1) Domain Authority in plain English
Think of Domain Authority as a “strength indicator” for a website’s ability to compete in search results. The higher the score, the stronger the domain tends to be — usually because it has better links, stronger brand signals, and healthier overall authority.
2) Important: DA is not a Google ranking factor
Google doesn’t use “DA” as a ranking factor. DA is a third-party metric. That said, it often correlates with ranking ability because it reflects signals that matter in SEO — especially backlinks and trust.
3) What influences Domain Authority?
Common factors that usually move DA up or down:
- Backlink quality — links from trusted, relevant sites matter more than random links.
- Backlink diversity — 200 links from 1 site ≠ 200 links from 200 different sites.
- Link profile health — spammy patterns can hold authority back.
- Content + brand signals — strong content earns natural links and mentions.
4) How should you use DA (without getting fooled)?
DA is best used for comparison — not worship. Use it to compare competing sites, evaluate outreach targets, and quickly filter domains. But always check other context like relevance, traffic quality, and spam signals.
If a domain has high DA but looks like a link farm, treat it as suspicious. Metrics are signals — not truth.
5) DA vs PA vs DR/UR
Different tools use different models:
- DA (Domain Authority) — domain-level strength estimate.
- PA (Page Authority) — page-level strength estimate.
- DR/UR — alternative domain/page strength metrics from other providers.
6) How to improve Domain Authority (realistically)
- Create content people actually reference and link to.
- Earn links from relevant sites (not random bulk links).
- Fix broken pages and remove obvious spam footprints.
- Build brand consistency — mentions matter over time.
Want to check your domain quickly? Use Seorvia’s DA/PA and DR/UR tools to compare domains and track changes over time.