If you have ever shopped for guest posts or backlinks, you have seen two numbers next to almost every website: DA and DR. Sellers advertise them, buyers filter by them, and plenty of people treat them as if they were Google’s own score for a website. They are not. Both are useful, but only when you know what they measure and where they fall short.
This guide breaks down domain authority vs domain rating: who created each metric, how they are calculated, why the same site can score very differently on each, and how to use them together when you choose sites for link building.
What Is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority is a metric created by Moz, an SEO software company. It scores a website on a scale from 1 to 100 and is designed to predict how likely that domain is to rank in search results compared with other domains.
Moz builds the score mainly from its own index of links: how many unique websites link to a domain, how strong those linking websites are, and other link-related signals. Moz describes DA as a comparative metric, meaning it is most useful for comparing sites against each other rather than as an absolute measure of quality.
A few things to keep in mind about DA:
- It is logarithmic. Moving from 20 to 30 is much easier than moving from 70 to 80.
- It is relative. Scores can shift when Moz updates its index or its model, even if nothing changed on your site.
- It applies to the whole domain. Moz uses a separate metric, Page Authority, for individual pages.
What Is Domain Rating (DR)?
Domain Rating is a metric created by Ahrefs, another SEO tool provider. It also uses a 0 to 100 scale, but it has a narrower focus: DR measures the strength of a website’s backlink profile compared with other sites in the Ahrefs database.
In simple terms, DR looks at how many unique domains link to a site and how strong those linking domains are themselves. A link from a high-DR site that links out to very few other sites passes more of its strength than a link from a site that links out to thousands.
Like DA, DR is logarithmic and relative. Ahrefs has a page-level metric too, called URL Rating (UR).
Domain Authority vs Domain Rating: The Key Differences
At a glance DA and DR look almost the same: both come from link data, both run up to 100, and both are used to judge how strong a website is. The differences matter, though.
1. Different companies, different link indexes
Moz and Ahrefs each crawl the web with their own bots and keep their own database of links. Neither index sees the whole web, and they do not see the same parts of it. If one tool has found links that the other has missed, the two scores will disagree.
2. Different goals
DA is built to estimate ranking potential. DR is built to measure backlink profile strength. Those are related ideas but not identical, so it is normal for the numbers to differ.
3. Different calculations
Each company uses its own formula and updates it on its own schedule. A change in one model does not affect the other, which is one more reason to never treat the two numbers as interchangeable.
Quick comparison
- Created by: DA comes from Moz; DR comes from Ahrefs.
- Scale: DA runs from 1 to 100; DR runs from 0 to 100. Both are logarithmic.
- What it aims to show: DA predicts relative ranking potential; DR measures relative backlink strength.
- Page-level version: Page Authority (PA) for Moz; URL Rating (UR) for Ahrefs.
- Used by Google? Neither. Both are third-party estimates.
Does Google Use DA or DR?
No. Google does not use Moz Domain Authority or Ahrefs Domain Rating in its ranking systems. Google’s team has said publicly over the years that it does not use a third-party “authority” score like these. Google has its own internal signals, and it does not share them.
That does not make DA and DR useless. Links still matter to Google, and these metrics are a fast way to estimate how strong a site’s link profile is. Just remember that a high score is an estimate from a tool, not a promise of rankings.
Why the Same Site Can Have a High DR and a Low DA (or the Reverse)
When a site shows, say, a strong DR but a much weaker DA, one of these is usually the reason:
- Index coverage: one tool has found many more of the site’s backlinks than the other.
- Link quality signals: Moz may give less weight to links it considers low quality or spammy, while DR focuses on how many strong domains link in.
- Recent changes: a burst of new links, or a lost batch of old ones, may show up in one tool before the other.
- Manipulation: some sellers inflate one metric with cheap links aimed at that specific tool. A big gap between DA and DR, especially combined with low traffic, is worth investigating.
The takeaway is simple: when the two metrics disagree sharply, look closer before you buy a link.
How to Use DA and DR When Choosing Guest Post Sites
DA and DR work best as a first filter, not a final decision. Here is a practical way to use them.
