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Free Domain Rating Checker
Check the Domain Rating (DR) of any website in seconds.
Domain Rating by Ahrefs
Distribution of marketplace inventory
Share of sites at each Domain Rating, with this domain marked, and its rank against the full field
Benchmark
How this domain compares to what's actually for sale
We measured the Domain Rating of 1,345 sites listed on link marketplaces. Inventory peaks around DR 30 to 39 and thins out sharply above DR 60, so a higher score is rarer than it looks.
Based on 1,345 domains listed on link marketplaces, measured July 2026. Margin of error ±2.7% at 95% confidence. Benchmarked against marketplace inventory, not all websites. Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
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What Domain Rating Actually Measures
Domain Rating is Ahrefs’ score for the strength of a website’s backlink profile, on a scale from 0 to 100. It is not a Google metric and it is not a quality score for your content. It is a summary of how many distinct websites link to you, weighted by how strong those websites are themselves.
The word that matters most is distinct. DR rewards the number of separate domains pointing at you, not the raw number of links. Ten links from ten different sites will move it further than a hundred links from one.
- Relative, not absolute. Your score reflects where you sit against every other site in the index, so it shifts as the web around you changes.
- Domain level. It describes the whole site, not the individual page you are trying to rank.
- Links only. Traffic, content quality and technical health do not feed into it.
An example score. DR 65 sits above roughly nine in ten sites listed on link marketplaces.
The Curve
Why The Scale Is Logarithmic
Domain Rating is logarithmic, which means sites are not spread evenly across the 0 to 100 range. Ahrefs state plainly that the overwhelming majority of domains on the internet sit right at the bottom, between DR 0 and 10, because most of the web is small, new or abandoned.
The practical consequence is that every point costs more than the one before it. Climbing from DR 20 to DR 30 takes a handful of links. Climbing from DR 70 to DR 80 can take thousands.
Relative effort, illustrating the logarithmic climb described by Ahrefs. Not a measured index.
Benchmarking
What Counts As A Good Domain Rating
There is no universal good score. A DR of 60 can be excellent in one industry and unremarkable in another. The only benchmarks worth using are the ones close to your own situation.
Ahrefs measured 600 SaaS companies and found a median of DR 62, with the bottom quartile at 38 and the top quartile at 77. In that market, 62 is average rather than strong. In a smaller local niche the same score would put you far ahead.
Compare yourself three ways: against the competitors you actually fight for customers, against your wider industry, and against the sites already ranking for the keywords you want.
Domain Rating across 600 SaaS companies, as published by Ahrefs, June 2026. The line is drawn only between the four published points.
The Honest Part
Domain Rating Is Not A Ranking Factor
Google does not use Domain Rating. It is Ahrefs’ metric, built from backlink data, and Google has no access to it. What DR correlates with is competitiveness, not position.
When Ahrefs studied the relationship in 2025 they found a correlation of 0.131 between DR and search rankings. That is a small positive relationship and nowhere near a rule.
The proof sits in their own SERP data. A DR 29 site ranks on page one for “best running shoes”. Treat your score as a gauge of how steep a keyword will be, not as a gate that decides whether you can compete at all.
Correlation between Domain Rating and SERP rankings, from the 2025 link study published by Ahrefs.
Improvement
How To Improve Your Domain Rating
Because DR is built almost entirely from your backlink profile, raising it comes down to earning links from more separate websites. There is no technical shortcut and no on-page change that moves it.
- Chase distinct domains. Volume of unique referring sites is what builds the score, so ten modest sites beat one large one.
- Do not over-value one big link. A link from a huge publisher barely moves DR, because its equity is split across the hundred thousand or more sites it links to.
- Build things worth citing. Original data, free tools and definitive guides earn links without asking.
- Reclaim what you already have. Unlinked brand mentions and broken links pointing at your old pages convert into live links quickly.
Our Data
How We Built The Marketplace Benchmark
Most DR advice compares you to the whole internet, which is close to meaningless when the majority of the web is abandoned. We wanted a benchmark against sites you could actually buy a link on.
So we measured the Domain Rating of 1,345 domains listed on link marketplaces in July 2026. That sample gives a margin of error of ±2.7% at 95% confidence.
Inventory peaks around DR 30 to 39 and thins sharply above DR 60. Roughly one site in a hundred reaches DR 80. When you run a check above, the curve shows where that domain sits against real, purchasable inventory rather than against the web at large.
Our own measurement, July 2026. Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
Questions
Domain Rating FAQs
Is Domain Rating the same as Domain Authority?
No. Domain Rating is Ahrefs’ metric and Domain Authority is Moz’s. They use different indexes and different formulas, so the two scores for the same site will rarely match. Neither is used by Google.
What is a good Domain Rating?
It depends entirely on your market. Ahrefs measured 600 SaaS companies and found a median of DR 62, a top quartile of 77 and a top ten percent of 86. In a less competitive niche a DR of 40 can be strong. Compare yourself to your actual competitors rather than to a universal number.
Does Domain Rating affect Google rankings?
Not directly. Google does not use Domain Rating. Ahrefs found a correlation of 0.131 between DR and rankings, which is small. Lower authority sites regularly outrank higher ones, especially for informational or less competitive queries.
Why is my Domain Rating not increasing?
The scale is logarithmic, so each point costs more than the one before it. Going from DR 20 to 30 takes a handful of new referring domains, while going from 70 to 80 can take thousands. If your score has stalled, you most likely need links from more distinct websites rather than more links from the same ones.
How often does Domain Rating update?
Ahrefs recalculate it as their index refreshes, so scores can move without you doing anything. A change of a point or two in either direction is normal and rarely means something went wrong.
Is this Domain Rating checker free?
Yes. You can check any domain without an account. The Domain Rating figures come from Ahrefs.
