What Is Domain Authority? A Third-Party Score, Not a Google Metric

In plain English

It is not a Google metric. Various SEO tools publish their own versions, each with its own formula, and Google has repeatedly said it does not use any of them.

That does not make it useless. As a comparative shorthand for how established a site is, it is a reasonable proxy. As a target, it is a distraction.

What to know

Third-party

Calculated by SEO tools, not by search engines.

Link-driven

Mostly a function of the quantity and quality of backlinks.

Logarithmic

Moving from 20 to 30 is far easier than 60 to 70.

Comparative only

Useful for judging competitors, not for judging your own progress.

Why it matters

Domain authority is worth understanding mainly so you can stop optimising for it. Reporting a score that Google does not use, in place of traffic and enquiries, is one of the more common ways SEO reporting goes wrong.

Common mistakes

×Setting a score target as an objective.

×Comparing scores between different tools as if they matched.

×Buying links to raise a score.

×Reporting the score to a client instead of traffic and conversions.

FAQs

Does Google use domain authority?

No. It is a third-party estimate.

Is it worth tracking at all?

As context when assessing competitors. Not as a goal.

WRITTEN BY TARIQ SALLAM

Marketing Consultant. Entrepreneur. Content Creator.

I'm a marketing consultant, entrepreneur and content creator. I help businesses grow through practical marketing, websites, SEO, content and AI.

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