What Is Domain Authority? Ahrefs DR, Moz DA, Majestic TF & Semrush AS Explained
Domain authority is a family of third-party scores — including Ahrefs Domain Rating, Moz Domain Authority, Majestic Trust Flow and Semrush Authority Score — that estimate a website's strength in search, mostly from its backlinks. Scores run 0–100 and are used to compare domains, vet links and screen acquisitions.
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What is Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR)?
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' 0–100 score of a website's backlink profile strength. It looks at the quantity and quality of unique domains linking to a site — with heavy weighting on how authoritative those linking domains themselves are — and outputs a logarithmic score from 0 to 100.
DR answers one question well: how strong is this site's backlink profile? It ignores traffic, content and everything else, which makes it the standard currency of link buying.
How to interpret it
Higher DR means links from that domain pass more link equity. Because the scale is logarithmic, moving from DR 70 to 80 is far harder than moving from 20 to 30 — each step up demands exponentially more authoritative links.
Common misconceptions
DR is not a Google metric and does not measure traffic or content quality. A site can have DR 60 and zero organic traffic if its links came from schemes. And because DR only counts linking domains (not their traffic), it can be inflated by networks of interlinked sites — always pair it with a trust-based metric like Majestic TF.
| Score range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | New or weak — few referring domains; links from here pass little equity |
| 21–40 | Emerging — a growing profile; typical of small blogs and local businesses |
| 41–60 | Established — solid, diverse backlinks; the sweet spot for most link buying |
| 61–80 | Strong — national brands and leading niche publications |
| 81–100 | Elite — global platforms and major media; extremely hard to reach |
Key takeaways
DR is Ahrefs’ measure of pure backlink strength on a logarithmic 0–100 scale.
It is the standard metric for pricing link placements and benchmarking competitors.
DR ignores traffic and can be inflated by link schemes — cross-check with TF.
What is Moz Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's 0–100 score predicting how likely a domain is to rank in search results. A machine-learning model estimates ranking potential relative to every other domain in Moz's index, producing a logarithmic score.
DA's defining trait: it is relative, not absolute. Your DA can drop without losing a single link if competitors gain links faster — the score renormalizes as Moz's index updates.
How to interpret it
Use DA to compare sites within the same niche, never across niches. It is especially useful for vetting guest-post prospects: filter out sites whose DA is inflated relative to their link quality by cross-checking Majestic TF.
Common misconceptions
DA is not used by Google, and it is not an absolute grade — treating a DA 40 as "good" without context is a mistake. Like DR, the scale is logarithmic: the jump from 60 to 70 is many times harder than 20 to 30.
| Score range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | New or weak — little predicted ranking ability outside long-tail queries |
| 21–40 | Emerging — can rank for low-competition terms in its niche |
| 41–60 | Established — competitive for mid-difficulty keywords |
| 61–80 | Strong — ranks for competitive head terms; prized for guest posts |
| 81–100 | Elite — dominates its vertical; reserved for the largest sites on the web |
Key takeaways
DA is Moz’s machine-learned prediction of ranking potential, on a logarithmic 0–100 scale.
It is relative — your score can move even when your backlinks don’t change.
Best for comparing sites within the same niche and vetting guest-post prospects.
What is Majestic Trust Flow (TF)?
Trust Flow (TF) is Majestic's 0–100 score of link quality, based on a site's proximity to a curated set of trusted seed sites. It measures how closely a domain is connected — through chains of backlinks — to hand-reviewed, highly trusted sites.
The intuition: trusted sites tend to link to other trustworthy sites. If your backlinks sit one click away from Majestic's seed set, TF is high; if your links come from isolated corners of the web, TF stays low no matter how many links you have.
How to interpret it
TF is the quality-control metric. A domain with Ahrefs DR 55 but Majestic TF 8 is a classic PBN signature — plenty of links, none of them trusted. For link buying and expired-domain screening, TF is often the single most diagnostic number.
