Domain Authority Checker: What It Is & How to Improve Your Website's Authority

 

“Authority” in SEO is a frequently encountered term, indicating the strength and quality of a webpage or site, with scores ranging from 1 to 100. Domain Authority checker, a metric in SEO software, aids businesses in gauging their website’s performance in search engine results. It serves as a prediction for a website’s SERP ranking. Domain Authority (DA) is one of the key SEO metrics that influence your website's ranking potential.

 

Whether you’re new to SEO or familiar with it, you’ve likely heard of Domain Authority and Page Authority (DA, PA). SEO experts use these scores to understand how strong a website is. Grasping these metrics is essential for refining your SEO approach and staying ahead in the competitive landscape. If you’re wondering about the specifics of Domain Authority, rest assured!

 

Explore this blog for an in-depth guide to grasping the concept of the Free Domain Authority checker.

 

In this guide, we’ll cover:

What Domain Authority is and how it’s calculated

How to check your DA score using a Domain Authority Checker

Proven strategies to improve DA and outrank competitors

FAQs about Domain Authority and its impact on SEO

 

 

What Is Domain Authority & How Is It Calculated?

 

What Is Domain Authority?

 

Domain Authority is a predictive ranking score (1-100) that estimates a website’s ability to rank in search results. The higher the score, the greater the ranking potential.

 

• DA is NOT a Google ranking factor, but websites with higher DA tend to rank higher in SERPs.

• DA is calculated based on link quality, backlink profile, and overall site authority.

• Websites like Wikipedia (DA 97) and Forbes (DA 94) have high authority because they earn quality backlinks from trusted sources.

 

People Also Read: What is Domain Authority: Boost Your Website’s Power in 2025

 

 

How Is DA Calculated?

 

Moz uses machine learning algorithms to evaluate:

 

• Backlink Quality: More links from high-authority websites = higher DA

• Link Profile Strength: A balanced mix of dofollow/nofollow links, guest posts, and editorial links

• Website Age & Authority: Older domains with consistent quality content tend to have higher DA

• Content Relevance: Well-optimized, SEO-friendly content earns natural backlinks

• Technical SEO Factors: Page speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data affect DA indirectly

 

Fun Fact: DA is a comparative metric, your goal should be to have a higher DA than competitors, rather than aiming for an absolute score.

 

 

Domain Authority vs. Page Authority vs. Domain Rating

 

A common misconception is that DA, PA (Page Authority), and DR (Domain Rating) are the same. Here’s a comparison table to clarify the difference:

   

Metric	Definition	Scoring Range	Used By
Domain Authority (DA)	Predicts how well a website ranks in search engines	1-100	Moz
Page Authority (PA)	Predicts the ranking potential of a specific page, not the whole domain	1-100	Moz
Domain Rating (DR)	Measures the strength of a website’s backlink profile	1-100	Ahrefs

 

People Also Read: How Does Domain Authority Differ From Page Authority?

 

 

How to Improve Your Domain Authority Score?

 

A high Domain Authority (DA) score is essential for increasing your website’s credibility and improving search engine rankings. However, achieving a strong DA score requires a long-term strategy that includes high-quality backlinks, content optimization, and technical SEO improvements. Below are six proven strategies to enhance your domain authority.

 

1. Build High-Quality Backlinks from Authoritative Websites

Backlinks from trusted, high-authority websites act as a strong signal to search engines that your website is credible and valuable. However, not all backlinks are equal, quality outweighs quantity when it comes to link-building.

 

How to Earn High-Quality Backlinks?

 

• Guest Blogging: Publish guest posts on authoritative blogs in your niche to earn high-quality backlinks.

• HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Respond to journalists’ queries on HARO to get featured in news articles.

• Data-Driven Content: Publish original research, case studies, and surveys to encourage natural backlinks from industry leaders.

• Resource Pages & Directories: Get your website listed on relevant business directories and industry resource pages.

 

Bonus Tip: Prioritize backlinks from sites with a DA of 50+ to maximize impact.

 

Avoid: Buying backlinks from link farms or spammy sources, as Google penalizes such manipulative tactics.

 

 

2. Create Link-Worthy, SEO-Optimized Content

 

If your content provides unique value, other websites are more likely to link to it organically. A solid content marketing strategy is the backbone of domain authority improvement.

 

Best Content Types for Backlinks & DA Growth:

 

• Evergreen Content: Timeless, in-depth guides, and resources that remain relevant over time.

• Data-Driven Reports & Case Studies: Unique industry insights backed by statistics make great linkable assets.

• Long-Tail Keyword Articles: Target low-competition, high-intent queries to attract more organic traffic.

• Comprehensive How-To Guides: Step-by-step guides that solve common industry problems tend to earn editorial backlinks.

 

Bonus Tip: Use the Skyscraper Technique, find high-performing content in your niche, create something better, and promote it to sites linking to the original post.

 

 

3. Fix Broken Links & Strengthen Internal Linking Strategy

 

A poor link structure can affect user experience and SEO. Fixing broken links and optimizing internal linking can enhance site navigation while improving DA.

