If you’ve ever wondered why some websites rank higher on Google than others, one of the key ideas to understand is domain authority. At VOVO Digital, we often get asked: “What is a website’s domain authority?” and “How can I improve mine?” — so here’s everything you need to know.
What Is a Website’s Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to appear on search engine results pages (SERPs). The score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher numbers representing stronger ranking potential.
Your DA is influenced by factors such as:
- The number and quality of backlinks to your site
- The age, trustworthiness, and relevance of your domain
- The technical and on-page SEO health of your website
While Domain Authority isn’t a Google metric, it’s an excellent indicator of how search engines might view your website’s credibility and influence.
How Is Domain Authority Calculated?
Domain Authority is calculated using Moz’s machine learning algorithm, which analyses dozens of link-based and website quality signals.
Although the exact formula isn’t publicly available, Moz has explained the main elements that contribute to your score:
Put simply, Domain Authority gives you an idea of how likely your website is to rank compared to others. It’s based on things like the quality of your links and how well your site performs overall.
What Happened To Google’s Domain Authority Metric (PageRank)?
Before tools like Moz’s Domain Authority came along, Google had its own way of measuring trust online — an algorithm called PageRank, created by co-founder Larry Page.
Developed in the late 1990s, PageRank was one of Google’s first methods for deciding how important a web page was. It looked at both the quality and quantity of backlinks, giving each page a score between 0 and 10. The idea was simple: if lots of trusted websites linked to a page, it was probably worth showing higher in search results.
For a long time, Google even displayed PageRank scores publicly through the Google Toolbar, so anyone could check how “important” a site seemed. But in 2016, Google removed this feature — and for good reason.
They found that some people were:
- Chasing the score instead of improving content, focusing more on numbers than user experience.
- Buying and selling links just to boost their PageRank, which went against Google’s guidelines.
- Missing the bigger picture — because as Google’s algorithms became more advanced, PageRank alone couldn’t capture everything that mattered for SEO.
Even though you can’t see your PageRank anymore, the concept behind it still exists. Google still values quality, relevant links as a sign of trust and authority — they’ve just built many more layers on top of that original idea.
Why Domain Authority Still Matters
PageRank might be behind the scenes now, but Domain Authority lets you see a similar kind of trust score for your website. Here’s why it’s worth paying attention to:
How to Improve Your Domain Authority
Improving DA takes time and consistent effort. Focus on:
- Creating high-quality, shareable content that attracts natural backlinks.
- Earning links from trustworthy, relevant sites instead of low-quality directories.
- Optimising on-page SEO — fast load times, strong metadata, mobile usability.
- Regularly auditing backlinks to remove spam or harmful links.
- Keeping your website active and up-to-date with fresh, relevant posts.
What Is a Good Domain Authority Score?
There’s no single “good” Domain Authority score — it all depends on your industry, competition, and online landscape. A DA score is relative, not absolute. This means your number only really matters when compared to others in your space. For example, a score of 30 might be considered low for a national retail brand but excellent for a local service business or niche blog.
The key thing to remember is that Domain Authority isn’t a race to 100. A “good” score is one that helps you outrank your competitors for the keywords that matter most to your audience. If your competitors are sitting around 25, a DA of 35 already gives you a strong advantage. Rather than chasing a random number, focus on continuous growth and competitive improvement — that’s what truly drives visibility and organic success.
Domain Authority Across SEO Platforms
Domain Authority isn’t just a Moz invention anymore — it’s a concept recognised and used across almost all major SEO platforms. While Moz originally created the Domain Authority (DA) score, other tools have built their own systems to measure a website’s trust, authority, and ranking potential.
Here are some of the most widely used examples:
- SEMrush – Uses an Authority Score that evaluates backlink profiles, organic traffic, and spam indicators.
- Ahrefs – Measures a site’s backlink power through its Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR) metrics.
- Majestic – Provides Trust Flow and Citation Flow scores to gauge both link quality and influence.
- Ubersuggest – Offers a Domain Authority score (based on Moz data) along with keyword and traffic insights.
- Serpstat – Uses a Domain Rank (DR) score calculated from backlinks, referring domains, and domain trust signals.
- SpyFu – Tracks domain strength through link metrics and historical ranking performance.
- Mangools (LinkMiner) – Provides a simplified Link Strength metric to evaluate backlink value and domain influence.
Tracking your authority score across several tools gives you a more rounded view of your SEO performance — helping you identify what’s working, where to improve, and how close you are to outranking your competitors.
Final Thoughts
PageRank completely changed the way Google judged trust and quality online. Even though it’s no longer visible to the public, its influence continues through metrics like Domain Authority, which gives website owners a clear way to see how strong their online presence really is.
When you focus on creating valuable content, building genuine backlinks, and keeping your website technically sound, your authority will grow naturally — helping you reach more people and build lasting credibility.
At VOVO Digital, we’re passionate about helping businesses strengthen their SEO and online visibility through simple, effective strategies that work. Get in touch with our team today — let’s make your website stand out from the crowd.