What is Domain Rating (DR)?
Domain Rating (DR) is a metric developed by Ahrefs that measures the relative strength of a website's backlink profile on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100.
How DR is calculated:
- Counts the number of unique domains linking to your site (referring domains)
- Considers the DR of those linking domains (quality matters)
- Factors in how many other sites each referring domain links to (link dilution)
- Uses a logarithmic scale (going from DR 70 to 71 requires more links than going from 20 to 21)
DR is a domain-level metric. It measures the overall authority of your entire website, not individual pages. Ahrefs has a separate metric called URL Rating (UR) for page-level authority.
What is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results. It also uses a 0 to 100 scale.
How DA is calculated:
- Uses a machine learning model trained on actual Google search results
- Considers linking root domains and total number of links
- Factors in MozRank, MozTrust, and other proprietary signals
- Attempts to predict ranking ability, not just measure backlink strength
DA was one of the first third-party authority metrics in SEO and remains widely used, though Ahrefs DR has become more popular in recent years due to Ahrefs' larger backlink index.
Key Differences: DR vs DA
| Factor | Domain Rating (DR) | Domain Authority (DA) |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Ahrefs | Moz |
| Scale | 0-100 (logarithmic) | 0-100 (logarithmic) |
| Primary input | Unique referring domains + their DR | Machine learning model on backlinks + ranking data |
| Backlink index size | Larger (35T+ known links) | Smaller (44B+ links) |
| Update frequency | Real-time (continuous crawling) | Monthly updates |
| What it measures | Backlink profile strength | Predicted ranking ability |
| Industry adoption | More common in SEO industry | Still widely used, especially for outreach |
| Free access | Limited (Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) | Free via MozBar extension |
The biggest practical difference: DR reflects what you have (backlink strength), while DA tries to predict what you can do (ranking potential). Both use logarithmic scales, meaning gains become harder at higher levels.
Which One Matters More?
The short answer: both are useful, neither is definitive. Google does not use either metric directly. Both are third-party approximations of what Google might consider important.
That said, most SEO professionals prefer Domain Rating because:
- Ahrefs has a significantly larger backlink index, meaning DR reflects more of your actual link profile
- DR updates in real-time vs DA's monthly updates, letting you see the impact of link building faster
- DR's calculation is more transparent and easier to influence through specific actions
- More SEO tools and services reference DR as their primary authority metric
Bottom line: Use DR as your primary metric for tracking authority growth and evaluating backlink opportunities. Reference DA when working with tools or partners that use Moz's ecosystem. The actions that improve one will improve the other.
How to Improve Both DR and DA
Since both metrics are fundamentally based on your backlink profile, the same strategies improve both simultaneously. Here is what works:
Directory Submissions
Submit to 50-100 quality directories. Each unique domain linking to you increases both DR and DA. This is the fastest method to improve both metrics from zero.
Guest Posting
Write for blogs with high DR and DA. The backlink you earn contributes to both metrics. Target sites with DR 50+ and DA 40+ for meaningful impact.
Digital PR
Get mentioned in news articles and industry publications. Major publications typically have both high DR and high DA, so links from them boost both metrics significantly.
Create Linkable Assets
Free tools, original research, and comprehensive guides attract natural backlinks from diverse domains. More unique referring domains means higher DR and DA.
Disavow Toxic Links
Spam links can drag down your DA in particular. Use Google's disavow tool for obviously spammy backlinks. DA's spam score factor makes this especially relevant for Moz's metric.
Directories with High DR and DA
These directories have both high Domain Rating and Domain Authority, meaning a backlink from them improves both metrics simultaneously.
www.reddit.com
The front page of the internet - diverse communities and discussions.
Sourceforge
sourceforge.net
Platform for sharing and reviewing open-source and commercial software.
TechCrunch
techcrunch.com
Leading technology media property, dedicated to obsessively profiling startups.
Product Hunt
www.producthunt.com
The premier platform for discovering and launching new products daily.
Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com
Y Combinator's community-driven tech news and startup discussion platform.
StartupFA.me
startupfa.me
Directory for finding and submitting startup tools and resources.
Indie Hackers
indiehackers.com
Community of developers who are sharing the strategies behind their companies.
Improve Both DR and DA at Once
Our directory submission service gets you listed on 100+ directories, building the backlinks that improve both your Domain Rating and Domain Authority simultaneously.
Frequently Asked Questions
Build Your Domain Authority and Rating
Whether you track DR, DA, or both, directory submissions are the fastest way to build the backlink profile that improves all authority metrics.