What is Domain Authority and How to Increase It?

Domain Authority (DA) is now the standard metric used in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to judge a website’s tendency of appearing in search engine results pages (SERPs). DA, which was first developed by Moz, is a score that spans from 1 to 100 and indicates the likelihood that a domain as a whole will rank highly in search results. So you must know how to check domain authority to make your content beat the competition in rankings. We at Wildnet, the best digital marketing company in India, are here to help you with our guide.

In this blog you’ll find:

• What Domain Authority is and how it’s calculated
• What’s a good DA and how to interpret the numbers
• How to check domain authority, including tools and processes
• Factors that affect DA, from backlinks to technical SEO
• Reasons behind low domain authority
• Strategies for how to increase domain authority, both organically and fast
• How to check other metrics like Domain Rating (DR)
• FAQs, checklists, and advanced tactics

So, let’s get started!

Key Takeaways

• Domain Authority is a Relative Metric, Not a Ranking Factor
• Backlinks and Content Are the Most Powerful Growth Levers
• Improving Domain Authority is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Table of Contents

1. What Is Domain Authority?
2. What’s a Good Domain Authority?
3. How to Check Domain Authority? 
4. Factors That Affect Domain Authority
5. What Causes Low Domain Authority?
6. How to Increase Domain Authority?
7. How to Increase DR Fast?
8. Advanced Strategies to Improve Domain Authority
9. Does Domain Age Matter?
10. How To Check Domain Age?
11. How Long Does It Take to Improve Domain Authority?
12. FAQs
13. Domain Authority Growth Checklist
14. Conclusion: What’s Next?

Before you start pondering “what is my domain authority” it is important to know what it actually means. 

What Is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority (DA) is a metric designed by Moz that predicts a site’s ability to rank in SERPs. It’s built using a proprietary algorithm that takes into account multiple ranking signals, most importantly, the number and quality of your backlinks. 

Although Google doesn’t use DA directly as a ranking factor, the metric closely aligns with ranking success because backlinks and authority directly influence search visibility.

You might also encounter Domain Rating (DR) by Ahrefs, which measures authority based on the number of unique referring domains and their link equity. While DA and DR aren’t identical, they serve similar purposes.

What’s a Good Domain Authority?

DA is relative, so context matters. Here’s a general guide:

• New sites: DA often starts low, around 10–20.
• Moderate/average: DA between 30–50 reflects a growing domain with solid content and links.
• High authority: DA 50–60+ means you’re in a strong niche position.
• Elite authority: DA over 60 puts you in an upper tier—close to national-level visibility.

Instead of chasing an absolute number, benchmark against your direct competitors. If you’re outranking them with a lower DA, you’re still winning. If they have higher DA and similar content, backlinks may be your weak spot. In that case, mastering how to check domain authority and increase it can come handy.

How to Check Domain Authority? 

Wondering “what is my domain authority?” or “how to find domain authority?”—here are the best tools:

Moz Link Explorer / MozBar

• Link Explorer: Go to Moz’s website, enter your domain, and get DA, number of linking domains, spam score, and more.
• MozBar: A browser toolbar that displays DA instantly while browsing. Handy for competitor research.

Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR)

• Use Ahrefs’ free Website Authority Checker tool. Enter your URL to see DR, referring domains, and backlink profile.

Other SEO platforms

• SEMrush, Ubersuggest, and Majestic offer similar scores (Authority Score, Trust Flow). These complement DA/DR for a broader view.

These tools answer “how to check domain authority.” Make monthly checks part of your SEO routine.

Factors That Affect Domain Authority

Understanding what affects DA is crucial if you wish to learn how to increase domain authority.  It helps you craft an effective strategy. Key influencing factors include:

Backlink Profile

• Quantity & diversity: The number of unique domains linking back matters more than sheer volume.
• Link quality: High-authority, relevant backlinks (e.g., a .edu, .gov, niche leader) count more.
• Natural vs. spammy: Links from low-quality or irrelevant sites can drag down your score.

Content Quality & Relevance

• Create comprehensive, useful, and original content people naturally want to share or link to.
• Frequent “linkable assets” (e.g., guides, infographics, case studies) attract high-value backlinks.

Technical & On‑Page SEO

• Fast loading speeds, mobile usability, secure (HTTPS), clean URLs, structured data—all support crawlability and user experience.
• Errors like broken links and duplicate content can weaken DA indirectly.

Domain Age & History

• Older domains often benefit from greater trust—but only if supported by clean, consistent link growth.
• Brand-new domains start at the bottom and need time to climb.

Internal Linking Structure

• Proper internal links help distribute link authority throughout the site.
• Make sure visitor pathways are logical and pages are interconnected.

Spam Score & Toxic Backlinks

• Moz calculates a Spam Score; high scores (>30%) can tank your DA.
• Ongoing backlink audits and disavowals are essential.

What Causes Low Domain Authority?

