DA vs DR: what the numbers mean and why Google doesn’t care

By Tashnif Ali·Last updated 5 October 2026·About 9 min read

Short answer: DA (Domain Authority) and DR (Domain Rating) are scores that the SEO tools Moz and Ahrefs calculate from links. Google does not use them. They are fine for comparing websites and sorting through possible link sources, but anyone selling “DA 50 links” is selling a number, not better rankings.

This guide is for you if you have received an email offering links with a high DA, or seen the numbers in an SEO report and wondered what they mean for your business.

What DA and DR measure

Both scores come from two private software companies, not from Google. Both run up to 100 and both are built on links, but they are calculated in different ways and from different databases.

DA is Moz’s score. According to Moz, it predicts how likely a website is to rank compared with competitors, and it is based mainly on link data and Moz’s own model. There is no “good” DA on its own, only higher or lower than the websites you compare yourself with.

DR is Ahrefs’ measure of how strong a website’s link profile is compared with other websites in its database. Ahrefs itself points out a few things worth knowing:

• Only the first link from each domain raises DR, and only links Ahrefs counts as followed. Nofollow links do not raise DR.
• That applies to the DR score itself. More links from the same website can still be valuable, for example if they help readers find different relevant pages on your site.
• DR does not take link spam into account. Large amounts of low-quality links can even push the number up.
• Ahrefs notes that Google ranks pages, not whole websites, and recommends using DR to prioritise link sources, not as a goal.

Because the tools use different databases and formulas, the same website almost always gets different values. That is normal and does not mean anything is wrong.

What Google says about them

Google has said the same thing for many years: neither DA nor DR is used. John Mueller at Google put it like this in 2020: “Google doesn’t use Domain Authority at all when it comes to Search crawling, indexing, or ranking.” Search Engine Journal has collected Google’s statements on the subject from 2015 onwards.

That does not mean the website as a whole is irrelevant. Google writes that its ranking systems work mainly at page level, but that site-wide signals are also used and contribute to how pages are understood. Good site-wide signals still do not guarantee that every page ranks well. Those signals are Google’s own, not DA or DR, and they cannot be measured from the outside.

Links still matter. Google writes that how many websites link to a business is part of how well-known it is judged to be in local search. But it is the links that count, not a third party’s number about them.

An example from our own websites

We have two domains for the same company, the same team and the same services. Ahrefs gives them very different values:

The difference says something about who has linked to each domain over the years. It says nothing about the quality of our work, and it does not on its own decide who shows up in a given search. That is why we track enquiries and visibility in the searches that matter, not DR. The values were taken from Ahrefs in October 2026.

A warning about anyone selling “DA 50 links”

Offers of links with a certain DA or DR usually rely on the buyer believing the number is something Google cares about. There are two problems.

The number can be manipulated. Since junk links can raise DR, there are websites built purely to have a high score and sell link placements. They rarely have real readers and have no connection to your industry.

Buying links to influence rankings breaks Google’s rules. Google counts buying links for ranking purposes as link spam. Paid links are allowed if they are marked with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, but then they are not meant to affect rankings. An offer that promises SEO value from a paid link is promising something that goes against the rules.

Not every link offer is bad. A trade magazine, a supplier or a local association can be a good link source, even if they charge for an advert. The test below helps you tell them apart.

A ready-made reply for your inbox

Most link offers need no reply at all. If you still want to answer, or if the offer seems genuine but unclear, you can use this:

What to spend your time on instead

For rankings in Google’s local results, such as the map results, relevance, distance and how well-known the business is are the main factors according to Google. How your ordinary web pages rank depends on more things, but none of it is measured with DA or DR.

1. Relevant and local links. A few links from websites connected to your business can be worth more than many from unknown websites with a high DR. Where the link sits, what the page is about, who reads it and how trustworthy the website is also matter, and Ahrefs itself recommends weighing several of these together. For an electrician, that might be suppliers who list their installers, trade and business associations, local clubs you sponsor and local news sites when you do something worth writing about. Websites like these often have a low DR. That matters less, because they are relevant and can send visitors who want to hire you.

2. Your Google Business Profile. In local search, the profile is often the first thing a customer sees. The right category, services, opening hours, photos and service area do more than a higher DR. Read more about how we work with Google Business Profile optimisation.

3. Reviews. Google writes that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. The hard part is remembering to ask for them after every job, and that is what Tokig Reviews is built for.

4. Content that shows what you do. One page per service, clearly described service areas and examples of completed jobs make it easier for Google to understand what you offer and where. That is also the kind of content other websites want to link to.

5. Measure enquiries, not scores. The number that matters most is how many people get in touch. Track how many enquiries come from Google, not how your DR moves, and ask any agency to report exactly that number.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good DR?

There is no value that is good in itself. Compare yourself with the businesses that show up in the searches you want to appear in. If they have a much stronger link profile than you, links may be part of the explanation, but also look at their pages, business profile and reviews.

Can a low DR hurt us?

No, the number itself does not affect Google. A low DR can, however, mean that few websites link to you, and that can matter when competition is tough. The answer is relevant links, not chasing the number.

Do we need Ahrefs or Moz?

Our recommendation is to start with Google Search Console, which is free. The Links report shows a sample of the links Google has found, not a complete list, but it is often enough to see which websites link to you. If you need to compare yourself with competitors, find new link sources or see more links, Ahrefs or Moz become useful.

Tashnif Ali

Developer at Pixeltokig. Tashnif built our customer portal and our own tools, including Tokig Insights, which connects calls and forms to the right channel.

Read next

• How to choose an SEO agency: 10 questions and a calculation
• Google Business Profile optimisation
• AI search: how ChatGPT, Gemini and Google find your business
• Tokig Reviews: collect Google reviews continuously

Sources

• Moz: Domain Authority: what is it and how is it calculated
• Ahrefs Help Center: What is Domain Rating (DR)?
• Ahrefs: Domain Rating (DR) explained
• Search Engine Journal: Domain Authority: is it a ranking factor?
• Google Search Central: Guide to Google Search ranking systems
• Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
• Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
• Search Console Help: Links report