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How-to guide, 4 steps

How to Check Domain Authority (DA, DR, and What They Mean)

Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) are two of the most commonly cited metrics in SEO, and two of the most misunderstood. They're not Google metrics; they're tool-specific estimates of link authority. Here's how to check them, what they actually measure, and how to use them properly.

Edited bySunny Patel

How this site is paid for

Third-party authority metrics are estimates, not Google scores

What they are good for

  • Comparing sites on one tool's scale
  • Screening link prospects
  • Tracking your own trend

What they are not

  • A Google ranking factor
  • Comparable across tools (DR, DA and AS differ)
  • A measure of relevance or traffic
Ahrefs, Moz and Semrush each compute their own score from their own link data, so only compare numbers from the same tool.

  1. Step 1: Check Domain Rating (DR) with Ahrefs

    Go to Ahrefs' free domain checker or your Site Explorer. Enter any domain and you'll get the DR score (0-100) alongside total referring domains and linked domains. DR measures the strength of a domain's backlink profile relative to all other sites in Ahrefs' database.

    Tool for this stepAhrefs

    from £23/mo

    Ahrefs' DR is a widely quoted domain-level authority metric among SEO professionals, calculated from Ahrefs' own backlink data.

    Ahrefs plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Moz Pro (from $49/mo)

  2. Step 2: Check Domain Authority (DA) with Moz

    Moz's Domain Authority is the original authority score. Check it via the free MozBar Chrome extension or Moz's Link Explorer. DA also runs 0-100 but uses a different calculation. Both metrics are useful, but don't compare them directly.

    Tool for this stepMoz Pro

    from $49/mo

    Moz's DA is widely used in link building outreach because many bloggers and site owners are familiar with it. When evaluating link prospects, they'll often quote DA, so knowing how to read it matters.

    Moz Pro plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Ahrefs (from £23/mo)

  3. Step 3: Check Authority Score (AS) in Semrush

    Semrush has its own domain-level metric called Authority Score. It combines backlink data with organic search performance and spam detection. Check it in Semrush's Domain Overview. It's particularly useful because it factors in whether a site is actively generating traffic.

    Tool for this stepSemrush

    from £113.40/mo

    Semrush describes Authority Score as combining link data with organic traffic and spam signals, so a high AS alongside real organic traffic is a stronger signal than a link-only score.

    Semrush plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Serpstat (from $129/mo)

  4. Step 4: Use domain authority to evaluate link prospects

    When assessing a site for link building, look at DR/DA/AS alongside the site's organic traffic (via Semrush or Ahrefs estimates). A DR 50 site with 500 organic monthly visitors is less valuable than a DR 35 site with 50,000 monthly visitors. Traffic indicates real authority.

    Tool for this stepAhrefs

    from £23/mo

    Ahrefs shows both DR and estimated organic traffic on the same overview screen, making it easy to spot high-DR, low-traffic sites that may have inflated scores from bought links.

    Ahrefs plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Semrush (from £113.40/mo)