What Domain Rating measures
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' score for the strength of a site's backlink profile, from 0 to 100. It looks at how many unique domains link to a site with followed links, and how strong those linking domains are in turn. It does not measure traffic, content quality or how well a page ranks for a given keyword.
The scale is logarithmic. Going from DR 10 to 20 takes a handful of decent links; going from 70 to 80 takes thousands. Two sites a few points apart at the top end are much further apart than two sites a few points apart near the bottom.
How founders use a DR check
- Pick directories worth the effort. A listing on a DR 70 directory with a followed link passes far more authority than one on a DR 8 site. Check before you fill in another submission form.
- Qualify outreach. Guest posts, podcast pages and "best tools" roundups vary wildly. A quick check sorts the list.
- Benchmark competitors. If a competitor sits at DR 45 and you are at 12, you know roughly how much link building separates you on competitive keywords.
- Track your own progress. DR moves slowly. Check monthly, not daily.
What DR does not tell you
A high DR site can still give you a nofollow link, bury your page five clicks deep, or be in an unrelated niche. Relevance and placement matter as much as the number. Pair a DR check with the dofollow checker to see whether a page's outbound links pass value at all.
New sites sit at DR 0 until other domains link to them. That is normal. A launch on a few well-linked directories is usually the fastest way off zero.
Scores come from Ahrefs' public Domain Rating API and are shown with the credit their licence requires.