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SEO glossary A to Z

Domain authority and similar scores: what they do and do not mean

Third-party authority scores are estimates made by tool vendors, not numbers Google uses.

What they are#

Domain authority and similar scores (you will see names like domain rating or trust score) are single numbers invented by SEO tool companies. Each vendor builds its own formula, usually based on how many sites link to you and how strong those links look. The number is a guess at how well a site might rank.

What they do not mean#

  • Google does not use them. They are not a ranking factor or a grade from a search engine.
  • They are not comparable across tools. A 40 in one tool says nothing about a 40 in another.
  • They do not measure your business. A small local firm can win its searches with a low score.
  • They can move without you doing anything, because the vendor changed its data or formula.

What they are good for#

Used loosely, a score is a quick way to compare similar sites in the same tool. If a site that could link to you has a very low score and looks spammy, that is a hint to look closer. If a rival has a far higher score, that suggests they have earned more links. Treat that as a question, not a verdict.

What to track instead#

  1. Clicks, impressions and positions for the searches that matter to you, from Search Console.
  2. Enquiries, calls and orders, since those pay the bills.
  3. The number of real sites that mention and link to you, and whether they are relevant to your field.

How to talk about them with an agency#

If someone reports progress to you as a score, ask what changed for customers: more calls, more form fills, more visits from the searches you care about. A good partner can connect their work to those outcomes. A score on its own is a number in a report, and it is fine as a side note, but it should never be the headline.

Common mistakes#

  • Setting a score as a goal. You can raise it without helping a single customer.
  • Buying links to lift it. That can break search guidelines.
  • Rejecting a good link because the other site has a modest score.
  • Judging an agency by how the number moved.

For earning links that matter, see what backlinks are and how to earn them.

Terms in this guide#