Debug: DB lookup batches (click to expand)
| Domain | DA | DA Trend | Linking Domains |
Followed Linking Domains |
Total Backlinks |
Followed Backlinks |
Link Propensity |
Spam Score |
|---|
How it works
The Domain Authority Checker reads its data from a local copy of Moz's domain-authority and link-graph metrics, refreshed monthly. There's no live web crawl, no upstream API call, and no API key needed for the lookup itself. For every domain we know about we store the current DA, monthly DA history going back ~4 years, total linking-domain count, total backlink count, link propensity, spam score, and the date Moz last checked the domain.
Single mode processes one domain inline and returns results in well under a second. Bulk mode queues up to 100 domains per submission on your plan and processes them in the background, batched against the local database for efficiency.
Canonical resolution. Many domains exist as two variants in the link graph: example.com and www.example.com. When you enter either form, we look up both and return whichever has the higher DA (typically the variant most of the web actually links to). Subdomains you type explicitly (e.g. support.google.com) are looked up verbatim, we don't silently fall back to the root domain, because returning google.com data for a support.google.com query would be misleading.
Metrics we surface for each domain:
- Domain Authority (0-100, logarithmic).
- 4-year DA trend as a sparkline. Click to open a big chart with axis labels, hover-tooltips per month, and first/last/min/max highlights.
- Total Linking Domains + Total Followed Linking Domains (unique sources).
- Total Backlinks + Total Followed Backlinks (individual pages linking in).
- Link Propensity as a percentage (a ratio that hints at sites with unusual outbound-link patterns).
- Spam Score (0-100).
Plan caps. Per-submission bulk cap on the Free plan is 100 domains. Each submission counts as one lookup per domain toward a daily quota shared with other domain-lookup tools (Website Authority Checker, Spam Score Checker, Subdomain Finder, SEO Analyzer).
Known limitations.
- Snapshot, not live. Each row reflects the most recent Moz crawl-cycle for that domain, captured on the last checked date shown. Very recent link-building activity may not be reflected for up to a month.
- Domain coverage isn't universal. Domains that are very new, very low-traffic, or have no inbound links at all may not appear in Moz's index. Such inputs return a no data row.
- DA is a third-party prediction. Moz's modeled estimate of ranking strength, not a Google ranking factor or an authoritative measure. Use it for competitive benchmarking, not as a definitive SEO score (see the FAQ below).
What the columns mean
- Domain
- The canonical variant of the domain you submitted (
example.comorwww.example.com, whichever has the higher DA in our index). Click the cross-link icon to audit this domain in a related tool. - Domain Authority (DA)
- Moz's 0-100 prediction of ranking strength. Logarithmic, so jumping from 20 to 30 is meaningful but jumping from 80 to 90 takes substantially more work. New domains typically start near 0; major brands score 80+.
- DA Trend
- A sparkline of monthly DA snapshots over the past ~4 years. Click the sparkline to open a big chart with axis labels, hover-tooltips at every month, and first/last/minimum/maximum highlights.
- Linking Domains
- Total unique domains that have at least one link pointing at the target domain. A higher count typically correlates with a higher DA.
- Followed Linking Domains
- The subset of linking domains where at least one link is followed (i.e. not
rel="nofollow"). Followed links pass ranking signals; nofollowed links generally don't. - Total Backlinks
- The total number of individual pages linking to the target domain. Multiple pages on the same source domain each count as separate backlinks, this differs from Linking Domains, which counts unique sources.
- Followed Backlinks
- The subset of total backlinks where the link itself is followed (not nofollow).
- Link Propensity
- An indicator of the domain's outbound-link behavior, expressed as a percentage. Very high values can hint at sites that link out unusually heavily (which sometimes indicates a low-quality or scraper site, though context matters).
- Spam Score
- Moz's 0-100 measure of how many spam signals the domain shows. Higher = more spam signals. If you see clusters of high-spam-score links pointing at your site, the Spam Score Checker tool can audit each domain in more detail.
