Domain Authority Checker
The Domain Authority Checker is a diagnostic tool used to measure the overall strength and "ranking power" of a website. Originally developed by Moz, Domain Authority (DA) is a predictive score that estimates how well a domain will perform in search engine results compared to its competitors.
In 2026, where AI-driven search and high-quality backlink profiles define SEO success, checking your DA is a standard part of any professional digital audit.
What Exactly is a Domain Authority Score?
A DA score ranges from 1 to 100. This score is not a metric used by Google, but rather a third-party benchmark that correlates with ranking success.
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Score of 1–20: Common for brand-new websites or sites with very few external links.
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Score of 20–40: Established websites that have started to build a steady stream of content and a moderate backlink profile.
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Score of 40–60: Strong, authoritative sites that likely rank for competitive keywords in their niche.
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Score of 60+: High-authority leaders, often including global news outlets, major government sites, or massive marketplaces like Amazon.
Key Features of a Modern DA Checker
A comprehensive checker provides more than just a single number; it offers a snapshot of your site's "SEO health" by analyzing several factors:
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Link Profile Strength: Evaluates the quality and quantity of external sites linking back to you.
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Linking Root Domains: Counts how many unique websites link to you (rather than just the total number of links).
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Spam Score: Identifies the percentage of "risky" or low-quality sites in your backlink profile.
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Search Engine Visibility: Estimates how many keywords your site currently ranks for and the traffic they generate.
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Competitive Benchmarking: Many tools allow you to compare your domain against up to 10 competitors simultaneously.
Why You Should Check Your DA Regularly
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Monitor SEO Progress: If your DA is rising, it’s a clear sign that your link-building and content marketing strategies are working.
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Evaluate Guest Posting Targets: Before writing for another site, check their DA. A backlink from a high-DA site (e.g., DA 50+) provides much more "link juice" than one from a low-authority site.
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Identify Potential Penalties: A sudden, unexplained drop in DA can be an early warning sign that search engines have flagged your site for poor-quality links or technical issues.
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Keyword Strategy: Use your DA to decide which keywords to target. If your DA is 15, you should focus on low-competition "long-tail" keywords rather than broad, high-difficulty terms.
How to Improve Your Domain Authority in 2026
Improving your score is a long-term game. It moves on a logarithmic scale, meaning it is much easier to move from 10 to 20 than it is to move from 70 to 80.
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Earn High-Quality Backlinks: Focus on "Digital PR"—creating newsworthy content that major publishers want to cite.
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Remove Toxic Links: Regularly audit your profile and use the Google Disavow tool to disconnect from spammy or irrelevant sites.
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Create Link-Worthy Content: Deep-dive guides, original research, and interactive tools naturally attract more links over time.
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Technical SEO Excellence: Ensure your site is fast, mobile-responsive, and has a clear internal linking structure that distributes authority throughout your pages.