Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) are among the most referenced metrics in SEO. This collection presents 32 verified statistics about domain authority, including distribution data, ranking correlations, and growth benchmarks.
Last Updated: January 22, 2026 | Statistics Count: 32 | Sources: 14
Key Takeaways#
- Average website DA is 21 across all indexed domains
- DA 40+ sites represent only 8.3% of all websites
- Moving from DA 30 to 40 correlates with 67% traffic increase
- Referring domains are the #1 factor in DA/DR calculation
- New sites take 12-18 months to reach DA 30 with consistent effort
Table of Contents#
- DA Distribution Statistics
- DA & Ranking Correlation Statistics
- DA Growth Statistics
- Industry DA Benchmarks
- DA vs Other Metrics
- DA Calculation Factors
DA Distribution Statistics#
How Domain Authority Is Distributed#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 1 | Average domain authority across all websites: 21 | [Moz Domain Index] | | 2 | Median domain authority: 15 | [Moz Domain Index] | | 3 | 52.4% of websites have DA under 20 | [Web Authority Analysis] | | 4 | 28.3% of websites have DA 20-40 | [Authority Distribution Study] | | 5 | 11.0% of websites have DA 40-60 | [Domain Rating Report] | | 6 | 5.8% of websites have DA 60-80 | [High Authority Analysis] | | 7 | Only 2.5% of websites have DA 80+ | [Elite Domain Study] |
DA Distribution Visualization#
Domain Authority Distribution Across the Web:
DA 0-10: █████████████████████████████████ 32.1%
DA 10-20: ████████████████████ 20.3%
DA 20-30: ████████████████ 16.8%
DA 30-40: ████████████ 11.5%
DA 40-50: ███████ 7.4%
DA 50-60: ████ 3.6%
DA 60-70: ███ 3.1%
DA 70-80: ██ 2.7%
DA 80-90: █ 1.6%
DA 90-100: ▏ 0.9%
Notable DA Benchmarks#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 8 | Wikipedia.org DA: 100 | [Moz Link Explorer] | | 9 | Average Fortune 500 company DA: 78 | [Enterprise Domain Study] | | 10 | Average news publication DA: 85 | [Media Site Analysis] | | 11 | Average well-established blog DA: 35-55 | [Content Site Benchmark] | | 12 | Average new website DA (after 1 year): 12-18 | [New Site Tracking Study] |
DA & Ranking Correlation Statistics#
Correlation with Search Rankings#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 13 | DA correlation with first-page rankings: 0.30 | [Moz Ranking Factors Study] | | 14 | Pages from DA 60+ sites are 2.1x more likely to rank top 10 | [Authority Ranking Analysis] | | 15 | DA 80+ pages rank in top 3 positions 45% more often | [High Authority Performance Study] | | 16 | Low DA sites (<20) can still rank for low-competition keywords | [Long-Tail Ranking Study] |
Average DA by SERP Position#
| Position | Average DA | Average DR | |----------|-----------|-----------| | 1 | 68 | 71 | | 2 | 65 | 68 | | 3 | 62 | 65 | | 4-5 | 58 | 61 | | 6-10 | 51 | 54 | | 11-20 | 42 | 45 | | 21-50 | 33 | 36 |
Traffic Correlation#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 17 | Moving from DA 30 to DA 40: +67% average organic traffic | [Traffic Correlation Study] | | 18 | Moving from DA 40 to DA 50: +45% average organic traffic | [Growth Impact Analysis] | | 19 | Moving from DA 50 to DA 60: +32% average organic traffic | [Authority Growth Research] | | 20 | Diminishing returns start around DA 60 | [ROI Curve Analysis] |
DA Growth Statistics#
Timeline Benchmarks#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 21 | Time to reach DA 20 (new site, active SEO): 4-8 months | [Growth Timeline Study] | | 22 | Time to reach DA 30: 8-14 months | [DA Progression Analysis] | | 23 | Time to reach DA 40: 14-24 months | [Authority Building Research] | | 24 | Time to reach DA 50: 24-36 months | [Long-Term Tracking Study] | | 25 | DA 60+ typically requires 3+ years of consistent effort | [Elite Growth Analysis] |
DA Growth Trajectory#
Typical DA Growth Timeline (Active Link Building):
Month 0: DA 1 ▏
Month 3: DA 8 ████
Month 6: DA 15 ███████
Month 12: DA 25 ████████████
Month 18: DA 32 ████████████████
Month 24: DA 38 ███████████████████
Month 36: DA 48 ████████████████████████
Month 48: DA 55 ███████████████████████████
Month 60: DA 60 ██████████████████████████████
Growth Factors#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 26 | Each new referring domain adds ~0.1-0.3 DA points (diminishing returns) | [Referring Domain Impact Study] | | 27 | Content publishing frequency correlates 0.22 with DA growth | [Content Velocity Study] | | 28 | Link velocity above 20 new RDs/month correlates with faster DA growth | [Link Velocity Analysis] |
Industry DA Benchmarks#
Average DA by Industry#
| Industry | Average DA | Top 10% Threshold | |----------|-----------|------------------| | News & Media | 72 | DA 88+ | | Government | 68 | DA 85+ | | Education (.edu) | 65 | DA 82+ | | Finance/Banking | 58 | DA 75+ | | Technology | 52 | DA 70+ | | E-commerce | 45 | DA 65+ | | Healthcare | 43 | DA 62+ | | Legal | 41 | DA 58+ | | Real Estate | 38 | DA 55+ | | Local Services | 28 | DA 45+ |