Common misconceptions
Low TF does not always mean spammy — brand-new or niche-isolated sites can score low legitimately. And TF is not a Google factor either; it is Majestic's independent measure of trust propagation through link graphs.
| Score range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | New or weak — no clear path to trusted sites; verify before relying on it |
| 21–40 | Emerging — some trusted links; common for legitimate niche sites |
| 41–60 | Established — well connected to trusted sources; low spam risk |
| 61–80 | Strong — consistently cited by authoritative sites |
| 81–100 | Elite — core trusted web: institutions, major publishers, reference sites |
Key takeaways
TF is Majestic’s measure of link trust: proximity to a curated trusted seed set, 0–100.
It is the hardest authority metric to fake cheaply — the go-to spam detector.
High DR or DA with low TF is a classic manufactured-authority warning sign.
What is Semrush Authority Score (AS)?
Authority Score (AS) is Semrush's composite 0–100 metric blending link power, organic traffic and spam factors. It combines the backlink profile with traffic estimates and penalties for manipulation signals such as unnatural link patterns.
Because it incorporates traffic, AS catches what pure link metrics miss: a domain that ranks and gets real visitors scores higher than a link-farmed domain with the same backlink count.
How to interpret it
Use AS as a sanity check and a benchmark. If Ahrefs DR is high but Semrush AS is low, the links are not translating into visibility — a red flag for link buyers and domain investors.
Common misconceptions
AS is composite, so it can move when Semrush's traffic estimates change even if the link profile is stable. And like all these metrics, it is a comparative industry score — not a Google input.
| Score range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | New or weak — minimal link power and little organic visibility |
| 21–40 | Emerging — authority is forming but traffic signals are still thin |
| 41–60 | Established — balanced links and traffic; a healthy mid-market domain |
| 61–80 | Strong — meaningful organic reach backed by a clean link profile |
| 81–100 | Elite — top-tier authority with high traffic and negligible spam signals |
Key takeaways
AS is Semrush’s composite of link power, organic traffic and spam factors, 0–100.
Traffic signals mean AS reflects real-world visibility, not just links.
A DR–AS gap (high DR, low AS) is a practical manipulation red flag.
Comparison at a glance
| Metric | What it measures | Scale | Based on | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs DR | Backlink profile strength | 0–100, logarithmic | Quantity and authority of linking domains | Link buying, outreach triage | Ignores traffic; can be inflated by link schemes |
| Moz DA | Predicted ranking potential | 0–100, logarithmic | ML model trained on ranking outcomes | Guest-post vetting, niche comparison | Relative score — moves as the whole index moves |
| Majestic TF | Link trust and quality | 0–100 | Proximity to a curated set of trusted seed sites | Spam detection, expired-domain screening | Legit new or niche sites can score low |
| Semrush AS | Overall domain authority | 0–100 | Link power + organic traffic + spam factors | Benchmarking, sanity checks | Composite — shifts with traffic estimates |
Ahrefs DR vs Moz DA: what's the difference?
The core difference: Ahrefs DR measures raw backlink strength; Moz DA predicts ranking potential. DR counts and weights linking domains; DA trains a model on actual search results, so it partially accounts for link quality signals beyond raw counts.
In practice, domain authority vs domain rating is not either/or — link buyers standardize on DR, while DA is common in guest-post vetting and agency reporting. Both are logarithmic and relative; a gap between them (high DR, low DA, or vice versa) usually just reflects different link indexes.
Moz DA vs Majestic TF
DA and TF answer different questions: Moz DA predicts whether a site can rank; Majestic TF measures whether its links are trusted. DA blends many ranking-prediction signals, while TF focuses narrowly on proximity to trusted seed sites.
The pairing is powerful for vetting: DA gives you the upside (ranking potential), TF gives you the floor (link trustworthiness). A site with high DA and low TF often built authority through quantity rather than quality — a warning sign for buyers.
What is a good domain authority score?
There is no universal "good" score — a good authority score is simply higher than the sites competing for your target queries. A DR 35 can dominate a local-services niche while DR 60 is merely average in competitive SaaS or finance verticals.
As a rough guide across all four metrics: 0–20 is new or weak, 21–40 emerging, 41–60 established, 61–80 strong, and 81–100 elite (the largest sites on the web). Benchmark against your niche's top rankers — that is your real target, not an absolute number.
