How to increase domain authority in 2025

If you’re into SEO—whether you’re a total beginner or already have some experience—you’ve probably heard of domain authority (DA). It’s a popular metric that helps predict how well a website might rank on search engines like Google.

Getting your site on the first page of Google takes time and effort. Search engines reward sites that prove their value by offering high-quality content, a great user experience, and strong credibility.

That’s where domain authority comes in! It’s a score from 0 to 100 that gives you an idea of your site’s ranking potential. Of course, having a high DA doesn’t guarantee top rankings, but it’s a useful indicator of your website’s strength.

So, why is domain authority important? How does it work? And most importantly—how can you improve it to boost your SEO? Let’s dive in!

What is domain authority?

Domain authority (DA) is a ranking metric developed by Moz that helps predict how well a website might rank on search engine results pages (SERPs)—basically, the list of results you see when you search for something on Google.

The DA score ranges from 0 to 100—the higher your score, the stronger your website appears in terms of credibility and ranking potential. For example:

• A new website will typically have a DA of 1 because it has little to no backlinks.

• Small business websites may have a DA between 20-40, depending on their SEO efforts.

• Large, authoritative sites like Wikipedia or Forbes have a DA of 90+ due to their vast backlink profiles and strong reputation.

According to Rand Fishkin, co-founder of Moz:

“Domain Authority is best used as a comparative metric rather than an absolute one. It helps SEOs understand how they stack up against competitors in their industry.”

Domain authority vs page authority : What’s the difference?

Think of domain authority as measuring the overall reputation of your entire website, while page authority (PA) evaluates the ranking potential of a single page.

• If you run an e-commerce site, your homepage might have a high DA, but an individual product page may have a lower PA unless it has strong backlinks.

• If a blog post goes viral and earns a lot of backlinks, it could have a high PA, even if your overall DA is still growing.

Learn more about everything you need to know about blog SEO.

Does google use domain authority?

A common misconception is that Google directly uses DA as a ranking factor—but it doesn’t. John Mueller, a search advocate at Google, has confirmed: 

“We don’t use Domain Authority at all in our ranking algorithms.”

Also, Moz’s website says its domain authority score does not impact Google search results:

“Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor and has no effect on the SERPs.”

However, a high DA usually means a website has a strong backlink profile, which does influence rankings.

In short, DA isn’t an official ranking factor, but it’s a useful benchmark for understanding your site’s competitiveness. If your DA is higher than your competitors, you likely have a better chance of ranking higher—assuming your content and SEO strategy are solid.

What is a good domain authority score?

Domain authority (DA) is measured on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, meaning it’s easier to go from 10 to 20 than from 70 to 80. The higher your DA, the harder it is to improve.

For reference, here’s a general breakdown of DA scores:

• Below 30 → Low

• 30 to 40 → Below average

• 40 to 50 → Average

• 50 to 60 → Good

• 60 to 70 → Very good

• Above 80 → Excellent

Example:

• A new blog might have a DA of 10-20 because it hasn’t built many backlinks yet.

If you’re wondering whether having a blog for your business is necessary, our article on “do I need a blog for my business”?. 

• A local business website with some SEO work could have a DA of 30-40.

• A big news site like The New York Times or Wikipedia has a DA of 90+ due to its massive backlink profile.

Does a “Good” DA score depend on your industry?

Yes! What’s considered a good DA depends on your niche and competition. Instead of aiming for an absolute number, compare your DA to your direct competitors.

For example:

• If you're in the tech industry, you’ll compete with giants like Apple (DA 100) or Microsoft (DA 99), making high DA scores common.

• If you're a local bakery, a DA of 40 might be enough to outrank competitors in your area.

Focus on growth, not just numbers

Instead of obsessing over a specific DA score, focus on:

• Creating high-quality content that attracts backlinks

• Earning links from reputable sites in your niche

• Improving user experience (site speed, mobile-friendliness)

As your SEO improves, your DA will grow organically!

