Domain Authority (DA)

Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking prediction score developed by Moz that estimates how likely a domain is to rank well in search results. The metric ranges from 0-100, with higher scores indicating stronger ranking potential. DA is calculated using dozens of factors, primarily analyzing backlink profile: the number of backlinks, quality of linking domains, relevance of linking sites, and authority of linking domains.

Importantly, DA is a Moz metric, not a Google metric. Google doesn't publish a Domain Authority score or use a 'domain authority' metric in rankings. However, DA correlates with Google's actual ranking ability because both rely on backlink analysis. Sites with higher DA tend to rank higher, but this correlation isn't causation—DA doesn't cause rankings; instead, both are outcomes of authority and link profile quality.

DA changes are calculated monthly as Moz updates its data. Individual scores fluctuate based on changes in backlink profile. Gaining high-quality backlinks increases DA; losing backlinks or gaining many low-quality links decreases DA. DA improvements don't necessarily cause ranking improvements—they're both indicators of underlying authority growth. A site might gain DA and rankings from new backlinks, but the backlinks themselves cause the ranking improvement, not the DA score.