 

Steps to Improve Link Health:

 

• Find & Replace Broken External Links: Use tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, or Google Search Console to find broken links and replace them with fresh, relevant content.

• Strategic Internal Linking: Ensure key pages are internally linked using descriptive anchor texts to help Google understand content relationships.

• Regular Link Audits: Run monthly link audits to identify lost, broken, or toxic backlinks.

 

Bonus Tip: Use a hub-and-spoke internal linking model, where pillar pages link to related sub-pages, increasing content depth and link juice distribution.

 

 

4. Optimize Technical SEO for Better Crawling & Indexing

 

Technical SEO directly impacts how search engines crawl, index, and rank your website. Poor website structure or slow loading speeds can hurt your domain authority score.

 

Key Technical SEO Fixes:

 

• Page Speed Optimization: Use Google PageSpeed Insights and compress images, enable browser caching, and minify CSS/JavaScript.

• Fix Crawl Errors: Regularly check Google Search Console for crawl issues, broken pages, and mobile usability errors.

• Mobile Optimization: Ensure your site is responsive and loads properly across different screen sizes.

• Implement Schema Markup: Structured data helps Google better understand your content, improving search result appearance.

 

Bonus Tip: Improve Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, FID) to enhance user experience and page performance.

 

 

5. Strengthen Your Brand Authority & Social Signals

 

Although social signals aren’t direct ranking factors, they influence domain authority by boosting brand visibility and content engagement.

 

How to Leverage Social Media for DA Growth?

 

• Build an Active Social Media Presence: Share blog posts, industry updates, and case studies on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

• Encourage Brand Mentions: Get featured in industry publications, news sites, and niche communities.

• Engage in Online Communities: Answer queries on Quora, Reddit, and industry-specific forums to establish expertise.

 

Bonus Tip: Repurpose blog content into LinkedIn posts, Twitter threads, and YouTube videos for maximum reach.

 

 

6. Regularly Audit & Improve Your Website’s SEO

 

Domain authority isn’t a one-time achievement, it requires continuous monitoring and improvements.

 

Essential SEO Audits for DA Growth:

 

• Run Monthly SEO Audits: Identify broken links, duplicate content, and outdated pages.

• Disavow Toxic Backlinks: Use Google’s Disavow Tool to remove harmful links.

• Update Old Content: Regularly refresh outdated blog posts with new statistics, examples, and links.

• Bonus Tip: Set up Google Search Console alerts for indexing and technical SEO issues.

 

 

Final Thoughts: Boost Your Domain Authority with Consistency

 

Improving Domain Authority (DA) requires a mix of strong content, high-quality backlinks, and technical SEO. By focusing on organic link-building, optimizing content, and maintaining a technically sound website, you can gradually increase your DA score and rank higher in search results.

 

Need Expert Help?

 

W3era’s digital marketing experts specialize in SEO strategies, backlink building, and content marketing to improve your DA score. Get a free SEO consultation today.

 

 

FAQ:

 

1. What is the best free website authority checker?

The best free website authority checkers include W3era’s Domain Authority Checker, Moz DA Checker, and Ahrefs Website Authority Tool. These tools analyze your domain authority, backlink profile, and overall website strength.

 

2. Is 35 a good domain authority?

A DA score of 35 is considered average for most websites. However, DA should be compared relative to competitors in your niche. Higher DA (50+) increases your chances of ranking on Google’s first page.

 

3. Which is better, DA or DR?

DA (Domain Authority) is a metric developed by Moz, while DR (Domain Rating) is from Ahrefs. Both measure website authority, but DA focuses on ranking potential, while DR focuses on backlinks.

 

4. Is domain authority real?

Yes, but it’s not a direct Google ranking factor. DA is an SEO industry metric that predicts ranking ability. Google uses a complex algorithm, but high DA generally means a website has strong authority and backlinks.

 

5. How to increase the DA score?

To increase your DA score, focus on:

 

• Earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites.

• Publishing valuable, in-depth content that naturally attracts links.

• Improving technical SEO (site speed, mobile-friendliness, etc.).

• Reducing spam scores and disavowing toxic backlinks.

 

6. What is spam score in SEO?

The Spam Score measures the likelihood of a site being penalized by Google due to low-quality backlinks, thin content, or spammy SEO tactics. A high spam score (above 30%) can hurt your rankings.

 

7. How often should I check my domain authority?

You should check your Domain Authority monthly to track improvements and identify areas that need optimization. DA updates gradually, so frequent checks help monitor growth.

 

8. Can social media improve domain authority?

Indirectly, yes. While social media doesn’t directly impact DA, social shares increase content visibility, which can attract backlinks, leading to higher DA over time.

 

9. How long does it take to improve domain authority?

Improving DA is a long-term process that depends on consistent link-building and SEO efforts. It can take 3-6 months to see significant changes.

 

10. What is the difference between domain authority and page authority?

• Domain Authority (DA) measures the overall ranking strength of an entire website.

• Page Authority (PA) measures the ranking strength of a single webpage.

 

Both metrics help predict search performance.