Domain Authority Checker: 8 Free Tools For Website Scoring
Aug 13, 2025
If you want better search rankings, an AI-powered domain authority checker helps you see how strong your site is. The higher your DA score, the stronger your chances of ranking well in search results.
But increasing your Domain Authority isn't easy. It takes 6-12 months of consistent optimization to boost your DA by just 10 points, because search engines use domain authority as a key factor when ranking websites. A recent Semrush study found website authority to be one of the top 6 factors that correlate with rankings.
Luckily, you don't need to spend money to check your website's authority. Several free domain authority checker tools can evaluate your site's strength, compare it to competitors, and identify opportunities for improvement. This blog covers the top 8 domain authority checker tools and how to use them easily.
What Is Domain Authority and Why Does It Matter
Domain Authority represents trustworthiness and the strength of your website in the industry. Created by Moz, this metric helps predict how likely your website is to appear in search engine results pages compared to competitors. The score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater ranking potential.
How domain authority is calculated
Moz calculates Domain Authority using a complex machine learning algorithm that evaluates multiple factors. The calculation focuses on your website's backlink profile, considering both quantity and quality of links. Here's what matters most for your DA score:
Link Profile: Both internal and external links to your web pages
Root Domains: The number of unique websites linking to yours (100 links from one site counts as just 1 root domain)
Spam Score: Measures how potentially spammy your website appears
Why DA is not a Google ranking factor
Despite its popularity among SEO professionals, Domain Authority is not used by Google in its ranking algorithms. Google representatives have repeatedly confirmed they don't use any kind of "site authority" score in their ranking system.
Similarly, John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google, clearly stated: "We don't use domain authority at all in our algorithms". Gary Illyes from Google noted, "We don't have 'overall domain authority'".
However, DA remains valuable as a comparative tool. While not directly influencing your Google rankings, a strong Domain Authority often correlates with good SEO practices that Google does appreciate. A study by Ahrefs found a relationship between DA and SERP positioning, suggesting that DA effectively assesses how well a website might attract organic traffic from Google.
8 Free Domain Authority Checker Tools You Can Use Today
Checking your website's domain authority doesn't require expensive tools or subscriptions. Many reliable platforms offer free access to important metrics that help you understand your site's ranking potential. Each of these tools provides unique insights beyond basic authority scores.
1. Moz Domain Analysis Tool
As the creator of the Domain Authority metric, Moz provides the most accurate domain authority checker available. Their free Domain Analysis tool delivers three comprehensive reports daily without requiring registration. The tool measures your website on a scale from 1-100, with higher scores indicating better ranking potential. What you get with Moz's free tool:
Basic DA and PA scores for your domain
Keyword rankings data
Spam score analysis
List of top linking domains
2. Ahrefs Website Authority Checker
Ahrefs measures website strength using their proprietary Domain Rating (DR) metric. This score evaluates your site's backlink profile on a scale from 0-100. Unlike some alternatives, Ahrefs calculates DR by examining three key factors: the number of unique domains linking to your website, the authority of those linking domains, and how many unique domains each linking site connects to.
Their free tool provides a quick snapshot of your website's authority alongside basic backlink metrics. For deeper analysis, Ahrefs Rank (AR) helps determine relative strength between sites with identical DR scores.
3. Semrush Authority Score Tool
Semrush's Authority Score evaluates your website's overall quality and SEO strength on a scale from 0-100. This compound metric considers three primary components: backlink signals (quality and quantity), organic traffic estimates, and spam factors that might indicate link manipulation.
Using their free Website Authority Checker, you can monitor score changes over time to see whether your SEO efforts are working. Semrush updates Authority Scores for all domains biweekly, ensuring your metrics stay current.
4. Majestic Trust Flow and Citation Flow
Majestic offers a unique approach with two complementary metrics: Trust Flow and Citation Flow. Trust Flow measures link quality on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores reflecting more trustworthy backlinks. Meanwhile, Citation Flow focuses on link quantity.
Together, these metrics identify sites with genuine high-quality links versus those using questionable linking tactics.
5. SmallSEOTools DA Checker
SmallSEOTools provides a popular free domain authority checker, allowing you to check multiple URLs simultaneously. Their tool uses the Moz Premium API to deliver accurate domain authority results quickly.
Beyond basic DA/PA scores, this checker displays referring domains, unique referring domains, inbound links, outbound links, and regional information. You can check up to 5 sites at once with their free version, making competitor analysis straightforward.
6. SEO Review Tools
This authority checker quickly assesses a website's ranking potential. Besides standard domain and page authority scores, it provides estimates of backlinks, website age, and social media performance.
A standout feature is its calculation of website age rather than domain age: a more relevant SEO factor. The tool also connects to additional features like backlink analysis to help identify competitor link opportunities.
