A clear breakdown of Domain Authority from 1 to 100 — what counts as bad, average, good and great, what's realistic by industry, and why your competitors' scores matter more than any fixed number.
A good Domain Authority score is generally 40–50 (average/solid), 50–60 (good), and 60+ (strong). Most websites sit in the 30–40 range. But "good" is relative to your niche — a local business can win at DA 25–30, while competitive industries may need DA 50+. New sites typically start at DA 1–20, which is completely normal. The smartest benchmark isn't a fixed number: it's beating your direct competitors' DA. For most small-to-mid businesses, DA 40+ is the credibility threshold worth aiming for.
DA runs on a 1–100 logarithmic scale, so early gains come faster than later ones. Here's what each band means in practice.
| DA Range | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1–20 | Very low | New or underdeveloped site, few backlinks, limited visibility. |
| 21–30 | Low | Early traction; can compete for long-tail, low-competition keywords. |
| 31–40 | Average | Established presence and a solid starting point — the median for most sites. |
| 41–50 | Good | Competitive; strong for B2B and medium-difficulty keywords. |
| 51–60 | Very good | Strong authority, large referring-domain base, high-difficulty keyword access. |
| 61–80 | High | Top few percent of websites; dominant in most niches. |
| 81–100 | Elite | Global brands and major publications (Google, Wikipedia, news). |
The key insight: DA is a compass, not a destination. The number tells you roughly where you stand on the web; your competitor's number tells you what you actually need to beat. A DA of 25 can win in a tight niche, while DA 45 might still trail in a competitive one.
"Good" depends heavily on your field. A local roofing company doesn't need the same authority as a global SaaS brand. These are rough 2026 benchmarks drawn from Moz, Ahrefs and Semrush data.
| Industry / site type | Typical good DA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local services (plumber, roofer, clinic) | 20–35 | Local intent + relevance can rank you with modest DA. |
| Small business / local eCommerce | 30–45 | DA 40+ signals an established, trustworthy site. |
| Blogs & publishers | 40–55 | Needed to attract paid guest posts and ad networks. |
| B2B / SaaS | 40–60 | Competitive content markets; mature programs reach 50+. |
| Finance / YMYL | 55–75+ | Trust-sensitive niches demand the highest authority. |
| National news / major brands | 70–100 | Huge, diverse backlink profiles built over years. |
Note: scores differ between tools. Semrush's Authority Score typically runs 15–20% lower than Moz DA, so adjust targets to whichever tool you track.
If your site is new, expect a DA between 1 and 20 — that's completely normal and nothing to worry about. Every site, including today's biggest brands, started at DA 1. What matters is the direction: steady growth over time, not the starting number.
Because the scale is logarithmic, your earliest gains are the easiest. Climbing from DA 10 to 30 can happen in a few months of consistent link building, while moving from DA 70 to 80 can take years. So a new site should focus on momentum — earning a handful of quality links and publishing genuinely useful content — rather than obsessing over hitting a specific number quickly.
Realistic target: for most new businesses, DA 40+ is the sweet spot — it's the threshold where prospects, partners and guest-post hosts start treating you as an established, credible site.
Check your current DA with Moz's Link Explorer or our free DA checker. Note it down as your baseline.
Run a DA check on the 5–10 sites ranking for your target keywords. If most sit at 40–45 and you're at 15, that gap is your real roadmap — not an arbitrary "good" number.
DA fluctuates monthly as Moz updates its index. Check every 30–60 days with the same tool and watch the direction. Steady upward movement means your SEO is working.
DA predicts ranking ability; it doesn't cause rankings. A lower-DA site with stronger topical depth and relevance can still outrank a higher-DA generalist. Build real authority and the number follows.
BoostMyDA increases your Moz Domain Authority to 40+ in 14–21 days with safe, white-hat backlinks — or your money back.
Boost My DA — ₹1,999Generally, 40–50 is average/solid, 50–60 is good, and 60+ is strong. Most sites sit in the 30–40 range. For most businesses, DA 40+ is the credibility threshold — but "good" is always relative to your niche and competitors.
DA 30 is around average and a solid base. It's competitive for local businesses and long-tail keywords, but in crowded niches you'll likely want to push toward 40+.
Yes — DA 50 is a very good score, indicating strong SEO and a large, diverse backlink profile. Sites at DA 50 often have several hundred referring domains and can compete for high-difficulty keywords.
A new site usually starts at DA 1 and reaches roughly 10–20 in its first year. That's normal — focus on steady growth rather than the starting number.
The median for most websites falls in the 31–40 range. Anything above that puts you ahead of the typical site, though what you need still depends on your competitors.
No. DA correlates with ranking ability but doesn't guarantee it. Relevance, content quality and on-page SEO still decide individual rankings — a focused lower-DA site can beat a higher-DA generalist.
Earn quality backlinks from diverse, trusted domains, clean up toxic links, and strengthen content and technical SEO. See our guide to increasing DA, or let BoostMyDA reach DA 40+ for you in 14–21 days.
Sources & further reading: Moz — Domain Authority · Moz Domain Analysis. Benchmarks are approximate and vary by tool and over time. External links open in a new tab and are marked nofollow.