Domain rating
Domain rating is a third-party score, on a scale of 0 to 100, that estimates the strength of a website's backlink profile. Higher scores correlate with greater ranking power.
Also known as:
DR
What is domain rating?
Domain rating, often shortened to DR, is a metric created by SEO tool Ahrefs that scores a website's backlink profile from 0 to 100 on a logarithmic scale. A site with a DR of 80 is roughly 10 times harder to match in link strength than a site with a DR of 70, since each tier represents a meaningful jump rather than a flat increase. DR is calculated by Ahrefs, not officially endorsed by Google, so treat it as a working estimate rather than a final ranking truth.
DR 0–30: Newer or low-link-volume sites, typical of small blogs and startups
DR 30–60: Established sites with consistent organic links from credible sources
DR 60–80: Authority sites in their niche, often industry leaders or major brands
DR 80–100: Top-tier domains like major news outlets, governments and tech giants
Why does domain rating matter?
Domain rating gives content teams a shorthand for sizing up a target site before pitching, partnering or chasing a backlink. A guest post on a DR 75 industry publication moves the needle on rankings. By contrast, 10 guest posts on DR 15 sites barely register. Tracking your own DR over time is also a quick health check on your link-building strategy.
How do you use domain rating?
Use DR as one signal among several, not as the only filter, when evaluating link prospects or site partnerships.
Compare your DR against your top three to five competitors quarterly to spot whether you are gaining or losing relative ground.
Pair DR analysis with traffic and topical relevance, since a high-DR site outside your niche passes weak relevance signals.
