How to Interpret Domain Authority Scores in SEO

Domain Authority (DA) is a useful metric to estimate your website's SEO strength, but many businesses struggle with how to interpret the numbers they see.

It becomes more meaningful when you understand how your website's domain authority is influenced by linking root domains, referring domains, and overall page authority, which all contribute to your search engine ranking score.

Is a DA of 25 good? Is 45 enough to compete? What should you expect as you grow?

In this page, we'll break down what Domain Authority scores mean at different levels, how to use your DA smartly, and what actions to take based on where you currently stand. This helps you evaluate your position against your direct competitors on search engine result pages, using DA as a comparative metric rather than a standalone number.

Quick Recap — What Is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority is a score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engines, based on the quality and quantity of its backlinks.

Understanding how domain authority is calculated can help you analyze your website's backlink profile and overall ranking potential.

It ranges from 1 to 100. Higher scores generally mean a greater likelihood of ranking higher, but DA should be interpreted in context, not in isolation. 

A good domain authority score varies by niche, competition strength, and other SEO metrics. You can also check your DA using any free tool, though results may vary slightly.

To understand how DA is calculated, visit: How Domain Authority Works and What Influences It

Interpreting Domain Authority Scores — A Practical Guide

Let's look at how to understand different DA score ranges.

DA 1–20: New or Developing Websites

• These are often new sites or ones with minimal backlink profiles and limited external links pointing to them.

• Content may still be limited.

• Rankings are hard to achieve for competitive keywords.

Goal: 

Focus on building foundational SEO elements like creating high quality content, improving technical SEO, and avoiding spammy links early on.

If you're in this range, don't get discouraged. Every high-DA site started here once.

DA 21–40: Growing Sites

Link velocity refers to the speed at which your site earns backlinks over time.

• Moderate backlink profile starting to develop, supported by increasing link popularity and a more stable website's link profile.

• Possibility to rank for long-tail and mid-competition keywords.

• Good foundation to build stronger authority.

Goal: 

By using your website's ability, start earning backlinks from niche relevant websites. Publish in-depth, helpful content that others naturally want to reference.

Learn how to find less competitive content opportunities: Master the Art of Keyword Research

DA 41–60: Established and Competitive Sites

• Strong backlink profile across multiple domains, reinforced by more high quality backlinks that signal trust.

• Likely ranking well for mid and even some high-competition keywords.

• Trusted within their niche.

Goal:

Protect your authority through continuous link acquisition, brand mentions, content updates and advanced link building strategies. Start focusing on bigger keywords and expanding into related topic clusters.

DA 61–80: Authority Leaders

•  Trusted by users, linked by numerous reputable sites and authoritative websites.

• Dominating competitive keywords and industry conversations.

Goal:

Maintain leadership by strengthening search engine optimization efforts, creating content assets (like reports and whitepapers), and expanding brand visibility.

These are the players who often define their industry narratives.

DA 81–100: Industry Giants

• These are websites like Wikipedia, Amazon, and Google itself, powered by millions of backlinks pointing from across the web and immense brand trust.

• Very few businesses reach this range.

• Often a result of massive external links, immense brand recognition, and global trust.

For most companies, reaching a DA of 60–70 is a highly respectable and realistic goal.

DA Should Be Compared Relatively, Not Absolutely

A DA of 35 may seem small if you're comparing yourself to Amazon — but what matters is how you stand relative to your competitors.

If your main competitors have DA 25–30, and you are at 35, you are already ahead in search rankings.

DA benchmarking should always be niche-specific and based on evaluating multiple factors, including domain authority measures, organic traffic, and overall market competition.

Learn how to benchmark correctly here: How to Use Domain Authority for SEO Benchmarking

How to Respond Based on Your DA Score

Once you know your DA, here's how to think strategically:

If You Have Low DA (1–30)

• Focus on consistent backlink building.

• Prioritize publishing linkable assets like in-depth guides or useful tools.

• Seek guest posting opportunities from reputable linking domains.

Also, work on internal site structure to maximize your early link equity and overall website's authority: Internal Linking for SEO Success

If You Have Mid-Range DA (31–60)

• Target mid-competition keywords and topics.

•  Scale your content marketing with a focus on relevance and authority.

• Pursue backlinks from slightly higher-authority sites.

Continue comparing websites in your niche to refine opportunities.

If You Have High DA (61+)

• Dominate your industry's major keywords.

• Expand your brand into new content verticals.

• Maintain regular audits to prevent backlink loss and to preserve your ranking factor advantages.

Also, stay current with changes like AI overviews and how they affect search behavior: How to Optimize Content for AI Summaries

Common Misunderstandings About DA Scores

• Myth 1: “A low DA means my content is bad.” Content quality and DA are connected, but one does not directly define the other. Both are separate aspects of your domain authority and page performance.

• Myth 2: “Improving DA quickly is possible with shortcuts.” No — real DA growth takes steady, high-quality SEO effort and sustainable growth comes from acquiring high quality backlinks and long-term strategy.

• Myth 3: “I need a DA of 80+ to succeed.” No — winning in your niche matters more than reaching a number, domain authority important only within your competitive landscape.

Conclusion — DA is a Guide, Not a Guarantee

Domain Authority is a valuable SEO metric, but it is just one part of the bigger picture.

Use your DA score to:

• Set realistic SEO expectations

• Create better backlink strategies

• Improve your domain authority checking process

• Avoid spammy links

• Focus on improving domain authority steadily

• Stay focused on continuous, quality-driven SEO efforts

Because at the end of the day, it's trust, relevance, and usefulness that search engines reward — not just numbers.