Does Google use domain authority as a ranking factor?

No. Google has explicitly stated they do not use any third-party domain authority score in their ranking algorithm. Domain authority is a metric created by Moz to predict ranking potential based on backlink data. While backlinks are a Google ranking factor, the DA score itself is not used by Google.

What is a good domain authority score?

Domain authority scores range from 1 to 100. New sites typically start between 1 and 10. Scores of 20 to 30 are common for small businesses. Scores above 50 indicate strong backlink profiles, and scores above 70 are typically reserved for major brands and well-established publications.

How do you increase domain authority?

Domain authority increases primarily through earning quality backlinks from authoritative websites. Publishing valuable content that others reference, guest posting on reputable sites, digital PR, and building relationships in your industry all contribute to backlink growth. It typically takes months to see meaningful DA improvements.

What Is Domain Authority?

Q: Is domain authority or topical authority more important?

For most startups, topical authority delivers faster ranking results. Sites focusing on topical authority see ranking gains up to 3x faster than those chasing domain authority alone. Domain authority measures overall link equity while topical authority measures content depth on specific subjects.

Domain authority is a search engine optimization metric developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results. Scored on a scale from 1 to 100, it calculates a site's ranking potential based on the quantity and quality of external links pointing to it. Higher scores indicate stronger backlink profiles and, in theory, greater ability to rank for competitive keywords.

It is important to understand that domain authority is a third-party metric, not a Google ranking factor. Google has explicitly stated they do not use Moz's DA or any equivalent third-party score in their algorithm. That said, the backlink signals DA measures do correlate with ranking performance, which is why the metric remains widely used as a competitive benchmark.

How Is Domain Authority Calculated?

Moz calculates domain authority using a machine learning model that evaluates several factors:

Link quantity. The total number of external websites linking to your domain. More linking domains generally means higher DA.

Link quality. Not all links are equal. A link from a high-DA site like the New York Times or Harvard.edu carries more weight than a link from a low-quality blog.

Link diversity. Links from many different domains signal broader authority than many links from just a few domains.

Spam signals. Moz filters out spammy or manipulative link patterns that could artificially inflate the score.

The scale is logarithmic, meaning it is much easier to grow DA from 10 to 20 than from 60 to 70. Each incremental point at the higher end requires significantly more quality backlinks.

Similar metrics exist from other SEO tools - Ahrefs uses Domain Rating (DR), Semrush uses Authority Score, and Majestic uses Trust Flow. Each uses a slightly different methodology but they all attempt to measure the same underlying concept: a site's backlink-based ranking potential.

How Does Domain Authority Correlate With Rankings?

While Google does not use DA directly, the correlation between high DA and strong rankings is well documented. Research from Ranktracker found that sites with DA 50+ are approximately 3.7x more likely to rank in the top 10 for competitive keywords than sites with DA 20-30.

This correlation exists because the underlying signal - quality backlinks - is something Google does use. When authoritative sites link to your content, Google interprets that as a trust signal. DA is simply a proxy measure of that signal.

However, the correlation breaks down for niche and long-tail keywords. A site with DA 15 that has deep, comprehensive coverage of a specific topic can absolutely outrank a DA 70 site that only touches on that topic briefly. This is where topical authority becomes the more relevant metric.

Domain Authority vs Topical Authority

Domain authority and topical authority measure fundamentally different things:

Domain authority measures your site's overall link equity - how many quality sites link to you. It is a site-wide metric that does not differentiate between topics.

Topical authority measures how comprehensively your site covers a specific subject. It is built through content depth, internal linking, and consistent publishing on a focused set of topics.

For startups, the practical difference is significant. Building domain authority requires earning backlinks, which takes time, resources, and often paid outreach or PR. Building topical authority requires publishing comprehensive, well-structured content on your core topics - something any startup can begin doing immediately.

Analysis of 400+ SEO campaigns showed that sites focusing on topical authority see ranking gains up to 3x faster than those chasing domain authority alone. This makes topical authority the more effective strategy for new sites that need results sooner.

Does Domain Authority Matter for AI Search?

AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews do not rely on domain authority scores when selecting sources to cite. They evaluate content quality, relevance, and structure at the page level.

This is actually good news for startups. You do not need a DA of 50 to get cited by AI search engines. What matters more is whether your content clearly and specifically answers the query, includes cited sources, and demonstrates E-E-A-T signals like author credentials and first-hand experience.

That said, domain authority is not irrelevant to AI search. AI search engines often retrieve candidate pages through web search APIs, and pages from higher-DA sites may appear more frequently in those initial retrieval sets. But the final citation decision is made based on content quality, not domain metrics.

How Should Startups Think About Domain Authority?

Domain authority is worth tracking as a competitive benchmark, but it should not be your primary SEO strategy:

Track it, do not obsess over it. Monitor your DA alongside competitors to understand where you stand, but do not make decisions solely based on moving the DA number.

Prioritize topical authority. Invest your time in building comprehensive content coverage on your core topics. This delivers faster ranking results and better AI search visibility.

Earn links naturally. The best way to grow DA is to publish content worth linking to. Original research, unique data, and genuinely useful guides earn links organically over time.

Focus on E-E-A-T signals. Author credentials, cited sources, first-hand experience, and structured data matter more for both traditional and AI search than a domain authority number.

Domain authority is a useful metric for understanding your competitive position, but it is not the path to ranking success - especially for new sites. Content depth, topical focus, and quality signals deliver results faster and more sustainably.