Domain Rating (DR): what domain authority shows
Domain Rating (DR) is an external evaluation of domain authority on a scale from 0 to 100. It is built based on the link graph: how many different domains link to the site and how strong those domains are. The metric is calculated by Ahrefs, the platform only displays it next to your project and publication platforms.
How the scale works
The scale is logarithmic: moving from 10 to 20 is much easier than from 60 to 70 — each subsequent step requires exponentially more quality referring domains. Therefore, the absolute number itself means little: the meaning arises in comparison with competitors in your niche and in your own dynamics over months.
DR refers to the entire domain, not to a single page, and does not take into account traffic, content, and the technical state of the site. A domain with a DR of 70 may well receive almost no visits from search.
Where DR is found in the dashboard
| Location | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Project header | The “DR” chip for the project domain. If the value has increased since the last measurement, an arrow indicating growth appears next to it. |
| Project row on the dashboard | The same chip in a compact form. |
| “Pulse” window | DR along with the domain age and the label “Domain Rating by Ahrefs”. More details — what is “Pulse”. |
| DR growth email | Sent when the latest measurement shows an increase in the project domain. |
| Public pages | Average DR of publication platforms — separately for the first and second levels. |
Why DR of donor platforms matters
Each publication platform in the system stores its own DR for its domain. It works in two places: when selecting platforms for the cascade level and in calculating the strength of the backlink profile — a publication on a strong domain gives a greater contribution than the same publication on a weak one. How levels are distributed is discussed in the article cascade levels.
How to influence your domain's DR
- Increase the number of different referring domains, not links from the same one.
- Prioritize platforms with their own authority — this is what the first level of the cascade is about.
- Monitor the indexing of publications: a link that the search engine has not seen is not counted in the graph. See indexing of publications.
- Count in months, not days: there is a time lag between the appearance of links and the recalculation of the metric.
Common misconceptions
- “DR is a Google ranking factor”. No. This is a metric from a third-party service, Google does not use it and is not aware of it.
- “High DR means there will be traffic”. Not necessarily. DR describes the backlink mass, not demand, content quality, and commercial properties of the page.
- “DR did not increase — the cascade did not work”. A domain with hundreds of incoming links may not shift a whole number with one launch. It is more honest to look at positions, impressions, and clicks of the page.