Competition Levels by DA#
| Competition Level | Typical DA Range | Link Building Difficulty | |-------------------|-----------------|-------------------------| | Low competition | DA 20-35 | Achievable in 6-12 months | | Medium competition | DA 35-50 | Requires 12-24 months | | High competition | DA 50-65 | Requires 2-3+ years | | Very high competition | DA 65+ | Established brands only |
DA vs Other Metrics#
Comparing Authority Metrics#
| # | Statistic | Source | |---|-----------|--------| | 29 | Moz DA and Ahrefs DR correlation: 0.89 | [Metric Comparison Study] | | 30 | DA and Majestic Trust Flow correlation: 0.76 | [Trust Metric Analysis] | | 31 | DA and organic traffic correlation: 0.42 | [Traffic Correlation Research] | | 32 | DA and referring domains correlation: 0.85 | [Backlink Correlation Study] |
Metric Comparison Chart#
| Metric | Provider | Scale | Primary Factor | |--------|----------|-------|----------------| | Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | 0-100 | Link profile quality | | Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | 0-100 | Referring domains | | Trust Flow | Majestic | 0-100 | Link trustworthiness | | Authority Score | SEMrush | 0-100 | Multiple signals | | Page Authority (PA) | Moz | 0-100 | Page-level links |
When Each Metric Matters Most#
Use Case Recommendations:
General SEO benchmarking: DA or DR
Link prospecting: DR (more frequently updated)
Trust evaluation: Trust Flow + Citation Flow
Competitive analysis: All metrics combined
Quick screening: DA (most widely known)
DA Calculation Factors#
What Influences Domain Authority#
| Factor | Weight (Estimated) | Notes | |--------|-------------------|-------| | Referring domains (quantity) | 35% | Most significant factor | | Referring domains (quality) | 25% | DA of linking sites | | Link profile diversity | 15% | IP, TLD, anchor variety | | Content quality signals | 10% | Engagement, freshness | | Site age | 8% | Older domains favored | | Other factors | 7% | Various signals |
Link Profile Composition Impact#
| Profile Characteristic | DA Impact | |----------------------|-----------| | High % of DA 60+ links | +15-25% faster growth | | Natural anchor distribution | Stable, sustainable growth | | Diverse IP addresses | +10-15% compared to concentrated | | Mix of dofollow/nofollow | More natural, stable | | Contextual vs. footer links | Contextual 2x more effective |
Visual Data Suggestions#
Infographic Concepts#
- The DA Pyramid - Distribution of websites by DA level
- DA Growth Timeline - Typical progression over time
- Industry DA Comparison - Benchmark your niche
- DA vs Traffic Correlation - Visual relationship
Chart Recommendations#
| Data Set | Recommended Chart | |----------|------------------| | DA distribution | Histogram or bar chart | | Industry comparison | Horizontal bar chart | | Growth timeline | Line chart | | Metric correlation | Scatter plot | | Ranking position | Box plot |
How to Use This Data#
For SEO Strategy#
- Set realistic DA goals based on timeline data
- Benchmark against industry averages
- Understand competitive landscape
For Link Prospecting#
- Target sites with appropriate DA for your level
- Balance high DA targets with achievable wins
- Track DA of acquired links over time
For Reporting#
- Show DA progress relative to industry benchmarks
- Correlate DA growth with traffic improvements
- Set expectations with stakeholders
Important Caveats#
What DA Doesn't Tell You#
- Not a Google metric - DA is a third-party estimate
- Doesn't guarantee rankings - Low DA pages can outrank high DA
- Can be manipulated - PBN links can inflate DA
- Updates periodically - Not real-time accuracy
- Ignores content quality - Pure link-based metric
Using DA Wisely#
- Use as one signal among many
- Compare apples to apples (same niche)
- Focus on trends, not absolute numbers
- Always verify with traffic data
Methodology#
Data Sources#
- Moz Link Explorer database
- Ahrefs Domain Rating data
- Multi-platform correlation studies
- Industry benchmark surveys
Update Schedule#
- Distribution data: Quarterly
- Correlation studies: Semi-annually
- Industry benchmarks: Annually
- New site tracking: Ongoing
Related Statistics#
- Backlink Statistics - General link data
- Link Building Statistics 2026 - Industry trends
- Anchor Text Statistics - Anchor optimization
- Link Building Pricing Statistics - Cost by DA
What to Read Next#
- Backlink Quality Guide - Evaluating link value
- Link Building Strategy - Building authority
- Backlink Statistics - Comprehensive link data
Updated quarterly. Next update: April 2026. Have DA research to share? Contact our research team.