Domain Authority above 50 puts you in decent company, 60+ is strong, and anything over 70 is excellent by most standards. But here's what actually matters: DA is a comparative metric created by Moz, scored 1–100, that predicts ranking potential. You need to beat your competitors' DA in your specific niche, not chase an arbitrary number. If you're a local Ottawa plumber competing against sites with DA 25–35, your DA 40 is dominant. If you're trying to rank for "project management software" against sites with DA 75–85, your DA 55 won't move the needle. Check the top 10 results for your target keywords and note their DA range—that's your benchmark. DA correlates with backlink profile strength (both quantity and quality of referring domains), site age, and overall link equity. A new site might sit at DA 10–20 for months. After 6–12 months of consistent link building—guest posts, digital PR, niche edits—you might reach DA 30–40. Getting past DA 50 typically requires 500+ referring domains from varied, legitimate sources. At Ottawa SEO Inc., we track DA across our 500+ domain portfolio, but we care more about traffic and rankings than the score itself. DA doesn't directly influence Google's algorithm—it's a third-party prediction tool. Google uses its own authority signals that aren't publicly scored. We've seen DA 45 sites outrank DA 65 competitors because they had better topical relevance, content depth, and user engagement. Watch out for artificial DA inflation. Buying PBN links or spammy redirects can temporarily boost DA while tanking your actual Google rankings. Focus on earning links from real sites in your industry with their own organic traffic. Also remember DA updates monthly, so don't obsess over small fluctuations. A drop from DA 42 to DA 40 means nothing if your rankings and traffic held steady. Measure success by whether you're closing the gap with the sites currently outranking you for revenue-driving keywords. What DA Is Considered Good for Different Website Types The threshold for what DA is considered good shifts dramatically based on your site category. Local service businesses often thrive with DA 25–40 because their competitors rarely invest heavily in link building. Regional e-commerce sites typically need DA 35–50 to compete effectively. National brands and SaaS companies usually require DA 50–70 to appear in competitive SERPs. Media sites and major publishers often sit at DA 70–90. Rather than asking whether your number is universally good, compare against your direct competitors using tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. Export the DA of every site ranking on page one for your five most important keywords, calculate the average, and that becomes your working target. A DA 38 might be excellent for a Gatineau roofing company but inadequate for a national insurance broker. Domain Authority Scale Explained: How the 1-100 Scoring Works The domain authority scale explained simply: Moz calculates DA on a logarithmic scale from 1 to 100, meaning movement gets progressively harder as you climb. Jumping from DA 20 to 30 might take three months of steady link acquisition. Moving from DA 50 to 60 could take a year of sustained effort with the same tactics. The scale factors in linking root domains, total backlink count, link quality signals, and MozRank. Importantly, DA is recalculated against every other site in the index, so your score can drop even when you've gained links—simply because competitors gained more or Moz adjusted their algorithm. This relative scoring means chasing a specific number matters less than consistently building legitimate links faster than the sites you're trying to outrank. What Score Is Strong Domain Authority in Competitive Niches Determining what score is strong domain authority requires context about SERP competitiveness. In verticals like finance, legal, and health, page-one results routinely show DA 60–80 sites backed by years of authority building and substantial PR budgets. In these spaces, DA 55 might barely earn page-two visibility. Contrast this with B2B industrial niches or hyper-local services where DA 40 often dominates. To assess your niche specifically: pull the top 20 ranking pages for your primary keyword, note the range, and identify the floor. If the lowest DA on page one is 45, that's your minimum viable target. If several DA 30 sites rank there, the niche has softer competition and your link building budget can stretch further. Strong is always relative to who you're actually competing against. Good Domain Authority Number Benchmarks by Site Age A good domain authority number correlates strongly with site maturity. Brand new domains typically launch at DA 1–5 regardless of content quality. After six months with consistent publishing and basic link outreach, DA 15–25 is reasonable progress. Sites aged two to three years with active SEO programs often reach DA 30–45. Established sites over five years old that have invested in content marketing and digital PR commonly sit at DA 45–60. These benchmarks assume legitimate white-hat link building—buying links or using private blog networks might inflate scores temporarily but creates penalty risk. If your site is under 18 months old and sitting at DA 20–30, you're on track. Expecting DA 50 in year one without exceptional viral content or major PR coverage isn't realistic for most businesses. Frequently Asked Questions What DA is considered good? For most businesses, DA 40–50 is considered good, putting you ahead of typical small-to-medium competitors. However, good is relative to your niche—compare your DA against the sites currently ranking for your target keywords rather than chasing an absolute number. Good domain authority number? A good domain authority number depends on your competitive landscape. Local businesses often succeed with DA 30–45, while national brands typically need DA 50–65. Check the average DA of page-one results for your main keywords to establish your specific benchmark. Domain authority scale explained? Domain authority uses a logarithmic 1–100 scale where higher scores become exponentially harder to achieve. The score predicts ranking potential based on your backlink profile strength compared to every other site in Moz's index, recalculated monthly. What score is strong domain authority? Strong domain authority typically means DA 55–70 in moderately competitive niches and DA 70+ in highly competitive verticals like finance or health. In local or niche B2B markets, DA 40–50 often represents strong positioning against direct competitors.