Ahrefs DR increases when you build a stronger backlink profile, specifically by getting links from domains that already have decent DR themselves. DR is logarithmic, so jumping from 10 to 20 is easier than 60 to 70. The metric weighs both how many unique domains link to you and the authority of those domains. Focus on these approaches that actually move DR: - Guest posts on established industry sites (DR 40+) in your niche - Digital PR that earns links from news sites and trade publications - Resource page placements where your content genuinely fits - Broken link building on relevant high-DR sites - Strategic partnerships and supplier/client links when natural - Creating link-worthy assets like original research or tools that attract organic links Quality beats quantity here. One link from a DR 70 site typically moves your DR more than ten links from DR 15 sites. At Ottawa SEO, we've seen client sites jump from DR 8 to DR 35 in 18 months through consistent monthly outreach, but the same effort on a site starting at DR 50 might only add 5-8 points because the scale gets harder. Avoid link schemes, PBNs, and bulk directory submissions. Ahrefs devalues spammy patterns, and Google penalizes them outright, so you'd hurt rankings while inflating a vanity metric. Also remember DR is just Ahrefs' internal score, not a Google ranking factor. A site with DR 25 and tight topical relevance can outrank a DR 60 site in specific niches. Timeline matters too. DR updates as Ahrefs recrawls the web, usually reflecting new links within 2-4 weeks, but the full impact accumulates over months. If you're building links correctly for Google, DR will follow as a byproduct. We track it for clients mainly to benchmark against competitors and spot when our link building effort is working, not as an end goal itself.