Domain Rating Definition: Complete Guide 2025

Domain Rating, often abbreviated as DR, is a metric created by Ahrefs that measures the strength of a website's backlink profile. It's displayed on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, where higher numbers indicate stronger backlink profiles with more quality links from authoritative domains.

Think of Domain Rating as a thermometer for your website's backlink health. Just as a thermometer measures temperature, DR measures how strong your backlink profile is compared to all other websites. A high DR doesn't guarantee rankings, but it indicates that your site has earned quality backlinks that search engines value.

Domain Rating is one of the most widely used metrics in SEO because it provides a quick, understandable way to assess domain authority and identify quality link opportunities. Understanding the domain rating definition helps you make better decisions about link building, competitive analysis, and SEO strategy.

Official Definition: Domain Rating is Ahrefs' proprietary metric (on a scale of 0-100) that measures the strength of a website's backlink profile compared to all other domains in Ahrefs' index. It indicates how many unique, high-quality backlinks a domain has received from trusted, authoritative websites.

Key Components of the Definition:

• Scale: 0-100 logarithmic scale (not linear)
• What it measures: Backlink profile strength, not content quality or on-page SEO
• How it's calculated: Based on the number and quality of unique referring domains
• What it indicates: Domain authority and backlink profile quality
• Who created it: Ahrefs (not Google or other search engines)

Important Note: Domain Rating is not a Google ranking factor. Google doesn't use DR in its algorithm. However, DR correlates with SEO performance because it measures backlink quality, which is a key ranking factor. High-DR domains tend to rank better because they have stronger backlink profiles, not because Google uses DR directly.

Understanding the domain rating definition helps you identify the key factors that influence your DR score and backlink profile strength.

Ahrefs doesn't publicly disclose the exact Domain Rating calculation formula, but we know the key factors that influence DR:

Number of Referring Domains: The total number of unique domains that link to your website. More referring domains generally mean higher DR, but quality matters more than quantity.

Quality of Referring Domains: Each referring domain's own DR score influences how much value it passes. A link from a DR 80 site boosts your DR more than 50 links from DR 20 sites. This creates a compounding effect where high-DR links are exponentially more valuable.

Link Diversity: Having backlinks from diverse, unique domains is better than multiple links from the same domain. The algorithm counts each unique domain once, so diversity matters.

Link Type: Dofollow links pass more value than nofollow links, though nofollow links can still contribute to DR in some cases. Most SEO professionals focus on earning dofollow links for maximum DR impact.

Logarithmic Scale: DR uses a logarithmic scale, meaning it's progressively harder to increase your score as you move up. Going from DR 20 to 30 is easier than going from DR 80 to 90. This reflects the reality that earning high-quality backlinks becomes more difficult as you reach higher authority levels.

Understanding the Domain Rating scale helps you interpret what different DR scores mean:

Important: These ranges are general guidelines. What's considered "good" varies by industry. A DR 30 might be excellent for a local business, while a DR 60 might be average for a major publication. Focus on improving your DR relative to competitors in your niche rather than chasing arbitrary numbers.

Domain Rating is often confused with other authority metrics. Here's how DR compares to similar metrics:

Domain Rating (DR) vs. Domain Authority (DA): DR is Ahrefs' metric, while DA is Moz's metric. Both measure backlink profile strength on 0-100 scales, but use different algorithms. DR tends to be more conservative and harder to manipulate. Many SEO professionals prefer DR because it's more stable and less prone to inflation.

Domain Rating vs. URL Rating (UR): DR measures domain-level authority, while UR measures individual page authority. A domain can have high DR but individual pages with varying UR scores. Both metrics are useful—DR for overall domain authority, UR for specific page performance.

Domain Rating vs. PageRank: PageRank was Google's original authority metric (now deprecated). DR is similar in concept but calculated differently. Both measure link-based authority, but DR is publicly available while Google's current authority metrics are not.

Domain Rating vs. Trust Flow: Trust Flow is Majestic's metric that measures link quality based on trusted seed sites. DR and Trust Flow are similar concepts but calculated differently. Both are useful for assessing domain authority and link quality.

While Domain Rating itself isn't a Google ranking factor, it matters for several important reasons:

Indicates Backlink Quality: DR is a proxy for backlink profile strength. High DR means you have quality backlinks, which is a key ranking factor. Understanding your DR helps you assess your backlink profile quality and identify areas for improvement.

Identifies Link Opportunities: DR helps you identify quality link opportunities. Targeting high-DR sites (DR 60+) for backlinks is more effective than targeting low-DR sites. The metric helps you prioritize your link building efforts.

Competitive Analysis: Comparing your DR to competitors helps you understand your competitive position. If competitors have higher DR, they likely have stronger backlink profiles, which explains their better rankings. This insight helps you set realistic SEO goals.

SEO Planning: DR helps you understand which keywords you can compete for. High-DR domains can compete for more competitive keywords, while low-DR domains should focus on long-tail, less competitive keywords. This helps you create realistic SEO strategies.

Progress Tracking: Monitoring DR over time helps you measure the effectiveness of your link building efforts. If your DR increases, it means you're earning quality backlinks. This provides feedback on your SEO strategy.

Understanding why Domain Rating matters helps you make better decisions about link building and SEO strategy.

There are several ways to check Domain Rating for any website:

Ahrefs (Primary Source): Ahrefs is the creator of Domain Rating, so it's the most accurate source. Use Ahrefs' Site Explorer, enter any domain, and you'll see the DR score. Ahrefs offers both free and paid plans, with paid plans providing more detailed DR data and historical tracking.

Ahrefs Free Tools: Ahrefs offers free tools like Backlink Checker and Domain Rating Checker that show DR scores without requiring a paid subscription. These are useful for quick DR checks, though they have limited features compared to paid plans.

Browser Extensions: Ahrefs offers browser extensions that display DR scores directly in search results and while browsing websites. This makes it easy to check DR scores as you research link opportunities or analyze competitors.

API Access: For developers and agencies, Ahrefs provides API access to DR data, allowing you to check Domain Rating programmatically and integrate DR data into your own tools and workflows.

Third-Party Tools: Some SEO tools integrate Ahrefs DR data, allowing you to check Domain Rating through other platforms. However, Ahrefs itself is always the most accurate and up-to-date source for DR scores.