Domain Authority.
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz (0–100) that predicts the 'strength' of a domain. Developed as an estimate of Google ranking potential. Important: DA is not an official Google factor — but a useful benchmark for competitive analysis.
Domain Authority — Explained in Detail
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz on a scale of 0 to 100. It aims to estimate a domain's ranking potential in Google — based on backlink quality, backlink quantity, link profile diversity, and other factors. A DA of 50+ is considered strong; new websites typically start at DA 1–5. Major news portals like nzz.ch or srf.ch reach DA 80+.
Important note: Domain Authority is not an official Google ranking factor. Google itself has no metric called 'Domain Authority'. Google's own metrics (like PageRank) are not publicly disclosed. DA is a third-party score and may deviate from actual Google rankings. Similar metrics are offered by Ahrefs (Domain Rating, DR) and Semrush (Authority Score). Nevertheless, DA is a useful benchmark for competitive analysis.
How do you improve your Domain Authority? Primarily through link building: high-quality, topically relevant backlinks increase your DA over time. Secondarily through content quality: unique, link-worthy content attracts natural links. And through technical SEO: an error-free, well-structured website with clean internal link building improves overall authority. DA grows slowly — expect 6–12+ months of continuous work.
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SEO StrategiesFrequently Asked Questions About Domain Authority
No. Domain Authority (DA) is a metric calculated by Moz — not an official Google factor. Google does not communicate its ranking signals as a single number. However, DA correlates with real ranking strengths because it is based on backlink quality — and backlinks are a real Google factor.
Domain Authority (DA) evaluates the strength of the entire domain (e.g., dlm-digital.ch). Page Authority (PA) evaluates the strength of a single page (e.g., dlm-digital.ch/seo-agentur-zuerich). PA depends on the backlinks pointing directly to that page, while DA considers all links to the entire domain.
More important than the absolute number is the comparison with your direct competitors. If your competitors have DA 30–40 and you have DA 25, there's catching up to do. There is no universal 'good' DA. For local Swiss keywords, DA 20–30 is often sufficient to rank well — because the competition isn't stronger either.
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