Maybe it came in a cold email: "Your website's domain authority is only 9. We can get it to 40." Or it showed up in a free SEO report, in red. Either way it sounds like a grade from Google, and a bad one. It isn't. Domain authority is a useful idea with a lot of myth around it, and once you know what the number really measures, you'll know which parts are worth your time and which "DA boost" offers to delete.

What domain authority is

Domain authority is a score from 1 to 100 made up by SEO software companies to estimate how likely a website is to rank in search results. The best-known version is Domain Authority (DA) from Moz, which coined the term. Other tools have their own versions with their own names:

  • Moz: Domain Authority (DA). Moz describes it as a score that "predicts how likely a website will rank", calculated from the sites linking to you, the total number of links, spam signals and a machine-learned model.
  • Ahrefs: Domain Rating (DR). Ahrefs says it "shows the strength of a website's backlink profile compared to the others in our database on a 100-point scale."
  • Semrush: Authority Score. Semrush combines the number and quality of backlinks, estimated search traffic, and signs of spam.

The common thread is backlinks: links to your website from other websites. Each one works a bit like a reference. A link from a respected site that has a reason to mention you counts for a lot; a link from a junk site counts for little or nothing. The score rolls all of that into one number. And because each company crawls the web differently and uses its own formula, the same website gets a different number in each tool.

Does Google use domain authority?

No. Google doesn't use Moz's score, Ahrefs's score or anyone else's. Google's John Mueller has said this many times over the years, including that "Google doesn't use Domain Authority at all when it comes to Search crawling, indexing, or ranking." Raising your DA from 9 to 40 doesn't move your Google rankings by itself, because Google never sees that number.

But here's the part the myth-busting articles often skip: the thing domain authority tries to estimate is real. Links from other websites are one of the ways search engines judge whether a business is trustworthy and well known. For local businesses, Google says so directly. Its guide to local ranking lists three things: relevance, distance and prominence, and says prominence is based on "how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have."

So think of domain authority like a credit score from a company that isn't your bank. Your bank doesn't use that company's number, but the things that move the number, paying on time and keeping balances low, are the same things your bank cares about.

Why your score is probably low, and why that's fine

Domain authority is comparative. Moz stresses that it's meant for comparing sites, and that a score on its own, in a vacuum, means very little. A few things follow from that:

  • New websites start near the bottom. A site that launched this year has had little time to earn links. A low score at the start is normal, not a sign that something is broken.
  • You're not competing with Amazon. National news sites and big brands sit in the 80s and 90s. A local roofer doesn't need that. You need to be in the same range as the other roofers in your area, and ideally ahead of them.
  • Higher scores are harder to move. Going from 10 to 20 is far easier than going from 60 to 70, so don't expect a straight line.
  • Compare in one tool. A DA from Moz and a DR from Ahrefs aren't the same scale. Check yourself and your competitors in the same tool, then watch whether the gap is closing.

How a local business earns the links that matter

The links worth having come from websites that have a real reason to point to you. For a local service business, those usually already exist, waiting to be claimed:

  • Your Google Business Profile and reviews. Not a link, but Google names reviews right next to links as part of prominence. Keep the profile complete and keep asking every customer for a review. (Our guide: how to get more Google reviews.)
  • Suppliers and manufacturers. Many brands list certified dealers and installers on their websites. If you install a brand's equipment, ask to be listed with a link.
  • Associations and your chamber of commerce. Member directories from your local chamber and trade associations are links from established, relevant sites.
  • Your community. Sponsoring a youth team, a charity event or a local festival often comes with a mention on their site. Those links are usually marked as sponsored, which is fine: they still put your name in front of local people.
  • Local news and partners. A story about a project, a new hire or a milestone, and the businesses you work alongside (a builder who refers you, a supplier you recommend), are natural places to be mentioned.
  • Pages worth linking to. A straightforward guide that answers a question your customers keep asking, like what a repair usually involves, is the kind of page other people link to on their own.

What to avoid

Be wary of anyone selling a domain authority number. Packages that promise "DA 50 in 30 days" usually do it with links from networks of low-quality sites built for that purpose. Google's spam policies define link spam as "creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings," and list buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges and automated link-building among the examples. At best, those links do nothing for you in Google. At worst, they can hurt you. A score in a third-party tool can be pushed up this way; your standing with Google can't.

The bottom line

Domain authority is a thermometer, not the weather. It's a handy way to compare your website with local competitors and to check that your reputation online is growing. Just don't chase the number itself. Chase the real things it reflects: genuine links from people who have a reason to recommend you, a complete Google Business Profile, and a steady flow of reviews. Do that, and the score takes care of itself.

If you'd like a straight read on where your website stands against the businesses you compete with, and which links are worth going after, we're happy to take a look.