Domain Authority
Domain Authority is a Moz score from 1 to 100 predicting how likely a domain is to rank in search results. It is calculated from backlink data. Google does not use it in any way, but it remains a common shorthand for comparing sites.
Why it matters for your rankings
Domain Authority is useful for exactly one thing: comparison. Knowing your score is 34 means nothing in isolation, but knowing three competitors sit at 60 tells you the link gap you need to close.
The trouble starts when it becomes a target. Teams buy links from high-DA sites that have no relevance to their industry, and the score rises while rankings do not, because Google is measuring something entirely different. The metric is also gameable, which is precisely why link sellers quote it. Treat it the way you would treat a credit score from a company that does not issue your loans: directionally interesting, occasionally correlated, never the actual decision criterion.
How to check it on your site
Benchmark against real competitors
Check your DA and that of the sites actually ranking for your target terms, not aspirational brands in adjacent markets.
Look at referring domains instead
Count of distinct linking sites predicts ranking ability better than any composite score. Compare that number first.
Ignore DA when buying placements
If someone sells links by DA, that is a signal about the seller, not the site.
Track trend, not absolute value
Moz recalibrates the scale periodically, so a score change may reflect their model rather than your links.