Step 1: Set a sensible minimum
Decide on a minimum DA or DR that fits your goals and budget, then use it to narrow a long list of sites down to a shortlist. On the RankNest guest post marketplace you can compare sites by DA, DR and price side by side, which makes this step quick.
Step 2: Check both metrics, not just one
A site that scores reasonably on both DA and DR is usually a safer pick than a site with one very high number and one very low number. Agreement between two independent tools is a good sign.
Step 3: Look at organic traffic
A real site that ranks for real keywords gets search traffic. A site with a high score and little or no organic traffic may be propped up by links rather than genuine readership. Traffic estimates from SEO tools are rough, but a trend line near zero is a clear warning.
Step 4: Judge relevance
A link from a relevant site in your niche usually helps more than a link from an unrelated site with a slightly higher score. If you sell fitness products, a respected health blog is generally a better fit than a general “write for us” site that covers everything. Our guide on how to choose high-quality guest post sites goes deeper on relevance and red flags.
Step 5: Review the content and outbound links
Open a few recent articles. Are they well written and useful? Do they link out to sensible sources, or is every post stuffed with links to casinos, loans and unrelated shops? Sites that sell links to anyone tend to lose value over time.
Step 6: Consider price in context
Higher DA and DR sites usually cost more. Compare price against the full picture (metrics, traffic, relevance and content quality) rather than against one number alone. You can see our current options on the pricing page.
How to Improve Your Own DA and DR
Because both metrics are built from links, the way to improve them is the same way you build a healthy link profile in general:
- Earn links from relevant, trusted websites through guest posts, digital PR, partnerships and genuinely useful content.
- Focus on unique linking domains, not just the total number of links. Ten links from ten different good sites usually matter more than ten links from one site.
- Keep your anchor text natural. Our anchor text strategy guide explains how.
- Strengthen your internal linking so the value of the links you earn reaches your important pages. See our internal linking strategy guide.
- Be patient. Both scores are logarithmic and relative, so steady growth over months is normal.
If you would rather have a team handle it, our SEO services include link building and reporting, and our PBN backlinks service is available for clients who want that option and understand its risks. Our guide to building backlinks safely covers those risks in detail.
Common Mistakes When Using DA and DR
- Treating them as Google metrics. They are estimates from third-party tools.
- Relying on one number only. Check DA, DR, traffic and relevance together.
- Comparing DA from one site with DR from another. The scales are not interchangeable.
- Chasing scores instead of results. The goal is more traffic, rankings and customers, not a bigger number in a tool.
- Panicking at small drops. Index and model updates can move scores even when nothing changed on your site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DA or DR more accurate?
Neither is “correct” in an absolute sense, because neither is used by Google. They measure slightly different things from different link indexes. Many SEOs check both and look for agreement between them.
What is a good DA or DR score?
It depends on your niche and competitors. A useful approach is to compare a site with others in the same industry rather than aiming for a fixed number. For guest posting, many buyers start with filters such as DA 30+ or DA 50+ and then check traffic and relevance.
Why did my DA or DR drop?
Common reasons include lost backlinks, a tool updating its index or model, or other sites growing faster than yours (both scores are relative). A drop in a third-party metric does not by itself mean your Google rankings dropped.
Can DA and DR be manipulated?
Yes. Because both are built from link data, they can be inflated with low-quality links. That is why traffic, relevance and content quality should always be part of your evaluation.
Should I buy guest posts based on DA or DR?
Use them to build a shortlist, then decide based on the full picture. You can browse sites with their DA, DR and price on the RankNest marketplace, and if you are comparing agencies, our SEO agency reviews can help.
Final Thoughts
DA and DR are helpful shortcuts for judging a website’s link strength, and they make it much faster to compare guest post opportunities. Just remember what they are: estimates from Moz and Ahrefs, not Google’s verdict. Use them as a first filter, back them up with traffic, relevance and content checks, and you will make far better link building decisions.
Ready to find sites that fit your niche? Browse the RankNest guest post marketplace or contact our team for help choosing the right links.
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