How to Benchmark Domain Authority for SEO

Marketing

Feb 18, 2025

Learn how to effectively benchmark Domain Authority to enhance your SEO strategy and outshine your competitors.

Domain Authority (DA) is a score (1-100) created by Moz that predicts how well your website can rank in search engines. While not a Google ranking factor, DA helps you compare your site to competitors and refine your SEO strategy. Here’s how to get started:

Identify Competitors: Separate direct business competitors (same industry) from search competitors (rank for your keywords, even if not in your niche).
Use Tools: Leverage platforms like Moz Pro, Ahrefs, and SEMrush to track DA, backlinks, and keyword gaps.
Track Metrics: Focus on link quality, referring domains, anchor text distribution, and relevance of backlinks.
Benchmark Regularly: Compare your DA to competitors monthly to spot gaps and measure progress.
Boost DA: Build quality backlinks, improve site speed, and publish valuable, shareable content.

Quick Comparison of Tools for DA Analysis

| Tool | Primary Metric | Features |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Moz Pro | Domain Authority | Backlink analysis, DA tracking |
| Ahrefs | Domain Rating | Backlink profiles, content insights |
| SEMrush | Authority Score | <a href="https://metricswatch.com/master-ppc-competitor-analysis" data-framer-link="Link:{"url":"https://metricswatch.com/master-ppc-competitor-analysis","type":"url"}">Competitor tracking</a>, site audits |

Start by analyzing your competitors and improving your backlink profile to close the gap. Focus on consistent improvements to stay ahead in search rankings.

How to Check Domain Authority For Free Using Moz

Finding the Right Competitors to Compare

To benchmark domain authority effectively, you need to pinpoint the right competitors. Keep in mind: your SEO competitors aren't always the same as your business rivals. To get accurate insights, you should analyze both groups.

Direct vs. Search Competitors

When comparing domain authority, it's helpful to separate competitors into two categories:

Direct Business Competitors are companies offering similar products or services in your industry. These competitors help you understand your position in the market, but they don't always reflect your SEO competition.

Search Competitors are websites that rank for the keywords you're targeting, even if they aren't in your industry. These might include:

Industry news websites
Review platforms
Educational blogs
Content aggregators

For example, if you're an online shoe retailer, your search competitors could include fashion blogs, shoe review sites, and large e-commerce platforms .

Best Tools for Finding Competitors

Identifying and analyzing your SEO competitors requires the right tools. Here's a quick comparison of some top options:

| Tool | Key Features |
| --- | --- |
| Moz Pro | Domain comparison, keyword overlap tracking, and backlink analysis |
| SEMrush | Organic competitor identification, keyword gap analysis, and traffic insights |
| Ahrefs | Competing domains report, content gap analysis, and keyword position tracking

Here’s how to get the most from these tools:

Use SEMrush's Organic Competitors Report to find websites competing for your target keywords.
Leverage Moz Pro's Domain Authority comparison to evaluate the DA scores of those competitors.
Turn to Ahrefs for a deeper look at your competitors' backlink profiles.

Aim to analyze 5-10 competitors, breaking them down like this:

2-3 direct business competitors
3-5 search competitors
1-2 industry leaders for aspirational benchmarking

These competitors will form the foundation for your domain authority analysis, which we’ll dive into next.

DA Measurement Tools and Metrics

Once you've identified your competitors, the next step is to evaluate their authority using specific tools designed for this purpose.

Popular Tools for DA Analysis

Here are three tools that are frequently used for assessing domain authority:

| Tool | Primary Metric | Key Features |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Moz Pro | Domain Authority (DA) | Tracks and analyzes backlinks |
| Ahrefs | Domain Rating (DR) | Monitors backlinks and provides content insights |
| SEMrush | Authority Score | Offers site audits and competitor tracking

Choose tools that fit seamlessly into your reporting process. For example, Metrics Watch works well with Moz and Ahrefs, simplifying data integration and reporting.

Metrics Watch Reporting Capabilities

Metrics Watch helps automate the tracking of domain authority. It connects directly with SEO tools and delivers email reports with customizable templates, making benchmarking more efficient.

Important Metrics to Track

Focus on these metrics for actionable insights:

Link Acquisition Rate: How quickly new backlinks are being earned, compared to industry norms.
Referring Domain Authority: The strength of the domains linking to your site.
Anchor Text Distribution: The balance and variety of anchor texts used in backlinks.
Relevance of Linking Sites: Ensure links come from sites related to your industry.

When analyzing these metrics, pay attention to:

Link Velocity: Measure the rate of new backlinks against industry benchmarks.
Domain Quality: Assess the authority of domains providing backlinks.
Anchor Text Balance: Avoid over-optimization by maintaining varied anchor texts.
Relevance: Focus on backlinks from sites that align with your industry.

Review these metrics on a monthly basis to stay prepared for detailed competitor comparisons in the next phase.