Which metric should you use?
| Use case | Recommended metrics | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Buying links | TF + DR | Ahrefs DR prices the placement; Majestic TF exposes link schemes |
| Vetting guest-post sites | DA + TF | Moz DA filters ranking potential; TF filters junk |
| Competitor benchmarking | DR + AS | Compare Ahrefs link strength and Semrush-measured visibility |
| Domain acquisition / expired domains | TF + DR + spam check | Catch inherited link spam before you buy |
| Agency reporting | All four | Clients recognize different metrics — cover them all |
Why combine metrics
Any single metric can be gamed. Private blog networks and link schemes reliably inflate volume-based scores like Ahrefs DR and Moz DA — thousands of cheap links push the number up without adding real authority. Majestic TF is far harder to fake cheaply, because the links have to come from, or be near, genuinely trusted sites.
The fix is triangulation: when DR is high but TF is low, you are looking at manufactured authority. When all four metrics agree, you can act on the number with confidence. That is why the Seo Era API returns every metric you request in one call — comparison is the point.
How Seo Era delivers these
Fresh data on every request — no cache, no stale snapshots
1 credit per domain that returns at least one score — failed lookups are free
Up to 100 domains per request with deduplication built in
One JSON response with the metrics you asked for
Endpoints
/v1/authorityAll four metrics — DR, DA, TF, AS/v1/authority/coreCore bundle — DR, DA, TF/v1/drDomain Rating only/v1/daDomain Authority only/v1/tfTrust Flow only
Frequently asked questions
Are DR, DA, TF or AS Google ranking factors?
No. None of these metrics are used by Google directly. They are third-party estimates designed to approximate the authority signals search engines reward. A high score correlates with ranking ability, but it is a proxy — not a lever Google pulls.
Is Ahrefs DR the same as Moz DA?
No. DR is Ahrefs' backlink-strength score based purely on linking domains; DA is Moz's machine-learning prediction of ranking potential. They use different indexes and formulas, so the same domain typically scores differently on each — and both are relative, not absolute.
Can Trust Flow be higher than Domain Authority?
Yes. TF and DA are on different scales from different providers, so cross-metric comparison is meaningless in absolute terms. A TF above DA usually just means the site has high-quality, trusted links but hasn't demonstrated broad ranking potential — common for tightly focused niche sites.
Why do metrics differ between tools and from each other?
Each metric uses its own link index, crawl data and formula. Two tools can crawl different slices of the web and weigh links differently, so the same domain can score 45 on one scale and 60 on another. Always compare like with like.
How often do scores change?
Scores move as link profiles change — new links earned, links lost, competitors gaining ground. Because scores are relative within each index, your number can shift even if your own backlinks stay the same.
What's a 'good' score?
It depends entirely on your niche. A DR 35 can dominate a local-services niche, while DR 60 might be average in SaaS. Benchmark against the sites that rank for your target queries rather than chasing an absolute number.
Can authority scores be manipulated?
Yes — link schemes and PBNs can inflate volume-based metrics like DR and DA. Majestic Trust Flow is harder to fake cheaply, which is why we recommend checking more than one metric before buying links or domains.
How do I check Semrush Authority Score for many domains?
Use a bulk API. With Seo Era you can send up to 100 domains per request and get Semrush Authority Score — alongside DR, DA and TF — in a single JSON response, instead of checking domains one at a time.
Which metric is most reliable?
There is no single winner. Majestic TF is harder to manipulate, Ahrefs DR is the industry standard for link buying, and Semrush AS blends traffic and spam signals for a sanity check. Reliability comes from triangulating several metrics.
Do you cache metric data?
No. Every API request fetches metrics live at request time — you always get the freshest available score, never a cached snapshot.
How is billing counted?
One credit is charged per domain that returns at least one metric score. Domains where all metrics fail are not charged. Batch up to 100 domains per request. Subscriptions and billing are handled by RapidAPI.
Put the metrics to work
All four metrics in one API call, with fresh data every time.