Both numbers sit in your toolbar. Neither is a Google ranking factor. So the only question worth answering is the practical one: when you're looking at a site and deciding whether a link from it is worth buying or pitching, which score should you act on, and at what threshold?
That's what this guide covers. The definitions take sixty seconds; the vetting workflow underneath them is what we actually run across 30,000+ placements.
Domain Rating (DR) vs Domain Authority (DA)
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' 0-100 score for the strength of a site's backlink profile. Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's 1-100 score predicting how likely a site is to rank.
For vetting a link prospect, use DR, because it updates faster and reflects the link graph directly. But never use either score on its own: pair it with the site's organic traffic.
The difference in one table
| Metric | Domain Rating (DR) | Domain Authority (DA) |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Ahrefs | Moz |
| Scale | 0-100 | 1-100 |
| Measures | Backlink profile strength | Predicted ranking ability |
| Update speed | Fast, within days | Slow, periodic |
| Best used for | Vetting link prospects | Benchmarking competitors over time |
| Google ranking factor? | No | No |
The vetting workflow: five checks, in order
This is the sequence we use before approving any placement. DR is step one of five, not the decision itself.
1. DR as a filter, not a verdict
Use DR to shrink the list, not to choose. A sensible starting filter is DR 40+, but treat that as a first cut: it tells you the site has a link profile worth a second look, nothing more.
2. Organic traffic against DR
This is the check that catches most bad placements. Pull the site's organic traffic and compare it to its DR. A DR 55 site with 200 monthly organic visitors is worth less than a DR 42 site with 15,000. DR counts links; traffic counts readers. When the two disagree sharply, the links were probably manufactured.
3. The traffic trend, not the snapshot
A site at 15,000 visits that was at 60,000 a year ago is a site Google is actively demoting. You're buying into the decline. Look at the 12-month chart before the current number.
4. Topical relevance to your page
Relevance is not "same broad industry". It's whether the article your link sits in would plausibly be read by someone who would also want your page. A mid-DR site squarely on topic reliably outperforms a large, unrelated one.
5. Outbound link patterns
Open three or four recent posts. Are they stuffed with commercial links to unrelated companies? Does every article read like it was written to host a link? That's the profile of a site that sells placements to anyone, and its links behave accordingly.
When a High DR Means Nothing
The classic inflated-DR profile. Links exist; readers don't.
You're buying a link on a page Google trusts less each week.
The site's product is link placement, not publishing.
Finance, pets, casino and SaaS on one domain is a marketplace, not a publication.
What DR should you be targeting?
The useful benchmark isn't a fixed number, it's relative to where you are and what you're trying to rank.
- Under DR 20: breadth matters more than prestige. Relevant DR 30-50 sites with real traffic will move your profile faster than chasing a single DR 80 placement, and they're achievable.
- DR 20-50: tighten the filter. Prioritise topical relevance over score, and start pointing links at commercial pages rather than the homepage.
- DR 50+: the score stops being the constraint. At this point what moves rankings is page-level links on competitive URLs and genuine editorial coverage.
In every band, the better question is what the pages ranking in the top five for your target keyword actually have pointing at them. Count their referring domains, not their DR. Our guide to referring domains vs backlinks covers how to run that comparison.
Why your DR and DA don't match
Checking the same site on both platforms often produces a gap: DR 45, DA 28. Two mechanisms explain most of it.
Spam inflation
If a site has built links aggressively, Moz's spam signals tend to drag DA down sooner, while DR can stay elevated until those links are discounted. A large DR-over-DA gap is worth investigating before you buy.
The new-domain anomaly
A brand-new site with three elite links can show a surprisingly high DR, because Ahrefs weights strong referring domains heavily. DA stays low, since it factors in breadth and history. Neither score is lying; they're answering different questions.
What we do with these scores in practice
Across client campaigns, DR functions as a sorting tool and a progress marker, never as the approval criterion. Two examples of the progress side: a brand-new SaaS domain reached DR 19 in two months from foundational placements, and a client site moved from DR 11 to DR 60 over roughly six months through competitor research, broken link building, digital PR and linkable content.
What neither number tells you is whether the campaign produced revenue. That comes from which pages the links pointed at, which is why every placement we approve is mapped to a target page before outreach starts.
Should You Use DR or DA?
When vetting a link prospect
- Filtering a prospect list quickly
- Tracking link-building progress month to month
- Comparing referring domain strength
When benchmarking over time
- Comparing competitors inside Moz
- Reporting to stakeholders who already use DA
- Cross-checking a suspiciously high DR
How to raise your own DR
DR moves when referring domains move. Three things do the work; the rest is noise.
New referring domains, not more links from existing ones. A second link from a site already linking to you barely changes DR. Ten new domains will.
Relevance, because irrelevant links get discounted. Links from unrelated niches contribute less over time as they're filtered, which is why bought-link campaigns often show a DR that rises then stalls.
Something worth citing. Original data, a tool, a benchmark only you can publish. This is the only input that keeps earning domains after you stop paying for outreach. Our backlink gap analysis guide shows how to find which domains are already linking to your competitors.
Diminishing returns are real: moving from DR 20 to 30 is far easier than 80 to 90, so set expectations by band rather than by percentage gain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA)?
DR is Ahrefs' 0-100 score measuring the strength of a site's backlink profile. DA is Moz's 1-100 score predicting how likely a site is to rank, using a broader link-based model. Different companies, different crawlers, different maths.
Why do my Ahrefs DR and Moz DA scores not match?
They're calculated from separate indexes and models. Ahrefs updates within days of links changing; Moz shifts during periodic index updates. Spam signals and domain age are also weighted differently, which is why a spammy profile often shows high DR and low DA.
Are DR and DA official Google ranking factors?
No. Google uses neither. Both are third-party estimates useful for comparison and progress tracking, not measurements of how Google sees you.
What DR should I look for when buying a backlink?
Use DR 40+ as a filter, then check organic traffic before deciding. If the site's traffic doesn't match its DR, skip it regardless of the score. A DR 42 site with real readers beats a DR 55 site without them.
Can DR be faked or inflated?
It can be inflated, yes. Because DR is calculated from the link graph, a site that acquires many links from manipulated sources can show a high score without any real audience. That's why traffic is the necessary second check.
How long does it take to increase DR?
It depends on the starting point and link velocity. Early bands move quickly: we've seen a new domain reach DR 19 in two months, and a client site move from DR 11 to 60 in about six months. Above DR 50, progress slows considerably.
Should I refuse links from low-DR sites?
Not automatically. A DR 25 site with genuine traffic in your exact niche can outperform a DR 60 generalist. Judge relevance and readership first; the score is a sorting tool.
The bottom line
DR tells you how strong a link profile is. DA tells you how Moz predicts a domain will rank. Neither tells you whether a link will help you, because that depends on traffic, relevance and which of your pages it points at.
Filter with DR. Confirm with organic traffic. Decide on relevance. That order is what separates a placement that moves rankings from one that just raises a number in a report.
If you'd rather have that vetting done for you, every site in our SaaS link building service is checked against these criteria and pre-approved by you before outreach starts. Book a call to see how your current profile compares to your closest competitors.
