What is Domain Authority (Domain Rank)?

Domain authority (sometimes called domain rank or domain rating, depending on the tool) is a relative score — typically on a fixed scale — estimating how much trust and ranking power a domain carries, derived mainly from the size and quality of its backlink profile. It's a predictive proxy, not a metric any search engine publishes or officially endorses; different tools calculate their own version and the numbers aren't directly comparable across them.

The score is useful for quick prioritization: a new backlink from a domain with high authority is generally worth more attention than one from a domain with very low authority, and a rising domain authority score over time is a reasonable proxy for a growing, trusted backlink profile.

Domain authority should be read alongside relevance, not instead of it. A high-authority domain linking to you from a completely unrelated topic is worth less than a moderate-authority domain that's a close topical match — the score describes general trust, not fit for your specific category.