Domain authority
Updated June 22, 2026 · Reviewed by the Quratic editorial team
Definition
Domain authority is a third-party proxy score — popularized by Moz as Domain Authority (DA) and similar metrics elsewhere — estimating how likely a site is to rank based on backlink profile. It is not a Google ranking factor but a comparative shorthand SEO teams use for competitive benchmarking.
A compass, not a score Google uses
Google does not use Moz DA, Ahrefs DR, or similar metrics in ranking. These scores aggregate backlink quantity and quality into one number for competitive comparison. Rising DA often correlates with SEO progress but can diverge from GEO outcomes — a high-DA site may lose AI mentions if content is not extractable.
How domain authority differs from topical authority and AI visibility
Topical authority is subject-specific depth. AI Visibility Score measures presence in generated answers. Domain authority measures link-graph strength of the whole domain — useful for pitch decks and competitor charts, dangerous as a sole KPI for AI-era programs.
In Asian markets
Global DA favors US-link-heavy domains. Asian brands with strong local presence but fewer US backlinks may show moderate DA while dominating local AI answers. Benchmark competitors in the same market and language, not Fortune 500 US sites.
Example
A startup DA 35 outranks a DA 60 incumbent in Perplexity for “AI visibility Singapore” because topical content and local citations beat raw link score — illustrating why GEO teams track mention rate, not DA alone.