Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) vs Moz Domain Authority (DA): Whats the Difference?

The difference between Ahrefs DR (Domain Rating) vs Moz DA (Domain Authority) is that Ahrefs DR measures backlink strength and updates quickly, while Moz DA (Domain Authority) measures a site’s overall SEO ranking potential and updates slowly over time. DR is a live backlink score and DA is a big-picture SEO strength score.

Whether you’re a fellow SEO nerd like me or you’ve spent 5 minutes in blogging communities, you’re no doubt seen people ask the same question over and over again… “What’s better, Ahrefs Domain Rating or Moz Domain Authority?”

I used to stare at those numbers and wonder why my Domain Rating (DR) dropped while my Domain Authority (DA) stayed flat, or why a site with lower DA still outranked me. Once I understood what each metric really measures as a proxy for website authority, a lot of that confusion went *poof*.

Today, I’ll break down Ahrefs DR vs Moz DA in simple terms, show how I use both of these scores as a blogger, and share some practical rules to avoid obsessing over scores, and start using them to actually grow your traffic.

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What Ahrefs DR and Moz DA Actually Measure

Both Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) try to answer one simple question:

How strong does this website look compared to others on the Internet?

However, they answer it in different ways.

Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) Measurements

Ahrefs Domain Rating is all about backlinks. It looks at:

• How many referring domains from unique domains link to a domain
• How strong those linking sites are
• How link authority flows across the web

Ahrefs updates Domain Rating (DR) often (about every 12 hours), so it reacts fast when you gain or lose backlinks. If you are deep into link earning, Domain Rating (DR) feels like a live scoreboard.

If you want a more technical, data-first breakdown of how DR works, this data-driven comparison of Ahrefs DR and Moz DA is a great extra read.

Moz Domain Authority (DA) Measurements

Moz Domain Authority (DA) tries to predict how likely a domain is to rank in Google via its Domain Authority calculation. It uses many ranking factors, not just backlinks. DA includes like:

• Quality of links and quantity
• Overall site signals (content and technical strength)
• Patterns seen in sites that already rank

Moz updates Domain Authority (DA) less often, usually about once a month. The upside is that DA tends to be a more stable metric. The downside is that it reacts slower.

Here’s the key idea I keep in mind:

• DR is a fast, backlink-focused score
• DA is a slower, more holistic ranking potential score

Neither metric comes from Google, and neither guarantees rankings, of course. They’re just models built by smart SEO companies, trying to mirror reality and estimate your ranking potential in organic search and AI platforms like ChatGPT.

Key Differences Bloggers Should Care About

When I compare Domain Rating (DR) vs Domain Authority (DA) for my own sites, a few differences matter more than the rest.

1. Focus: Backlinks Only vs Overall Strength

Domain Rating (DR) gives me a quick read on my backlink profile. If I land a strong guest post on a 70+ DR site, I know my DR might bump soon.

Domain Authority (DA) pulls in more signals. I have seen cases where:

• DR moves up after a burst of new links
• DA barely moves, because the content and on-page work lag behind

So if I want a snapshot of link power for my backlink profile, I lean on DR. If I want a picture of general SEO strength, I look at DA.

2. Update Speed and Volatility

Because DR updates every 12 hours, it is jumpy. Lose a few strong links, and you can see a drop overnight.

DA, with its slower updates, acts more like a monthly report card.

I think of it like this:

• DR is a heartbeat monitor
• DA is a monthly health check

Both are helpful; they just tell different stories, sometimes showing low correlation.

3. How Easy These Metrics are to “Game”

Any metric that relies on backlinks can be inflated with spammy tactics, which is something to keep in mind if you’re buying a website and factoring in DR as a metric in the sale price.

Recent studies and field experience show that:

• DR is easier to move quickly with aggressive link building, but on a logarithmic scale, it becomes much harder at higher numbers
• DA is harder to move unless the whole site improves over time

A recent update from Ahrefs put even more weight on high-quality backlinks and topical relevance in the Domain Rating calculation, so low-quality link blasts do less now than they used to. Still, if you see a site jump 20 DR points in a month from low-quality directories, you should check the spam score and stay suspicious.

Because DA pulls from more factors, it is harder to fake with links alone.

Common Mistakes with Ahrefs DR and Moz DA

I see the same traps over and over on Reddit, in blogging Facebook groups, Slack communities, and even in client reports regarding Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA).

Here are a few to avoid:

• Treating DA 50 as equal to DR 50: The scales for Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) are not interchangeable; there’s only a loose correlation between Ahrefs Domain Rating and Moz Domain Authority (DA). DA 50 on one site does not equal DR 50 on another.
• Judging a site only by DR or DA: I always also check organic traffic, keyword rankings, content quality, and page-level metrics like URL Rating (UR) from Ahrefs or Page Authority (PA) from Moz. A high-score site with no traffic is a red flag.
• Chasing numbers instead of results: You can waste months trying to raise Domain Rating (DR) from 45 to 50 on a logarithmic scale when your content still does not match search intent.
• Ignoring your niche: In some small niches, DA 20 can dominate. Comparing your food blog to huge media sites only stresses you out.

Authority metrics are helpful, but they are still just tools, like a bathroom scale. The goal is better health, not a specific number.

So Which is Better: Ahrefs DR or Moz DA?

Here’s my honest answer: I like both, for different reasons.

• If you care most about backlink strength and link building, Domain Rating (DR) is more useful
• If you want a bigger-picture view of ranking potential, Domain Authority (DA) gives you that

For a more rounded view that also brings in other authority metrics like Semrush Authority Score and Majestic Trust Flow, this comparison of Domain Rating (DR), Domain Authority (DA), AS, and TF is worth saving.

In my own blogging journey, I’ve stopped asking “Which metric is better?” and started asking:

Which decision am I trying to make, and which metric helps most with that decision?

• Picking guest post targets: I check both Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA)
• Tracking link building: I focus on DR
• Reporting long-term growth: I highlight DA along with traffic and rankings

The mix works well because I am not betting everything on one company’s model, especially given the risks from algorithm updates.

Final Guidance on Using DR and DA the Smart Way

If you felt confused by authority metrics like Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) before, you are not alone. I spent years chasing those scores without a clear plan.

Now I treat Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) as supporting metrics, not the main goal. My main goals are still simple: publish better content, earn high-quality backlinks, and grow search traffic.

Here is my challenge for you: next time you open Ahrefs or Moz, ask yourself what decision you want to make before you look at the numbers. Use the metrics to guide that choice, then get back to creating.

And if you want help turning those decisions into consistent publishing, tools like RightBlogger make it much easier to plan topics, write SEO-friendly posts, and keep content flowing while those DR and DA scores quietly rise in the background.