What Is Domain Authority and How to Raise It on a New Site
Domain authority is a score from 1 to 100 that the SEO tool Moz gives a website. It predicts how well the site might rank, based mostly on the links pointing to it. It is not a Google metric, and Google doesn’t use it to rank pages. Other tools have their own version, such as Ahrefs’ Domain Rating and Semrush’s Authority Score. To raise it, earn links from more real, relevant sites; a new site starts low, and that’s normal.
Why does a low domain authority worry new makers?
You launch, open an SEO tool out of curiosity, and your site has a domain authority in single digits. Competitors show 40, 60, 80. Then the emails start: “Boost your DA to 50 in a week.”
The real cost of that worry is what it pushes you to do. Makers buy packs of links to move a number Google never looks at, and some of those links are the kind Google’s spam policies treat as link spam. The score goes up; the traffic doesn’t; the risk does.
What is domain authority, exactly?
It’s an estimate, built from a site’s link profile: how many different websites link to it and how strong those sites are in turn. A few points that help you read it:
- It’s comparative. A score means something next to sites in the same space, not on its own.
- Higher is harder. Going from 10 to 20 is far easier than going from 60 to 70.
- It moves when the tool recrawls. Your number can change because the tool updated its data, not because anything happened to your site.
- Each tool counts differently. Your Moz, Ahrefs and Semrush scores won’t match, and that’s fine.
| Metric | Made by | Scale | Used by Google? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | 1 to 100 | No |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | 0 to 100 | No |
| Authority Score | Semrush | 0 to 100 | No |
Google ranks pages with its own signals, links among them. A third-party score is a rough proxy for the link part, which is why it’s useful for comparing sites and useless as a goal.
How do you increase domain authority on a new site?
Work on the thing the score tries to measure: real sites linking to yours because there’s a reason to.
- Ship something worth linking to. A useful free tool, a clear guide, a page with data you collected yourself. Links follow content people want to point at.
- Get listed where your users look. A few relevant directories and launch platforms, not hundreds. Our guide to directory submission sites explains which kind still helps.
- Launch in public. Launch platforms, communities and newsletters in your niche bring both visitors and links. Pick ones that match your users.
- Earn mentions from partners. Integrations, tools you use, podcasts and posts where you have something to add.
- Fix what you already have. Broken internal links and pages that redirect in loops waste the links you earned.
How to get backlinks for a new website goes deeper on each source.
What should you avoid?
- Bought link packs. Paying for links that pass ranking credit goes against Google’s spam policies. If a link is paid, it should be marked rel=“sponsored” or rel=“nofollow”. Rel sponsored vs nofollow vs dofollow explains the difference.
- Mass directory blasts. Hundreds of low-quality directories add noise, not trust.
- Link swaps at scale. One relevant exchange is fine; a network of them is a pattern. See are reciprocal links bad for SEO.
How long does it take for domain authority to go up?
Usually months, not days. It depends on how often the tool recrawls and how many new sites start linking to you. Track it monthly at most. Weekly checks mostly show noise.
A better habit: track referring sites and search traffic in Google Search Console. Those are the numbers that tell you whether links are working.
Where does LaunchGP fit?
LaunchGP is a weekly launch race where links are earned, not sold:
- Free cars take 20 of the 32 seats in every Grand Prix, with the LaunchGP badge on your site. Once the badge is verified, they get a dofollow link during their race week.
- The top three of every Grand Prix keep a dofollow link for good, whatever they paid, as long as the product stays on the same host.
- The top 10 of each class in LaunchGP Endurance get a dofollow link while they hold the spot.
- Paid front slots (P1 to P6, $59 down to $9) are marked rel=“sponsored” during their week, as Google asks for paid links.
So one launch gives you one relevant link and a week of visitors, and the race decides whether the link lasts. One link is a small step for any score; the steady part is repeating launches and content over months.
What’s the next step?
Stop checking the score this week. Pick two relevant places to launch and write one page people would want to link to. Then make LaunchGP one of the two:
A seat is free with the badge, and a front slot starts at $9.
Get your seat in the next Grand Prix
FAQ
Is domain authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Domain authority is Moz’s metric. Google uses its own signals and doesn’t use third-party scores.
What is a good domain authority?
One that’s close to sites competing for the same searches. A new site in single digits is normal. Compare yourself to your niche, not to large publishers.
Why did my domain authority drop?
Often because the tool updated its data or its model, or because some sites that linked to you removed the link. A drop without a traffic drop usually isn’t worth worrying about.
Do nofollow links increase domain authority?
Tools treat them differently, and Google treats nofollow as a hint. They can still send visitors who later link to you, which is what helps.
Can I buy domain authority?
You can buy links that move the score, but paid links that pass ranking credit break Google’s spam policies. The score isn’t worth that risk.