Key factors that influence domain authority

Several factors impact your DA score, but the most important ones include:

Backlink profile (quality & quantity of links)

Think of backlinks like votes of confidence from other websites. If high-authority sites link to yours, it signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy.

Example:

• A backlink from Forbes (DA 95) carries more weight than 10 links from small, low-authority blogs.

• Getting links from different, reputable domains is better than multiple links from the same site.

Root domains (the number of unique websites linking to you)

Moz doesn’t just count the total number of backlinks—it looks at how many different websites link to you.

Example:

• If you have 100 backlinks from the same website, that’s considered 1 root domain.

• If you have 100 backlinks from 100 different websites, that’s much more valuable for your DA.

Spam score (how trustworthy your links are)

Moz also analyzes whether a website’s backlink profile looks spammy. Too many low-quality or suspicious links can hurt your DA.

Example:

• A natural link from a respected industry site = Good for DA.

• Buying links from spammy directories or PBNs (private blog networks) = Bad for DA and can get your site penalized.

Our guide on the simplest guide to adding a blog to your website can help you create a blog that attracts quality backlinks.

How to increase your domain authority?

Boosting your website's domain authority (DA) is a gradual process that involves several key strategies. Let's explore these steps in a straightforward manner, with clear explanations and examples to guide you.​

1. Create high-quality, in-depth content

Quality content is the foundation of any SEO strategy. It builds trust, attracts backlinks, and boosts visibility in search results.

Using a CMS like InBlog, designed for SEO-friendly blogging, can help B2B businesses structure their content effectively, making it more likely to attract backlinks and improve domain authority.

What makes content high-quality?

• Engaging & valuable → Helps users solve problems or learn something new.

• Unique & original → Avoid duplicate content or excessive self-promotion.

• SEO-optimized → Uses relevant keywords (words users search for), meta tags (descriptions for search engines), and optimized images.

Consider structuring your content using templates like those in top 5 blog post templates you need to try in 2025.

Also, long-form content (around 3,000 words) has been shown to attract more backlinks (links from other websites) than shorter pieces. A study analyzing over 900 million articles found that such content receives 77.2% more referring domain links than shorter articles. ​

2. Earn high-quality backlinks

Backlinks (links from other sites to yours) are crucial for DA. But not all backlinks are equal—focus on quality over quantity.

Backlinks from authoritative sites signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy. However, a significant portion of online content lacks these valuable links. Research indicates that 94% of all blog posts have zero external backlinks. ​

How to get strong backlinks?

• Create link-worthy content : Sites will link to you if your content is outstanding.

• Promote your content : Share it on social media and email newsletters to get visibility.

• Outreach : Contact authoritative websites and ask them to link to your content.

• Guest blogging : Write for reputable blogs in your industry and link back to your site.

3. Optimize internal linking

Internal links (links that connect different pages within your website) help search engines understand your site's structure and distribute "link equity" (value passed from one page to another).​

Best practices:

• Use descriptive anchor text (clickable text in a hyperlink).

• Link to important pages to boost their visibility.

• Keep your links natural—avoid overloading content with links.

Example: If you have an article about "Healthy eating habits" and another about "Benefits of regular exercise," linking these related topics can improve user navigation and SEO performance.​

Knowing the right balance of internal links is important for SEO—find out the details in how many internal links per page in SEO.

4. Enhance user experience and site structure

A well-structured, user-friendly website encourages longer visits and reduces bounce rates (the percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page). Ensuring your site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly is crucial, as slow-loading pages can deter visitors.​

Google's research indicates that 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than three seconds to load.

How to improve UX & site performance:

• Speed up your website (use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights).

• Make sure your site is mobile-friendly (Google ranks mobile-first).

• Use clear navigation so visitors can find what they need quickly.

• Get an SSL certificate (HTTPS) for security and trust.

5. Remove toxic links

Not all backlinks are beneficial. Links from low-quality or spammy sites can harm your DA. Regularly auditing your backlink profile and disavowing (telling search engines to ignore) harmful links is essential.​

How to fix this:

• Audit your backlinks using tools like Ahrefs or Google Search Console.

