What is website authority?
Website authority is a score that sums up how strong a domain's backlink profile is. A site that earns links from many established, trusted websites scores higher. A site with few links, or with links mostly from weak sites, scores lower.
The score is an estimate made by SEO tools, not a number from Google. Google does not use any third-party authority score to rank pages. It is still useful: links are one of the signals search engines use, and a single number makes it quick to compare sites and to track your own progress.
How our authority score works
The checker gives each domain a score from 0 to 100. It is based on DataForSEO's domain rank, which is calculated from the domain's backlink profile. Every score also gets a label, so you can read it at a glance:
- 0 to 19: Low
- 20 to 39: Fair
- 40 to 59: Good
- 60 to 79: Strong
- 80 to 100: Very strong
Next to the score you see the data behind it: total backlinks, referring domains, the share of dofollow links, referring IPs, spam score, the top referring TLDs and countries, and the date the first backlink was seen. Because the score comes from links, a new site starts low even when its content is excellent.
Is this the same as Domain Authority or Domain Rating?
No. If you searched for a domain authority checker or a domain rating checker, this tool answers the same question: how strong is this site's link profile? But the number is our own measure. It is not Moz Domain Authority and not Ahrefs Domain Rating, and the numbers will differ.
Each SEO tool has its own link data and its own formula, so the same site can score quite differently from one tool to the next. That is normal. The rule is simple: compare sites with the same tool, and do not compare our score with a DA or DR number.
What is a good website authority score?
There is no single good number. A local plumber does not need the authority of a national news site to rank in its own city, and a software company competes against very different sites than a recipe blog does. What matters is how you compare with the sites you compete against in search.
To find your real benchmark, run your main keyword through the SERP checker to see which domains rank in the Google top 10, then check those domains here so every score comes from the same tool. If the sites above you score far higher, links are likely part of the gap. If they score about the same, look at your content and search intent first.
How to use the authority checker
The score is most useful when you compare. Here are four practical ways to use it:
- Benchmark your site. Check your domain and your main competitors, and note each score, label and number of referring domains.
- Vet link prospects. Before you pitch a guest article or agree to a partnership, check the site. A solid score, a low spam score and links from countries that match your market are good signs. Many links from very few referring IPs can be a warning.
- Look at a domain's history. The date the first backlink was seen is a rough guide to how long a site has been earning links, which helps when you judge a partner or a domain you plan to buy.
- Track your progress. Check your domain again every month or so. Authority grows as you earn links from new referring domains, so watch that number alongside the score.
How to raise your website authority
Because the score comes from links, the lasting way to raise it is to earn links from relevant, trusted websites. Buying links that pass ranking value goes against Google's spam policies and can do more harm than good.
- Publish things people cite: original data, clear guides, tools and templates in your field.
- Do outreach with a reason: pitch sites that already link to similar resources. The backlink checker shows the strongest sites linking to your competitors.
- Collect the links you have earned: partners, suppliers, associations and directories your customers actually use.
- Keep linked pages alive: make sure pages that earned links still load, or redirect them to the closest live page.
Raising authority takes steady work over months, not a single campaign. If you want a team to plan and earn those links with you, see our SEO services.