What is Domain Rating?
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' metric for the overall strength of a website's backlink profile, on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. A DR of 70 is dramatically stronger than a DR of 35 — the scale is not linear.
How DR compares to other authority metrics
DR is calculated based on the quantity and quality of referring domains pointing to a site. It is useful for comparing relative authority between domains and for assessing the difficulty of outranking a competitor.
DR is Ahrefs-specific. Moz uses Domain Authority (DA), Semrush uses Authority Score. These metrics are directionally similar but use different algorithms and data sets, so comparing DR on one site to DA on another is not meaningful.
Example
Example
A new domain at DR 6 is building authority from zero. An established competitor at DR 60+ has an authority advantage that requires 12-18 months of sustained link building to meaningfully close.
Frequently asked questions
Is Domain Rating a Google ranking factor?
No. DR is an Ahrefs metric, not something Google reads. It approximates the authority signals Google computes internally, which makes it useful for competitive comparison but not a target in itself.
How can I increase my Domain Rating?
Earn links from more unique, higher-authority domains. Because the scale is logarithmic, gains come faster at low DR and slow dramatically past DR 50; sustained link earning is the only durable lever.