Domain Rating vs Domain Authority: DR and DA Compared

Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) are third-party metrics that summarize aspects of a website's link profile on a 0–100 scale. DR belongs to Ahrefs. DA belongs to Moz. Neither metric is calculated or used by Google, and the two scores are not interchangeable.

The simplest distinction is that Ahrefs describes DR as a measure of backlink-profile strength, while Moz describes DA as a machine-learning score designed to predict ranking potential. Both depend heavily on their provider's link data, but they use different indexes and models.

What is Domain Rating?

Domain Rating is an Ahrefs metric that compares the strength of a website's backlink profile with other sites in the Ahrefs database. It considers followed links between unique domains, the relative strength of referring domains, and how widely those domains link out.

DR is logarithmic. Improving from 70 to 80 is much harder than moving from 20 to 30. The metric is most useful for relative backlink research: competitor comparisons, link prospecting, and long-term profile monitoring.

What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority is a proprietary Moz metric. Moz describes DA as a score that predicts how likely a domain is to rank in search results based on a machine-learning model of link metrics. It also uses a 0–100 scale and should be used comparatively rather than as an absolute grade.

DA depends on the Moz Link Explorer index and Moz's current model. As that index and model change, a site's DA may change even without an obvious action by the site owner.

The key differences between DR and DA

They come from different companies

Ahrefs creates DR; Moz creates DA. “Domain rating,” “domain authority,” and the generic phrase “website authority” are often used casually, but the named metrics have specific owners.

They use different link indexes

Each provider crawls and stores its own view of the web. One may discover a referring domain or link before the other, classify it differently, or retain it for a different period. Different input data naturally produces different scores.

Their stated purposes differ

DR is framed as the relative strength of a backlink profile. DA is framed as a predictive ranking score. In practice, both are comparative SEO metrics influenced by link data, but their methodologies and intended interpretation are not identical.

Their formulas are proprietary

You cannot reliably convert DR to DA with a formula. A DR 50 site is not automatically DA 50, and a ten-point movement in one metric does not imply the same movement in the other.

Updates may happen at different times

A new campaign can appear in one provider's index before it appears in another. Short-term disagreement does not necessarily mean either tool is broken; it may reflect crawl timing or model updates.

Why can DR and DA be very different?

Suppose a website has a small number of links from domains that Ahrefs evaluates as strong, plus link patterns that Moz's predictive model treats differently. Ahrefs may report a relatively high DR while Moz reports a lower DA. The reverse can also happen.

Differences can be caused by:

• index coverage and crawl recency;
• treatment of redirects, subdomains, and canonical URLs;
• which links are considered in the calculation;
• the strength assigned to referring domains;
• model or algorithm updates;
• unusual link-profile patterns.

The gap is a prompt to inspect the backlink profile, not proof that one score is correct and the other is wrong.

Is DR or DA a Google ranking factor?

Neither. Google does not import Ahrefs DR or Moz DA into its ranking systems. These metrics are estimates created by SEO software providers using their own data.

A page may rank well on a low-scoring domain because it is highly relevant, original, technically accessible, and well supported by page-level links. A high-scoring domain may fail to rank when its page does not satisfy the query.

This does not make authority metrics useless. It means they must remain diagnostic and comparative rather than becoming the objective of SEO itself.

Which metric should you use?

Use the metric connected to the workflow and dataset you already rely on.

Choose DR when you are using Ahrefs data, comparing backlink strength, or qualifying domains within an Ahrefs-based workflow. Choose DA when your reports, historic baselines, or research tools are built around Moz.

For most teams, consistency matters more than trying to combine both. Pick one primary metric, record it on a fixed schedule, and keep the provider constant. If you switch providers, start a new baseline rather than stitching incompatible scores together.

When checking both metrics helps

Using both can be useful for high-stakes reviews such as site acquisitions, major partnerships, or investigating a suspicious prospect. A large disagreement tells you to look deeper.

It does not tell you which site deserves a link or investment. Continue with manual checks:

• referring-domain relevance and diversity;
• organic visibility and traffic trend;
• editorial quality and publishing history;
• unusual redirects or ownership changes;
• outbound-link patterns and obvious paid placements;
• page-level strength for the URLs that matter.

DR and DA are not generic “domain authority”

SEO conversations often use “domain authority” as a generic concept for a site's accumulated reputation or link strength. Capitalized Domain Authority is specifically Moz's metric. Similarly, Domain Rating is specifically Ahrefs' metric.

Clear naming matters in reports. Label the provider and metric—“Ahrefs DR” or “Moz DA”—so stakeholders do not compare unrelated numbers.

Common comparison mistakes

Averaging DR and DA

Combining two proprietary scales into one number creates an output with no defined meaning.

Treating a higher score as proof of a better website

Neither metric evaluates the full user experience, factual accuracy, product quality, security, or conversion performance.

Buying links based on a minimum score

Score filters are easy to manipulate. Relevance, editorial legitimacy, audience, and placement quality should come first. Google warns that links created mainly to manipulate rankings can violate its spam policies.

Comparing a domain score with a page score

DR and DA are domain-level metrics. Ahrefs URL Rating and Moz Page Authority describe page-level signals and answer a different question.

A practical decision framework

When using either metric, follow the same process:

1. Define the decision: competitor benchmark, link prospect, acquisition, or trend report.
2. Compare domains from the same market using the same provider and date.
3. Treat the score as a filter, not a verdict.
4. Inspect the underlying links and the specific pages involved.
5. Connect findings to organic visibility, qualified traffic, and business value.

If your existing workflow is based on Ahrefs, start with a free DR check or compare several domains on the comparison page. Just keep the label accurate and the interpretation relative.

The bottom line

DR measures backlink strength according to Ahrefs; DA estimates ranking potential according to Moz. Both are useful comparative shortcuts, both are proprietary, and neither is a Google score.

Choose one as your consistent benchmark, investigate the links behind it, and make the final decision using relevance, page quality, visibility, and business outcomes.