Here’s the truth: both Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) are helpful – but neither should run the show a.k.a. your strategy. Use them as quick filters, then validate with page-level signals, traffic, and relevance. Our advice – let the metrics guide you, but you be the one who has the last word.
What DA and DR actually are
If you’re new to these metrics, you might want to check our quick primer on MOZ Domain Authority and a practical guide to Ahrefs Domain Rating. To keep it short:
- DA (Moz): Predictive score (1–100) estimating a domain’s ability to rank relative to others. Formed from link data + other signals.
- DR (Ahrefs): Link-graph strength score (0–100) based mostly on the quantity/quality of referring domains and how link equity flows across the web.
Note: Both are logarithmic, both shift when indexes refresh. Neither is a Google ranking factor.
How they differ (and why it matters)
- Data source and crawling: Moz vs Ahrefs indexes see the web differently. DR often moves faster on newly discovered links; DA can lag and sometimes smooth volatility.
- Calculation emphasis: DR is more purely link-graph driven; DA blends link signals with a predictive model tied to ranking likelihood. This can make DA feel “stickier,” DR more “responsive.”
- Sensitivity to spam/noise: DR can rise with lots of new referring domains – even if some are low-value – until filters catch up. DA may not budge if those links don’t meaningfully improve ranking potential.
- Communication value: Many outreach teams benchmark prospects with DR; many clients recognize DA. Pick the score your recipients understand – or show both and avoid translation friction.
When DR is more useful
- Prospecting and sorting at scale: Need to triage 500 domains? DR is quick for spotting clear tiers and outliers.
- Velocity tracking: Monitoring how fast new referring domains roll in across your link-building campaign.
- Competitive scanning: DR often mirrors link-graph shifts faster, which helps for reactive PR or rapid competitor moves.
When DA is more useful
- Assessing ranking potential: DA’s predictive bent can correlate slightly better with who’s likely to compete on page one in some verticals.
- Stabilizing noisy datasets: If you’re comparing month-over-month without big link swings, DA’s stickiness can reduce “false alarms.”
- Executive reporting: Many stakeholders are familiar with DA; it can be easier for high-level storytelling.
The big catch: both can mislead
Remember this from our article about link building mistakes:
“Mistake #3: Over-Reliance on DR/DA. High scores don’t guarantee quality.”
Here’s how to vet sites manually:
- Check real organic traffic and indexed pages
- Review referring domains and link patterns (avoid obvious networks)
- Read the content (thin, AI-scraped, or pay-to-play? Walk away)
- Red flags: sites that sell every niche, suspiciously cheap link offers, or obvious content farms
Which metric should you focus on?
Short answer: neither – alone. Practical answer: use both, then validate with page-level reality.
- For outreach prioritization: lead with DR for speed, cross-check with DA for sanity.
- For link value judgment: ignore the domain score if the page is weak. Favor pages with rankings, crawl frequency, and their own backlinks.
- For reporting: pick the metric your client or team expects – and show how it correlates with traffic, impressions, and non-brand clicks.
What actually works for rankings and higher scores?
- High-quality links from relevant sites with real traffic
- Editorial, in-content placements on indexed pages
- Natural growth from a healthy mix of unique referring domains (no bursts from one network, no junky spikes)
- Strong internal linking and consistently useful content that earns citations
Bonus: Quick workflow you can steal
- Prospecting: filter by DR first (tiers), then add DA and topical relevance
- Page vetting: confirm traffic to the host site/page, index status, and whether the page earns links itself
- Risk pass: weed out farms, obvious networks, and anything you wouldn’t defend in a QBR
- Outcome tracking: map referring domains → crawl rate → impressions → non-brand clicks and assisted conversions
Bottom line
Use DR for speed, DA for context, and pages for truth. The best link isn’t the one with the biggest domain score – it’s the one your audience sees and search engines trust.