If your DA is stuck or dropping, consider these causes:

1. Insufficient backlinks: Few links, low diversity, or poor quality.
2. Domain issues: Short history and inconsistent link acquisition.
3. Technical problems: Broken pages, slow speed, poor mobile experience.
4. Toxic backlinks: Spammy, irrelevant backlinks harming trust.
5. Competitors advancing: Other domains in your niche gaining stronger signals.

How to Increase Domain Authority?

So, now that you know what DA is and what affects it, let’s talk about action: how to increase domain authority and do it effectively.

Build High‑Quality Backlinks

If there’s one golden rule in boosting DA, it’s this: You need backlinks from high-authority, niche-relevant websites.

Here are a few battle-tested methods:

• Guest posting: Write valuable posts for authority blogs in your niche. You’ll usually get one or two backlinks in the author bio or within content.
• Broken link building: Use tools like Ahrefs or Broken Link Checker to get wind of broken links on other websites, then offer your content as a substitute.
• Skyscraper technique: Make ten times better content than the original and ask people who linked to it to link to yours instead.
• Podcast interviews & expert roundups: Appear as a guest or contribute quotes to boost your authority and backlink profile.

Google takes notice of each high-quality backlink, which is like a vote of confidence for your website.

Create Link‑Worthy Content

If your content isn’t worthy of backlinks, it’s going to be tough to build your DA. That’s why creating “linkable assets” is one of the fastest ways you’ll learn when discovering how to improve domain authority.

Here’s what typically gets the most links:

• Ultimate guides (e.g., “Everything You Need to Know About SEO in 2025”)
• Original research and data (especially statistics)
• Infographics
• Case studies and success stories
• Free tools, calculators, or templates

Once created, promote the heck out of it via outreach, social media, and SEO communities.

Clean Up Toxic Links

Toxic backlinks = red flags for search engines. If your link profile is full of spammy, irrelevant, or shady links, it’s time to clean house.

• Use Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to run a backlink audit.
• Identify toxic or irrelevant links.
• Try contacting the site owner to remove them.
• If not possible, use Google’s disavow tool to tell Google to ignore those links.

After you’ve learnt how to find domain authority, doing this protects your DA and builds trust with search engines.

Optimize Technical SEO

Even after you follow every step of how to improve domain authority, there are chances you still fail to make any difference. That’s because a technically weak site can ruin your authority-building efforts.

Here’s your basic technical SEO checklist:

• Fast page load speed
• Mobile-friendly design
• HTTPS (secure site)
• Clean and crawlable URL structure
• Schema markup
• XML sitemap
• No broken internal links
• No duplicate content
  

Tools like Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, and SEMrush Site Audit are perfect for this job.

Strengthen Internal Linking

Internal linking does two powerful things:

1. Helps visitors find related content
2. Passes link equity from high-authority to low-authority pages

How to do it right:

• Link from new blog posts to older, evergreen ones (and vice versa).
• Use descriptive anchor text (not just “click here”).
• Keep a consistent internal linking structure.

Over time, this improves crawlability and spreads your domain’s authority across all your content.

Be Consistent with Content Publishing

The more quality content you create, the more chances you have to earn backlinks. But it’s not just about quantity, it’s about frequency and consistency.

Tips:

• Publish 1–2 strong blog posts per week
• Update old posts every 6 months
• Build topical clusters to establish authority in one niche
• Use keyword research to create in-demand content

Consistency builds authority, not just in the eyes of your audience but in Google’s eyes too.

Promote Your Content Aggressively

This is the step of how to improve domain authority that most people skip, and it’s the reason their DA never climbs.

You need to hustle to get your content seen by the right people.

Try this:

• Email outreach to bloggers and influencers
• Submit your content to relevant Reddit threads, Quora answers, or niche forums
• Share across your social media platforms
• Collaborate with other bloggers through content swaps or expert roundups

Visibility leads to backlinks. Backlinks lead to domain authority.

How to Increase DR Fast?

If you’re wondering how to boost Domain Rating (DR), Ahrefs’ version of DA, many of the same strategies apply, but the algorithm weighs referring domains more heavily than raw link count.

Here are DR-specific acceleration tips:

Get Backlinks from Unique Domains

• Focus on getting at least one backlink from as many different websites as possible.
• Getting 10 links from 10 sites is way better than 100 links from just 1.

Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

• Journalists are always looking for expert quotes.
• Sign up, respond to relevant requests, and land backlinks from high-authority sites like Forbes or Entrepreneur.

Steal Competitor Links

Use Ahrefs’ Site Explorer:

1. Enter a competitor’s domain
2. Go to their backlink or referring domains report
3. Filter to “DoFollow” links only
4. Reach out to those same domains with your superior content

This lets you tap into backlinks already proven to work.

Create Resource Pages

Offer a free, valuable asset like:

• SEO checklist
• Industry glossary
• Free audit tool

These types of content naturally attract backlinks and are often featured in roundups.

Advanced Strategies to Improve Domain Authority

Once you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to level up. These advanced tactics are used by seasoned SEOs to boost DA faster and more sustainably.