- Last Checked
- The date Moz last crawled and updated metrics for this domain. Older dates mean newer link-building activity hasn't been reflected yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is domain authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a third-party ranking-strength predictor created by Moz. It estimates how well a domain is likely to rank in Google's search results on a 0-100 logarithmic scale, where new sites typically start near 0 and the open web's heaviest hitters (Wikipedia, Amazon, Google) score 90+. DA is a Moz-only signal, NOT something Google uses or publishes. It's computed from Moz's own crawl of the web's link graph and refreshes roughly monthly.
What is a good domain authority score?
There's no single "good" number, DA is a comparative score, so the right benchmark is your competitors in your niche, not a universal threshold. For broad context:
- 0-20, typical for very new sites or those with few inbound links.
- 20-40, common for small-business sites and growing blogs.
- 40-60, established sites with steady link-building.
- 60-80, competitive industry leaders.
- 80+, reserved for major brands and high-traffic media.
If your top organic competitors are DA 35, reaching DA 45 is meaningful; if they're DA 80, reaching DA 50 still leaves you outranked. Always benchmark against the actual SERP, not an arbitrary number.
How do I find out my domain authority?
Enter your domain (e.g. yourdomain.com) in the box above and click Check. We return your current DA along with the underlying linking-domain and backlink counts that influence it, plus a 4-year monthly DA trend so you can see if your score is moving up, down, or flat. No signup or API key needed for the lookup itself. You can also check competitor domains the same way to benchmark, or use bulk mode to audit dozens or hundreds of domains at once.
How can I increase my domain authority?
DA is driven primarily by the quality and quantity of inbound links from other domains, so the path to a higher score is, broadly, earning more good backlinks over time. Practical actions:
- Publish content other sites want to cite (original data, research, useful tools, definitive guides).
- Do targeted outreach for guest posts, partnerships, and resource-page inclusion.
- Fix broken inbound links (404s on pages that other sites still link to) so the equity isn't lost.
- Disavow toxic backlinks from spammy domains via Google Search Console.
DA responds to the overall growth of your linking-domain count, so building 100 high-quality links over 18 months tends to move the needle more than acquiring 500 low-quality links in a month.
Why is my domain authority not increasing?
A few common reasons:
- Refresh cycle. Moz updates DA roughly monthly, so a recent push of new links may not be reflected yet. Wait at least one or two refresh cycles before judging the impact.
- Competitive scaling. Your competitors are also building links. Because DA is logarithmic and competitive, you have to grow link strength faster than they do just to maintain your relative position.
- Drag from bad links. Toxic or low-quality inbound links can pull DA down even while you're acquiring good ones. Use the Spam Score Checker on your top referrers periodically.
- Diminishing returns at the top. DA moves slowly at the high end. Going from 70 to 75 takes substantially more link-acquisition work than going from 20 to 25.
How long does it take to improve domain authority?
Genuine DA growth is a slow signal. Sites starting near zero can typically move 5-10 points in 6 months with focused, ethical link-building; established sites may see 2-4 point shifts annually. There are no shortcuts that survive: paid link networks and PBNs (private blog networks) tend to spike DA briefly before Moz's crawl rolls back the boost, and Google often penalizes the actual site behind such tactics. Plan on quarterly or bi-annual reviews rather than weekly progress checks.
What is the difference between Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR)?
Both are third-party metrics that try to predict how well a domain will rank in search, but they're built independently from different link-graph crawls and use different math. Moz's Domain Authority weights linking-domain quality, diversity, and spam signals; Ahrefs' Domain Rating focuses more heavily on the unique referring-domains count and the strength of those referrers. The two scores often roughly track each other but can differ by 10-20 points on the same domain. Don't try to convert between them, treat each as its own competitive benchmark. This tool surfaces DA. If you also want DR you'll need an Ahrefs subscription.
Is Moz Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. DA is Moz's prediction of how well a domain should rank based on Moz's view of the link graph, but Google has stated many times that they do not use Moz DA in their algorithm. Google uses their own internal signals, including their own link-graph analysis, content-quality assessment, user-interaction signals, and a long list of other factors. DA is useful as a competitive yardstick and as a proxy for "how strong is this domain's link profile?", but improving DA doesn't directly improve rankings. The two correlate because the same actions (earning good links, publishing useful content) move both, but the causation runs through link-graph strength, not through DA itself.