Backlinks and domain authority are often discussed as if they are the same thing. They are not. Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. Domain Authority and Domain Rating are third-party scores designed to summarise aspects of a site’s link profile. Neither score is created or used by Google as a direct ranking factor.
That distinction matters because a higher score can look impressive without guaranteeing better search visibility. The real goal is not to chase a number. It is to earn trustworthy links that help search engines discover and evaluate useful pages.
What Domain Authority actually measures
Domain Authority, usually shortened to DA, is a metric developed by Moz. It uses link data and a predictive model to estimate how likely a domain is to compete in search results. Scores run on a logarithmic scale, so moving from 20 to 30 is generally easier than moving from 70 to 80.
DA is best treated as a comparative authority metric. A score of 35 is not automatically good or bad. It becomes meaningful when compared with genuine competitors in the same topic, country and stage of growth. A local service website should not judge itself against a global news publisher.
What Domain Rating measures
Domain Rating, or DR, is Ahrefs’ proprietary measure of the relative strength of a website’s backlink profile. It also uses a 0-to-100 logarithmic scale. Ahrefs considers factors such as the strength of followed referring domains and how many different websites those domains link to.
A followed backlink from a strong website that links selectively can influence DR more than a link from a domain pointing to thousands of sites. DR is relative, so a website’s rating can fall without losing a backlink if other domains in the database become stronger.
DA vs DR: why the numbers do not match
DA and DR are produced by different companies using different link indexes and formulas. One tool may discover a backlink sooner. They may also classify redirects, link attributes, subdomains and duplicate links differently. A website can therefore have DA 28 and DR 42 without either tool being broken.
The scores also answer slightly different questions. DR focuses closely on backlink-profile strength, while DA is intended to estimate a domain’s ability to compete using Moz’s model. Neither should be converted into the other or presented as an official Google score.
How backlinks can raise authority scores
Links from new referring domains
Ten links from ten relevant websites usually broaden a backlink profile more than ten links from one website. Most authority systems place substantial value on unique referring domains, although repeated editorial links from a trusted publication can still bring referral traffic.
Links from stronger websites
A genuine editorial backlink from an established, well-linked site can carry more weight than a link from a newly created directory. The source page also matters for SEO. A relevant article with real readership is usually more useful than an unrelated page created only to host links.
Followed links that can pass equity
For Ahrefs DR, nofollow links do not pass rating. Google handles link attributes within its own systems, not according to Ahrefs or Moz rules. Nofollow, sponsored and user-generated links can still deliver exposure and visitors.
A natural and sustained link profile
Useful research, tools, original data, expert commentary and helpful guides tend to attract links over time. A steady pattern of editorial mentions is more defensible than a sudden burst of unrelated links from low-quality sites.
Why a higher DA or DR does not guarantee rankings
Google’s ranking systems evaluate pages using many signals. Links remain part of Google’s systems, including PageRank and other link-analysis methods, but relevance, content quality, search intent, usability and spam signals also matter. Google primarily ranks individual pages, although site-wide signals can contribute.
A high-DR domain can publish a weak page that does not answer the query. A lower-authority specialist site can outrank it with more relevant, original information. Page-level links and internal linking may also help one URL perform better than the domain-wide score suggests.
A practical comparison
Imagine two home-improvement websites. Site A has DR 55 after collecting hundreds of general links, but its new article about loft insulation is thin. Site B has DR 28, yet its guide includes original cost data, clear UK building context and links from three respected renovation publications.
Site A has the stronger headline metric, but Site B may be better positioned for that search because the page is more useful and its backlinks are topically relevant. Use DA and DR to investigate, not to make the final decision.
How to improve authority without chasing the score
Start with pages that deserve references. Publish original statistics, practical calculators, detailed comparisons, templates or expert-led explanations. Then identify journalists, publishers and resource pages whose audiences would genuinely benefit.
Reclaim broken links to your content, recover valuable lost backlinks and turn unlinked brand mentions into links when appropriate. Strengthen internal links so authority reaching one page can help users and search engines find related content.
Measure results through relevant referring domains, organic impressions, rankings, qualified referral traffic and conversions. Related topics worth covering internally include how to build backlinks, anchor text best practices and a backlink audit checklist.
Common mistakes when using authority metrics
Do not select a link opportunity from DA or DR alone. Check whether the site has relevant content, genuine organic visibility, editorial standards and a sensible outbound-link pattern. A high score can reflect old links even when the current website has become neglected or spammy.
Avoid buying links purely to manipulate rankings or authority scores. Google treats link spam as a policy violation and may neutralise unnatural links or take action. Tool databases also update independently, so short-term score movements are not always caused by your latest campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google use Domain Authority or Domain Rating?
No. DA belongs to Moz and DR belongs to Ahrefs. Google uses its own ranking systems and does not import these commercial scores.
What is a good DA or DR?
A useful score is one that is competitive with legitimate websites in your niche. Compare like with like rather than using a universal target.
Can one backlink increase DA or DR?
It can, particularly for a newer site if the link comes from a strong new referring domain. The change may not appear immediately, and no increase is guaranteed because both metrics depend on proprietary calculations and database updates.
Should you prioritise DA or DR when building links?
Use both as screening signals, then examine relevance, page quality, traffic, editorial standards and the likelihood that the link will help real readers. Those checks are more valuable than choosing the larger number.
Use authority metrics as a compass, not a target
Backlinks influence Domain Authority and Domain Rating because both metrics are built largely around link data. However, the scores are estimates from third-party tools, not rewards issued by Google. Track them for competitor comparison and trend analysis, but build links for relevance, credibility, discovery and qualified traffic. Stronger authority metrics should be a by-product rather than the purpose.
