to your own link profile. Moz recalculates DA regularly as they update their link index. Don't panic over small fluctuations; focus on the long-term trend.
The most effective ways to build Domain Authority: (1) Earn high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites—one DR 80 link is worth more than 100 DR 20 links. (2) Audit and disavow toxic backlinks that drag your profile down. (3) Create genuinely linkable content (original research, data, infographics, ultimate guides). (4) Internal linking—ensure your internal link structure passes equity to important pages. (5) Remove 301 redirect chains; ensure all links point directly to canonical URLs.
You can check your domain's authority score instantly using Traffic-Checker's free Website Traffic Checker. Our tool provides an Authority Score modeled on logarithmic PageRank approximations using OpenPageRank data and domain age signals—giving you a reliable indication of your site's relative authority without requiring paid subscriptions.
Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages. Scored on a logarithmic scale from 1 to 100, DA is... Browse all SEO guides →
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