Glossaire · SEO

Domain Rating (DR)

Domain Rating (DR) is a metric created by Ahrefs that measures the strength of a domain's backlink profile on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. The higher the DR, the more quality backlinks a domain receives from sites that are themselves authoritative. The calculation relies on the number of unique referring domains and on their own authority level, passed along using logic close to PageRank. Domain Rating is a third-party metric, not used by Google: it serves as a comparative indicator to assess a site's strength, prioritise link-building targets or audit a backlink profile. Its progression is non-linear: moving from 20 to 30 is far easier than from 70 to 80. In 2026, DR remains one of the industry's reference metrics for quickly estimating the relative authority of a domain.

Domain Rating has become an audit reflex for every SEO: at a glance, it gives a sense of a domain's link strength. But using it well means understanding what it actually measures, and what it does not.

How DR is calculated

Ahrefs assesses DR by analysing the web's link graph. The metric factors in the number of unique referring domains pointing to a site, but above all the authority of those domains: a link from a DR 80 site weighs far more than a hundred links from DR 5 domains. This transfer of authority follows logic inherited from PageRank. Because the scale is logarithmic, each higher tier demands a growing effort.

Worth noting: DR measures only the backlink profile. It ignores content, topical relevance, user experience or Core Web Vitals. A domain can show a high DR yet rank poorly for lack of relevant content.

What Domain Rating is used for

In practice, DR serves three purposes: quickly assessing the relative strength of a domain, prioritising link-building targets by aiming for sites with a higher or comparable DR, and auditing a backlink profile over time to detect healthy growth or risk signals.

Key takeaway

DR is a comparative indicator, not an official Google score. Use it to position yourself against your direct competitors, never as a goal in itself.

Why you should not obsess over it

At LUWIZ, we treat DR as a compass, not a destination. Trying to inflate your DR through artificial links exposes you to penalties and distorts your analysis. A healthy backlink profile, earned through quality content and genuine editorial relationships, grows DR naturally while strengthening what truly matters: visibility on your target queries.

FAQ

Questions fréquentes

It depends entirely on your industry and competition. A DR of 30 to 50 is solid for an SMB, while major media outlets exceed 80. Always compare your DR to the sites ranking for your keywords rather than to an absolute value.

No. Google does not use DR, which is a third-party Ahrefs metric. It stays correlated with performance because it reflects backlink profile quality, but it is not an official ranking factor.

Pour aller plus loin