DA Benchmarking Process

Once you've identified competitor targets and set your metrics, it's time to put your plan into action. Here's how to proceed:

Getting DA Data

Start by collecting Domain Authority (DA) data in an organized format. Your dataset should include:

| Metric | Your Site | Competitor A | Competitor B | Average |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| <strong>DA Score</strong> | Current score | Score | Score | Average |
| <strong>Total Backlinks</strong> | Count | Count | Count | Average |
| <strong>Referring Domains</strong> | Count | Count | Count | Average

This structure helps you compare metrics clearly and spot differences.

Comparing Competitor Scores

With the data in hand, analyze it to uncover gaps and areas for improvement. Focus on two main aspects:

Calculate your DA deficit: Determine how far your DA score is from competitors.
Examine backlink profiles: Look at the quality and quantity of backlinks your competitors have.

"When benchmarking DA, include these additional metrics for a more comprehensive analysis: number of backlinks, referring domains, Trust Flow, Citation Flow, organic search traffic, keyword rankings for target terms, Page Authority for key landing pages, and social media engagement metrics" .

Creating DA Reports

Leverage tools like Metrics Watch to create detailed reports that track your progress over time. This platform integrates with popular SEO tools, making data collection seamless and ensuring consistent reporting.

Set up your reports to:

Monitor monthly DA changes.
Display trends with score progression graphs.
Automate email delivery, including live dashboard links.

"Update your DA benchmarking reports monthly to track progress effectively. DA scores can fluctuate based on various factors, including algorithm updates and changes in the competitive landscape" .

Regular benchmarking ensures you're ready to make informed, strategic improvements in the next steps.

Methods to Increase Domain Authority

Once you've identified competitor benchmarks, it's time to take action. Use these targeted strategies to close the authority gaps and boost your domain's credibility.

Getting Quality Backlinks

Focus on securing links from trusted, high-performing websites. This requires a combination of outreach and creating content that others want to link to.

Effective ways to build quality backlinks:

Develop data-driven studies that naturally attract citations.
Pitch guest posts to industry publications through direct outreach.
Use broken link building to replace outdated links with your content.
Join expert roundups and participate in industry events.

Keep in mind: 94% of online content gets zero external links. To stand out, you need to produce content that’s in the top 6% - content worth linking to .

Technical SEO Improvements

Get your technical SEO in order to support domain authority growth. Here's a quick breakdown of key factors:

| Technical Factor | Impact on DA | Action Required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Site Speed | High | Optimize load time to under 3 seconds |
| Mobile Responsiveness | Critical | Use a mobile-first design approach |
| HTTPS Security | Essential | Ensure your site has SSL certification |
| Internal Linking | High | Build a clear and logical site structure |
| Schema Markup | Medium | Add structured data for better search visibility

Site speed deserves extra attention. Research shows that cutting page load time from 3 seconds to 1 second can dramatically improve user engagement, which indirectly boosts domain authority .

Content for Link Building

Create content that not only provides value to your audience but also attracts backlinks naturally. The most effective types include:

Data-driven guides and original research: These resources often become go-to references for educational institutions and industry leaders, earning natural citations.
Interactive tools: Think calculators, templates, or assessment tools that solve specific industry challenges. These are highly shareable and frequently linked.

Conclusion: Summary and Action Items

Steps for Benchmarking DA

On average, active optimization can lead to a 1-3 point increase in Domain Authority (DA) each month . It's worth noting that only about 1% of websites manage to reach a DA score higher than 70 .

To benchmark effectively, follow these key steps:

Conduct a baseline analysis of competitors.
Configure the right tools for tracking.
Continuously monitor metrics.
Identify gaps in performance.
Implement targeted strategies based on findings.

These steps align with the strategies outlined in the "Methods to Increase Domain Authority" section, helping you prioritize your efforts.

Tracking DA Regularly

Regular monitoring plays a critical role in maintaining the competitor analysis framework. Tools like Metrics Watch can simplify this process by automating DA tracking and delivering detailed reports straight to stakeholders' inboxes. This ensures you're always aware of any shifts in your domain authority.

A monthly review cycle can help you stay on top of your DA performance. Here's what to include:

Analyze DA Trends: Compare current scores with past data and competitor benchmarks.
Review Backlink Quality: Assess new backlinks and their impact on your DA.
Check Technical Health: Keep an eye on site performance metrics that can affect your DA.
Adjust Strategies: Use the data to refine and improve your approach.

FAQs

Here are answers to some common questions about Domain Authority (DA):

What is Domain Authority in SEO?

Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by Moz, ranging from 1 to 100, that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engine results pages. While it’s not a direct ranking factor for Google, it’s a helpful tool for assessing your site’s competitive strength compared to others in your industry .

What is a good DA score?

The definition of a "good" DA score varies depending on your industry and competitors. Instead of fixating on a specific number, compare your DA to that of your direct competitors. This comparison provides a clearer picture of your standing within your niche.

What is the best Domain Authority score?

The highest DA score is 100, but chasing perfection isn’t the goal. To benchmark effectively:

Focus on relative performance by comparing your DA to competitors in your field.
Aim for steady improvement by building quality backlinks and optimizing technical SEO.
Set realistic targets using competitive benchmarking as your guide.

Rather than striving for a perfect score, concentrate on surpassing your competitors through consistent efforts in link building and SEO .