What Is Domain Rating (DR) and How to Use It

Domain Rating (DR) is a score from 0 to 100 that estimates how strong a website's backlink profile is compared with other sites. It's a third-party metric — created by the SEO tool Ahrefs, not by Google — and it's most useful as a quick way to compare sites. For makers choosing where to submit a product, DR is a helpful filter for prioritising, but it should never be the only one.

How is Domain Rating calculated?

The exact formula is proprietary, but the general idea is public and similar across SEO tools:

1. Count the unique websites linking to a domain (referring domains), not individual links.
2. Weight each linking site by its own strength. A link from a strong site counts more than one from a weak site.
3. Account for how many sites each linker points to. A site that links out to thousands of domains passes less to each.
4. Place the result on a logarithmic 0–100 scale relative to all sites in the tool's index.

Because the scale is logarithmic, each step up is harder than the last. Going from DR 10 to DR 20 might take a handful of decent links; going from DR 70 to DR 80 takes an enormous number of strong ones.

DR vs DA: what's the difference?

Metric	Made by	Based on	Scale
Domain Rating (DR)	Ahrefs	Ahrefs' link index	0–100, logarithmic
Domain Authority (DA)	Moz	Moz's link index and model	0–100, logarithmic
Authority Score	Semrush	Links plus traffic signals	0–100

They measure similar ideas with different data, so the same site can have noticeably different scores. Pick one metric and compare like with like — don't compare one site's DR to another's DA.

What is a good Domain Rating for a directory?

There's no universal threshold, but for deciding where to submit, a rough rule of thumb works:

DR range	What it usually means	How to treat it
70+	Major, well-known platform	Almost always worth it if relevant
40–69	Established site with real links	Worth it if free or quick
20–39	Smaller or newer site	Worth it if highly relevant to your niche
Under 20	New, tiny or low-quality	Only if the audience is a perfect fit

You can filter DirectoryHunter to sites with DR 40 and above for a quick high-authority shortlist.

How should you use DR to prioritise submissions?

Think of DR as a sorting tool, then apply judgement:

1. Start with relevance. A DR 35 directory dedicated to your exact niche can beat a DR 80 general site where you're one of thousands.
2. Check real traffic. Some sites have high DR from old links but little current audience. Traffic estimates and visible activity tell you if people actually visit.
3. Check the link type. A followed link from a strong site carries more SEO weight — see dofollow vs nofollow links.
4. Weigh cost and effort. Paying to list on a moderate-DR site with no audience rarely makes sense.
5. Batch by tier. Submit to your highest-value targets first, then work down the list. Our guide to submitting to 100 directories covers the workflow.

What are the limits of Domain Rating?

DR is useful, but easy to over-trust:

• It's not a Google metric. Search engines don't use DR. It's an approximation of link strength.
• It's domain-wide. A strong domain can host weak pages. Your listing page on a huge site might be buried and rarely crawled.
• It can be inflated. Link schemes and spammy networks can push DR up without real authority or audience.
• It says nothing about relevance. A high-DR site about something unrelated sends little useful traffic.
• It changes over time. Scores move as the tool's index updates, so treat any number as a snapshot.

Does increasing your own DR matter?

Your own DR is a side effect, not a goal. It rises as relevant, trustworthy sites link to you — which also tends to bring visitors and improve rankings. Chasing the number itself, through bought links or link exchanges, risks penalties and rarely helps the business.

Focus on being listed where your customers look, building things people want to link to, and collecting links naturally over time. The number will follow.

Putting it into practice

1. Browse directories and launch platforms in your category.
2. Sort by DR to find the strongest options.
3. Remove anything irrelevant or obviously spammy.
4. Prioritise free, relevant, followed links first — then expand.

Used this way, DR saves you hours of research without steering you toward sites that don't matter.