The Skyscraper + Outreach Combo

This method is a proven favorite, made popular by Brian Dean of Backlinko.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find top-ranking content in your niche with tons of backlinks.
2. Create something better — longer, more up-to-date, better designed.
3. Suggest your enhanced version to websites that have links to the original.

Why it works: People want to link to the best resource available. Give them one.

Create Data‑Driven Resources

Original data is one of the most linkable types of content. If you can publish:

• Industry surveys
• Benchmarks
• Research-backed trends
• Statistical roundups

You’ll get backlinks from bloggers, journalists, and businesses that need real-world data to support their arguments.

Pro Tip: Add embed codes so others can share your graphs and charts easily (and link back to you in return).

Build Topic Clusters & Pillar Content

Search engines favor topical authority. Instead of scattering your blog posts across different topics, focus deeply on a niche by using a content cluster model:

• Pillar page: A long, in-depth article (like this one) that covers the main topic.
• Cluster pages: Smaller, more focused articles that support the pillar.

Internal link all these pages together. This helps search engines understand your domain’s expertise and improves crawlability.

Publish in Authoritative Communities

Posting helpful content (and links when appropriate) in the following places can drive traffic and backlinks:

• Niche Facebook groups
• Subreddits related to your industry
• Growth Hackers
• Indie Hackers
• Quora and LinkedIn

Just make sure you’re not spamming. Be helpful first.

Refresh Old Content for SEO Wins

Google loves freshness. So instead of always creating something new, go back and optimize older posts.

Update:

• Outdated stats and links
• Add new examples or visuals
• Improve formatting and readability
• Re-promote it across channels

This often results in ranking boosts without extra writing effort, and it can also attract new backlinks to “older” content.

Does Domain Age Matter?

Absolutely, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Older domains tend to rank better, but only when supported by:

• A solid content strategy
• Quality backlinks
• Clean technical SEO

So yes, a 10-year-old domain has a natural advantage, but a one-year-old site can still outrank it with better optimization.

How To Check Domain Age?

Use free tools like Whois Lookup, Ahrefs, or DomainTools. It’ll tell you when your domain was first registered, giving insight into its age and history.

How Long Does It Take to Improve Domain Authority?

Improving your domain authority is not a one-and-done process. On average:

• You might see a 2–5 point increase in 3–6 months with consistent SEO work.
• Big jumps (10+ points) usually take 6–12 months or more.

Factors that affect the speed:

• Frequency and quality of link building
• Technical health of the site
• Niche competition
• Existing authority (it’s easier to go from 10 → 30 than 60 → 80)

Patience and consistency are key.

FAQs

Let’s clear up some common questions.

Q1: How often should I check domain authority?

Check it monthly using Moz, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest. Don’t obsess over daily changes, it’s a long-term metric.

Q2: Can I increase domain authority without backlinks?

Backlinks are crucial, but technical SEO and great content can support growth. However, you won’t see big DA gains without solid backlinks.

Q3: Why did my domain authority drop suddenly?

Possible reasons include:

• Loss of backlinks
• Spam score increase
• Competitors gaining more authority
• Moz’s algorithm update

Audit your backlinks and content to pinpoint the cause.

Q4: Do no-follow links help DA?

No-follow links don’t directly affect DA, but they can drive traffic, increase visibility, and lead to do-follow links down the line.

Q5: Should I focus more on DA or DR?

Both are helpful, but they use different algorithms. Track both DA and DR to get a more balanced picture of your site’s authority.

Q6: Is there such a thing as bad backlinks?

Yes! Backlinks from spammy, unrelated, or low-quality sites can hurt your DA. Always audit and disavow harmful ones.

Q7: What if I can’t afford paid SEO tools?

Use free versions of Moz, Ubersuggest, and Google Search Console. They’re powerful enough to start with.

Domain Authority Growth Checklist 

Task	Description	Frequency
Backlink audit	Identify and disavow bad links	Monthly
Guest posting	Earn high-quality backlinks	Ongoing
Content creation	Publish link-worthy blogs	Weekly
Technical SEO check	Improve crawlability, speed	Monthly
Internal linking	Spread authority site-wide	Every blog post
Social promotion	Increase visibility for backlinks	Weekly
Competitor analysis	Find new backlink ideas	Monthly
Refresh old posts	Keep content current	Quarterly

Conclusion: What’s Next?

So, what is domain authority? It’s your website’s reputation score in the SEO world.

Understanding how it’s built and how to increase domain authority can give you a significant edge over the competition.

You’ve now learned:

• What DA is and how it works
• What affects it and how to check domain authority of your site
• Actionable strategies for how to improve domain authority 
• Why DR matters and how to grow it too
• Powerful advanced techniques and FAQs

Your next steps?

1. Audit your current DA using Moz or Ahrefs.
2. Pick three tactics from this guide and apply them this week.
3. Track your score monthly and keep stacking small wins.

Domain Authority isn’t about tricks, it’s about trust. Build it wisely, and Google (and your users) will reward you in kind. 

For help from experts, get in touch with us. At Wildnet, we’ve experts who’ve helped 4100+ clients to uplift revenues by 200%.