What domain authority is and why it matters

Domain Authority is a score from 1 to 100 that predicts how well a website will rank in search results. It's calculated by Moz, a company that studies search engine behavior. The higher the score, the more likely that site is to appear near the top when someone searches for something related to its topic.

Domain Authority is not a Google metric — Google does not publish this number. Instead, it's a third-party estimate based on how many other websites link to the site you're checking, and how authoritative those linking sites are themselves. A site with a score of 60 will generally outrank a site with a score of 30, all else being equal.

You might check Domain Authority to understand how established a competitor's website is, to see whether a site linking to you has real reach, or to track whether your own site's authority is growing over time. It's one signal among many — a high score doesn't may provide traffic, and a low score doesn't mean a site is worthless.

Key Takeaways

  • Domain Authority is a score from 1 to 100 created by Moz that estimates how well a website will rank in search results.
  • You can check any website's Domain Authority using Moz's free browser extension, their paid subscription, or third-party tools that pull Moz data.
  • The score depends entirely on how many other sites link to the domain and how authoritative those linking sites are.
  • Domain Authority changes over time as a site gains or loses backlinks, so checking the same site weeks apart may show different scores.

Using Moz's free browser extension

The fastest way to check Domain Authority is to install Moz's free browser extension, which works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Once installed, it shows you the Domain Authority of any site you visit without leaving your browser.

Go to moz.com/tools/seo-toolbar and click the button to add the extension to your browser. When the installation finishes, you'll see a small Moz icon in your browser's toolbar. Visit any website, click that icon, and a small panel will open showing the Domain Authority score for that domain, along with a few other metrics like spam score.

This method is free and requires no account. The downside is that the extension only works when you're actively browsing — you can't bulk-check a list of 50 websites at once. If you need to check many sites regularly, a paid Moz account or a third-party tool may save you time.

Checking Domain Authority with Moz's paid tools

Moz offers a paid subscription called Moz Pro that includes a tool called Link Explorer. This tool lets you search for any domain and see its Domain Authority, along with detailed information about which sites link to it, how many backlinks it has, and how that authority has changed over the past months.

To use Link Explorer, go to moz.com/link-explorer, enter a domain name in the search box, and click the search button. If you don't have a Moz Pro account, you'll see a limited preview of the data. A full Moz Pro subscription starts at around $99 per month and includes other SEO tools beyond just Domain Authority checking.

Moz Pro is useful if you're doing SEO work regularly — for example, if you're researching competitor sites every week or tracking your own site's authority over time. For a one-time check of a single website, the free browser extension is usually enough.

Using free third-party Domain Authority checkers

Several websites offer free Domain Authority lookups by pulling data from Moz's public database. These tools work without requiring you to install anything or create an account. Search for "Domain Authority checker" and you'll find several options — common ones include SmallSEOTools, SEOQuake, and Ubersuggest's free tier.

To use one of these tools, visit the website, paste a domain name into the search box, and click the button to check. Within seconds, you'll see the Domain Authority score along with other metrics like Page Authority (which measures individual pages rather than entire domains) and spam score.

The trade-off with free third-party tools is that they may not update as frequently as Moz's own tools, so the score you see might be a few days or weeks old. They're reliable for a general sense of a site's authority, but if you need the most current data, Moz's own tools are more up-to-date.

Understanding what the Domain Authority score means

Domain Authority is a relative score, not an absolute one. A score of 45 doesn't mean anything on its own — what matters is how it compares to other sites in the same industry or niche. A local plumbing business with a Domain Authority of 25 might be very successful in its market, while a national news site with a score of 25 would be struggling.

The score is logarithmic, meaning the difference between 20 and 30 is much easier to achieve than the difference between 70 and 80. Most websites fall between 1 and 40. Scores above 60 are relatively rare and usually belong to very established sites like Wikipedia, government websites, or major news outlets.

Domain Authority can fluctuate slightly from month to month as Moz updates its data and recalculates scores based on new backlink information. A site might show a score of 32 one month and 34 the next, or even drop to 31. These small changes are normal and don't necessarily mean anything has changed with the site itself.

Checking your own website's Domain Authority

If you own a website, you can check its Domain Authority the same way you'd check any other site — use the Moz browser extension, Link Explorer, or a free third-party tool. Enter your domain name and you'll see your score.

Track your Domain Authority over time by checking it once a month and writing down the score. If it's rising, your site is gaining backlinks from authoritative sources. If it's falling or staying flat, you may need to focus on building more high-quality backlinks or creating content that other sites want to link to.

Remember that Domain Authority is just one metric. A site with a lower score can still rank well for specific keywords if the content is relevant and well-optimized. Focus on creating useful content and earning backlinks naturally — the Domain Authority score will follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Domain Authority the same as Google's ranking score?

No. Domain Authority is Moz's own estimate based on backlink data. Google uses hundreds of different factors to rank websites, and Google does not publish a single "authority" score. Domain Authority is useful as a general indicator, but it's not what Google actually uses to decide rankings.

Why does the same website show different Domain Authority scores on different tools?

Different tools may pull data from Moz at different times, or some third-party tools may use older cached data. Moz's own tools are updated most frequently. Small differences of 1 or 2 points between tools are normal and not worth worrying about.

Can I improve my website's Domain Authority quickly?

Domain Authority grows slowly as your site accumulates backlinks from other authoritative websites. There's no shortcut — buying backlinks or using link schemes can actually harm your rankings. Focus on creating content worth linking to, and your Domain Authority will increase naturally over months and years.

Does a high Domain Authority may provide good search rankings?

No. Domain Authority is one factor, but Google also considers the relevance of your content to the search query, page speed, mobile-friendliness, and many other things. A site with a lower Domain Authority can outrank a higher-authority site if its content is more relevant to what someone is searching for.

What's the difference between Domain Authority and Page Authority?

Domain Authority measures the entire website, while Page Authority measures a single page. A homepage might have a different Page Authority than a blog post on the same site. When checking backlinks, Page Authority tells you how much authority a specific page has to pass along.