7. Website SEO Checker
Website SEO Checker offers analysis of your domain's authority along with multiple technical SEO factors. The tool provides reports on your website's health and potential ranking issues. Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible for beginners while delivering professional-level insights for experienced SEO practitioners.
8. Duplichecker DA Checker
Duplichecker's domain authority checker combines speed with reliability, delivering results within seconds of submitting your URL. This platform calculates DA scores by evaluating multiple factors, including backlinks, content quality, site speed, and user experience.
The web-based tool works across all devices and operating systems, making it convenient for checking scores on mobile. Beyond authority metrics, Duplichecker also considers social signals and website design when evaluating overall domain strength.
How to Use a Domain Authority Checker Effectively
Knowing your Domain Authority score is just the beginning. Getting real value from a domain authority checker means turning those numbers into insights that improve your SEO strategy and help you outrank competitors.
Compare your site with competitors
Understanding where you stand in your industry's digital landscape starts with smart competitor analysis. Here's how to do it right:
1. Identify 5-10 key competitors, including 2-3 direct business competitors and 3-5 search competitors
2. Use the same domain authority checker tool for all sites to ensure consistent measurement
3. Calculate your "DA deficit" to understand the gap between your site and industry leaders
4. Examine competitors' backlink strategies to discover potential link sources
Check domain authority free in bulk
Bulk checking saves time and provides comprehensive competitive insights:
Utilize specialized tools that process 10-50 domains simultaneously
Group domains by industry sector before analysis for more meaningful comparisons
Export results to CSV for tracking changes over time
Compare multiple URLs from different domains to identify industry benchmarks
Evaluate backlink quality and spam score
A domain authority checker identifies potential issues with your backlink profile. Any spam score above 5% may indicate problems with your site's backlink profile. Moz's Spam Score represents the percentage of sites with similar features that have been penalized by Google. Focus on these critical factors when evaluating backlinks:
Domain influence of referring domains (higher is generally better)
Relevance of linking sites to your industry or niche
Link location within content (body content links provide more value)
Track changes in DA over time
Consistent monitoring reveals whether your SEO efforts are yielding results. Implement a monthly monitoring schedule, as DA metrics typically update every 30-45 days. This allows you to analyze the impact of specific actions like gaining high-quality backlinks or content updates.
Consider your domain authority improvement a long-term process; expect a 3-6 month timeline for noticeable improvements, with significant gains often taking 6-12 months.
What to Do After Checking Your DA Score
Getting your domain authority score is just the beginning. What you do with that information determines whether you'll see real SEO improvements or just have another number to look at.
Your score itself is merely a starting point: the strategic actions you take next make all the difference.
Identify weak pages with low PA
Page Authority (PA) reveals individual page strength, making it equally important as your overall domain score. Here's how to improve your website effectively:
1. Examine pages with PA scores below 20, as these are considered weak and need optimization
2. Review pages with high bounce rates and minimal dwell time, as these metrics signal content that fails to meet user expectations
3. Prioritize updates to high-traffic pages with moderate PA scores, as these present the best opportunity for quick improvements
Remember that high-quality backlinks significantly boost Page Authority. Improving your link profile remains the most effective strategy for enhancing a page's authority.
Spot backlink gaps and opportunities
Link gap analysis helps you find high-value backlink opportunities your competitors have, but you’re missing. Use specialized tools like Moz's Link Intersect to identify domains linking to competitors but not to you. Focus primarily on domains that consistently link to multiple rivals, as these represent high-priority targets for outreach.
Calculate your "DA deficit" by determining how far your score trails behind competitors. Then, examine their backlink profiles to understand both quality and quantity differences in your link strategies.
Use insights to guide content strategy
Your domain authority data provides valuable direction for content development:
Conduct thorough gap analysis to identify missing topics and keywords in your content
Search for content opportunities where competitors rank with weak material that doesn't match user intent; this presents an ideal opportunity to create superior content
Look at your competitor's best-performing pages to understand what resonates with your audience
Conclusion
Domain Authority is a valuable metric for understanding your website's potential to rank well in search results. While Google doesn't directly use DA in its algorithms, this score effectively correlates with SEO success and provides crucial competitive insights. Regular monitoring allows you to track progress as you implement optimization strategies.
Your journey toward higher domain authority starts with using the right domain authority checker. The key is choosing tools that fit your specific needs and using them consistently. Remember that improving your domain authority takes time and persistent effort. Scores typically require 6-12 months of active optimization to increase significantly. Patience and consistency are essential qualities in your SEO strategy.
Hence, focus on creating high-quality, linkable content while building relationships with trusted websites in your industry. The most effective approach involves comparing your scores against direct competitors rather than obsessing over absolute numbers. This comparative analysis reveals specific gaps and opportunities unique to your niche. You can then develop targeted strategies to strengthen weak areas of your website.