Domain Authority is Moz's proprietary metric (0–100) estimating how likely your domain is to rank in search results, based primarily on the quality and quantity of backlinks. Ahrefs uses Domain Rating (DR), Semrush uses Authority Score — same concept, different calculations. DA is a relative metric, not an absolute one: what matters is your DA versus the sites you're competing against for specific keywords.
For example, a startup with DA 25 can absolutely outrank a DA 60 site for a specific keyword if the startup has better topical authority, more relevant content, and stronger on-page optimization for that specific query.
We track domain authority growth for clients as a leading indicator of SEO health — rising DA means the link building and content program is working.
Relevant Cactus Services
We implement Domain Authority (DA) strategies for B2B tech startups every day. Book a free 30-minute call to get a concrete plan for your situation.
Book a free strategy call →Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the practice of improving your website's visibility in organic (unpaid) search results.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM typically refers to paid search advertising — Google Ads and Bing Ads — where you bid on keywords to appear in search results immediately, without waiting for organic rankings.
Organic Traffic
Organic traffic is visitors who arrive at your site from unpaid search results, social posts, and direct/dark social channels — not from ads.
Backlink
A backlink is a link from another website to yours — one of the strongest ranking signals in Google's algorithm.
Keyword Difficulty (KD)
Keyword difficulty is a score (0–100) estimating how hard it is to rank on the first page of Google for a given keyword, based primarily on the strength of competing pages.
Long-Tail Keyword
Long-tail keywords are specific, multi-word search queries with lower search volume but much higher intent and conversion rates.