What Is Domain Authority in SEO?

Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results. Scores range from 1 to 100, with higher scores reflecting stronger authority. At Omega Trove, we help clients improve domain authority by building trust, backlinks, and high-quality content.

What Does Domain Authority Mean in Search Engine Optimization?

In SEO, DA is a comparative strength indicator. For example:

• A DA 80 site (like Forbes) is much harder to outrank than a DA 20 local blog.
  
• Businesses can benchmark DA against competitors to set realistic SEO goals.
  

While not a Google ranking factor, domain authority is widely used as a proxy for site strength and credibility.

Why Domain Authority Matters for Business Strategy

DA helps businesses measure progress and competitiveness.

Benefits of Domain Authority:

• Provides benchmarks against competitors
  
• Correlates with higher visibility and rankings
  
• Reflects the quality of backlink profiles
  
• Helps set realistic SEO targets
  
• Increases trust when cited or linked by high-DA sites
  

How Omega Trove Builds Domain Authority

Omega Trove strengthens DA with ethical, long-term SEO strategies:

• Securing high-quality backlinks from trusted sites
  
• Creating authoritative content that attracts natural links
  
• Removing toxic backlinks that can harm credibility
  
• Improving technical SEO for crawlability and performance
  
• Aligning strategies with on-page and off-page SEO signals
  

Learn more about our SEO services.

Related Terms You Should Know

• Backlink – The biggest factor influencing domain authority.
  
• Off-Page SEO – Core strategy for building DA.
  
• Anchor Text – Affects how link equity flows to a domain.
  

Frequently Asked Questions

What is domain authority in SEO?

Domain Authority (DA) is a score from 1 to 100, developed by Moz, that predicts how well a website is likely to rank in search engine results. Higher scores indicate greater trust and stronger backlink profiles. It’s widely used as a comparative metric in SEO strategy.

Is domain authority a Google ranking factor?

No. Google does not use Domain Authority as a ranking factor. However, DA correlates with search performance because it reflects signals like link quality and site trust—factors that do impact rankings.

How is domain authority calculated?

Domain Authority is based on several factors, including:

• Number and quality of backlinks
• Number of referring root domains
• Link diversity and relevance
• Moz’s proprietary machine learning models

These elements combine to estimate a site’s overall strength compared to others in the index.

What is a good domain authority score?

A “good” DA score is relative. Local business sites may perform well with a DA of 20–30, while large national brands typically exceed DA 60. The key is to benchmark against direct competitors in your niche, not against giants like Amazon or Forbes.

How can I improve domain authority?

To raise your DA score, focus on:

• Earning backlinks from authoritative, relevant sites
• Publishing valuable, shareable content
• Fixing broken links and technical SEO issues
• Removing toxic or spammy backlinks
• Building internal link structure for stronger equity flow

Consistency and content quality play major roles in long-term improvement.

Does content quality affect domain authority?

Yes. High-quality content that attracts backlinks naturally boosts DA. Long-form guides, original research, visual assets, and well-structured blogs tend to earn more links from trusted domains.

Content that satisfies search intent and solves user problems earns the type of links that increase authority.

Can bad backlinks hurt domain authority?

Absolutely. Toxic backlinks from spammy, irrelevant, or penalized domains can reduce trust and lower your score. Regular backlink audits are essential to remove or disavow harmful links and maintain a healthy profile.

How often does Moz update domain authority scores?

Moz updates Domain Authority regularly, often once per month. Updates reflect new link data and algorithm refinements, so scores may fluctuate based on industry trends or competitor performance.

Should domain authority be your main SEO goal?

No. Domain Authority is a helpful benchmark, but it should not be your primary KPI. Instead, focus on real outcomes like:

• Organic traffic growth
• Keyword rankings
• Conversion rates
• Local visibility

Use DA to measure progress, but prioritize metrics that directly impact business goals.

What’s the difference between DA and PA?

DA (Domain Authority) measures the ranking potential of an entire domain, while PA (Page Authority) estimates the strength of a single URL. Both are Moz metrics, and they often complement each other in SEO analysis.