• Disavow bad links using Google’s Disavow Tool (which tells Google to ignore those links).

6. Promote your content on social media and other channels

While social signals (likes, shares, and comments) don’t directly affect DA, they increase visibility and drive traffic—leading to more backlinks from other sites.

How to effectively promote your content?

• Share your posts on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

• Engage with your audience in the comments and encourage sharing.

• Repurpose content (turn blog posts into infographics, YouTube videos, etc.).

• Collaborate with influencers to expand your reach.

Example: A viral LinkedIn post can get picked up by blogs and news sites, generating high-authority backlinks in the process!

7. Keep your website up-to-date with fresh content & features

Google prioritizes fresh, relevant content—so updating your blog and adding new features can improve both DA and rankings.

How to keep content fresh?

• Update old posts with new stats, insights, and visuals.

• Maintain a consistent posting schedule (even one high-quality post per month helps!).

• Monitor trending topics and create content that aligns with current discussions.

8. Be patient – domain authority takes time!

Many people expect instant results, but SEO is a long-term game. Improving domain authority (DA) takes months, not days because:

• Backlinks take time to be crawled and valued by search engines.

• Google rewards consistency, not quick SEO tricks.

• Higher DA levels are harder to reach due to stronger competition.

A study by Moz indicates that it typically takes around 10 weeks for new backlinks to impact search rankings.

Think of DA like building a reputation—it grows with consistent quality and trust.

Does domain authority tell the whole SEO story?

Not really! Domain authority (DA) is just one piece of the SEO puzzle. It gives you a good idea of your site's competitiveness, but it doesn’t reflect everything that affects your rankings.

For example, Google doesn’t use DA as a ranking factor—it looks at things like content quality, user experience, page speed, and mobile-friendliness.

So, while a higher DA can mean better ranking potential, don’t rely on it alone. Focus on the bigger SEO picture!

How to measure domain authority?

If you want to understand how strong your website is in the SEO landscape (the competitive online environment), measuring your domain authority (DA) is a great place to start. Several tools can help you check your DA score and compare it with competitors.

But remember: A high DA does not guarantee top rankings on Google. It’s just one SEO indicator, not the ultimate measure of success. Instead of chasing a perfect 100 DA, focus on long-term SEO improvements and compare your score to similar websites in your niche.

Here are some of the best tools to measure your website’s domain authority:

1. Moz domain analysis 

Since Moz created domain authority, its domain analysis tool is one of the most trusted ways to measure DA.

It provides:

• Your DA score (from 0 to 100)

• Your backlink profile (list of sites linking to you)

• The keywords you rank for

2. SEMrush authority score 

SEMrush doesn’t use the term “domain authority,” but it has its own version called authority score—which evaluates a website’s overall SEO strength.

It helps you analyze:

• Your backlink profile

• Your site’s popularity and trustworthiness

• The keywords driving traffic to your site

3. Ahrefs domain rating (DR) 

Ahrefs uses a similar metric called domain rating (DR), which focuses on the strength of your website’s backlink profile.

Ahrefs is great for:

• Checking who is linking to your site

• Finding new backlink opportunities

• Analyzing your competitors’ backlink strategies

4. Majestic SEO

Majestic SEO doesn’t use DA, but instead measures:

• Trust Flow → Quality of backlinks (Are they from reputable sites?)

• Citation Flow → Quantity of backlinks (How many links does your site have?)

Final thoughts:

Improving your domain authority takes time, but it’s worth the effort. Focus on creating high-quality content, earning reputable backlinks, and optimizing your site for a great user experience. Remember, DA isn’t a direct Google ranking factor, but a higher score usually means better credibility and stronger SEO potential.

Rather than obsessing over the number, use DA as a benchmark to track your progress and compare with competitors. Keep refining your SEO strategy, stay consistent, and watch your website grow over time.

And if you're serious about growing your online presence, learning how to start digital marketing can help you attract more traffic and build authority faster.