Domain Authority vs Domain Rating (and the other scores)
Put the same website into four SEO tools and you'll get four different authority numbers. They're all estimates of link strength, made in different ways. Here's how they compare.
Last updated · By the XKey team
The main scores at a glance
| Score | Made by | Based on | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | Moz's link index, using a model trained to predict which sites rank in Google | 1–100 |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | How many unique sites link to a site, and how strong those sites are, from Ahrefs' own crawler | 0–100 |
| Authority Score (AS) | Semrush | Links plus estimated organic traffic and spam signals | 0–100 |
| XKey authority | XKey | Where the site ranks among 133 million websites in Common Crawl's public web graph (harmonic centrality) | 0–100 |
Why don't the numbers match?
- Different link data. Each company crawls the web separately and finds a different set of links. XKey uses the free Common Crawl web graph, refreshed quarterly.
- Different maths. Some count linking sites, some weight them by strength, some add traffic or spam signals.
- Different scaling. All are logarithmic – going from 20 to 30 is far easier than from 70 to 80 – but each stretches the scale differently.
So a site might be DA 35, DR 42 and XKey 38 at the same time. None is "right"; compare like with like, using one tool for you and your competitors.
Does Google use any of them?
No. Google doesn't use third-party authority scores. It does use links heavily, which is why these scores often line up with which sites rank well – but a page with great content and local relevance regularly beats higher-scoring sites. More in what is domain authority?
Which score should I use?
Whichever you can check consistently. If you pay for Moz, Ahrefs or Semrush, use its score. If you don't, the XKey domain authority checker scores up to 100 sites at once for free.
How do I raise my score?
The same way for every tool: earn links from more, and stronger, relevant websites. Local newspapers, suppliers, trade bodies, partners and genuinely useful content all help. See how to get backlinks, and never buy links – Google's spam policies forbid it and the scores themselves try to filter them out.
Frequently asked questions
Is DR better than DA?
Neither is better; they measure link strength in different ways from different link data. Pick one and use it consistently to compare sites.
Why did my score drop when I didn't change anything?
Scores are relative. When very strong sites gain links, everyone else can slip a little, and tools also lose track of links that have been removed.
What's a good authority score for a local business?
Anything comparable to the competitors who rank for your searches. Many successful local businesses score between 10 and 30.
Related guides
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Honest free Ahrefs alternatives for small businesses: free backlink checkers, authority scores, site audits and keyword tools, and what you give up.
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How to choose a domain name for a UK business: .co.uk or .com, whether keywords in the domain help SEO, and buying an older domain safely.
Does social media help SEO?
Does social media help SEO? What Google says about likes and shares, the indirect ways social posts help rankings, and where small firms should spend time.
Internal linking
Internal linking explained for small business sites: why links between your own pages help them rank, what link text to use, and a simple structure that works.
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