How to use a DA check
- Benchmark competitors — list the top 10 results for your main keyword and compare their DA with yours.
- Vet link and guest-post opportunities — relevance matters most, but a site with real authority and a low Spam Score is a better partner.
- Track progress — check your own DA each month; steady growth means your link building is working.
- Due diligence when buying a domain or website.
Reading the result
Alongside DA you get Page Authority of the home page, Spam Score, the number of linking root domains and the total external backlinks Moz has found. Linking root domains is often the most useful raw number: 100 links from 100 sites are worth far more than 100 links from one site.
Why DA changes
Because DA is relative, your score can drop even if nothing changed on your site — for example when Moz's index grows or sites at the top gain many links. Look at trends over months, not single updates.
DA myths
- "Google uses DA." It does not; it is a Moz model.
- "Higher DA always outranks lower DA." Relevance and content quality often beat authority, especially for long-tail queries.
- "You can buy DA." Services that inflate DA with spammy links can damage your real rankings.
Compare several sites at once with the DA PA Checker or check a single URL's strength with the Page Authority Checker. Each visitor has a small monthly allowance of new domains on Moz-powered tools.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my website's Domain Authority?
Enter your domain and click Check now. You get the Moz DA score plus Page Authority, Spam Score and link counts.
Is a DA of 30 good?
For a small business or niche site, 30 is solid. What matters is how you compare with competitors in your search results.
Why did my DA drop?
DA is relative, so it can fall when other sites gain links or when Moz updates its model, even if you lost nothing.
How can I increase Domain Authority?
Earn links from relevant, trustworthy websites by creating content and resources worth citing. Avoid paid link schemes.