Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's prediction of how well a domain might rank. Ahrefs has Domain Rating (DR); Semrush has Authority Score. None is a Google metric.
What it measures
Backlink profiles and a few other signals, scored on a 0–100 log scale. It is useful for comparing sites, not for predicting exact rankings.
Why people chase it
It is a simple number and an easy story for reports. But a high DA does not guarantee rankings, and DA can rise from low-quality links that do nothing for you.
Use it right
- Compare your site to competitors on the same tool
- Track it over months, not days
- Treat it as one input among many
What to do instead
- Earn relevant, quality links (see link building)
- Publish genuinely useful content
- Keep technical SEO sound — robots.txt, canonicals, schema
The on-page audit and Search Console give you signal Google actually uses.