You put a lot of effort into creating great content, but does your website have the authority to back it up? When users see a site with a low Domain Rating (DR), they’re less likely to trust it—especially when there are high-DR websites offering similar content. Search engines work the same way. They prioritize websites with strong backlink profiles, making it harder for lower-rated sites to compete.

A high DR doesn’t just help with rankings—it builds trust, credibility, and industry authority. If your DR is low, even the best content can go unnoticed. But the good news? You can increase your DR by focusing on quality backlinks, better internal linking, and strong SEO practices.

In this guide, we’ll break down the proven strategies that will help you boost your DR, strengthen your website’s authority, and improve your SEO performance. Let’s get started! 

What Is Domain Rating (DR)?

Domain Rating (DR) is a metric developed by Ahrefs to measure the strength of a website’s backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100. A higher DR means a website has more high-quality backlinks, making it more authoritative in the eyes of search engines.

It does not directly affect Google rankings, but it helps assess a website’s link-building strength compared to competitors.

Is Domain Rating a Ranking Factor?

No, Domain Rating (DR) is not a Google ranking factor. Ahrefs metric that indicates the health of a website’s backlink profile, DR is not utilized by Google in its algorithm, but the higher DR will generally equate to a healthier backlink profile, which can have a positive impact on rankings.

Search engines prefer good quality, relevant backlinks and higher DR pages and are more authoritative and trustworthy. Thus, while DR itself does not impact rankings, what drives DR to be higher—like good quality backlinks—does impact SEO success.

Interestingly, multiple studies suggest a strong connection between Domain Rating and search rankings. A study analyzing 218,713 domains found that websites with higher DR tend to rank for more keywords. Another analysis of 11.8 million Google search results confirmed that sites with a high DR score are more likely to appear on Google’s first page.

This doesn’t mean DR directly affects rankings, but it does highlight how a strong backlink profile—reflected in a high DR—can improve a site’s ability to rank and attract organic traffic.

How Ahrefs Calculates Domain Rating

Ahrefs, the creator of Domain Rating (DR), runs one of the most advanced backlink databases on the web. Its web crawler is second only to Google, actively scanning billions of web pages to evaluate website authority. With this massive dataset, Ahrefs maintains one of the most accurate and dynamic link analysis systems in the SEO industry.

Here’s how the calculation works:

1. Counts Unique Referring Domains – The number of websites linking to yours matters more than total backlinks.
2. Evaluate Link Strength – Links from high-DR websites pass more authority than links from weaker domains.
3. Considers DoFollow Links – Only DoFollow backlinks influence DR, while NoFollow links are ignored.
4. Distributes Link Authority – The more outbound links a site has, the less DR it passes to each linked website.
5. Uses a Logarithmic Scale – Climbing from DR 10 to 20 is easier than DR 70 to 80—higher scores require stronger links.

💡 Important: DR is relative, meaning your score depends on how other websites gain or lose backlinks. Even though your links won’t change, your DR will change according to Ahrefs’ constantly updated database.

Ahrefs calculating DR allows you to focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative, related sites—the key to improving your Domain Rating and strengthening your SEO. 

How to Increase Domain Rating: Proven Strategies

Improving Domain Rating (DR) requires quality over quantity—it’s not just about getting more backlinks but about securing the right backlinks. Below are proven strategies to boost your DR effectively.

1. Get High-Quality Backlinks from Authority Sites

Building backlinks from reputable sources is one of the most effective ways to improve your Domain Rating. High-DR websites pass more authority, making them crucial for strengthening your backlink profile. Below are proven methods to acquire quality backlinks:

A. Guest Posting on High-DR Websites

Guest blogging on quality blogs that are in your niche allows you to acquire quality backlinks alongside building industry credibility. Focus on developing quality, well-researched content naturally with links to your site.

B. Broken Link Building

Websites frequently have broken links pointing to outdated or removed pages. Find these broken links on high-DR sites and offer your relevant content as a replacement. This helps website owners fix their content while earning you a quality backlink.

C. Unlinked Brand Mentions

Many sites mention brands without linking to their official website. Using backlink monitoring tools, track unlinked mentions of your brand and request website owners to add a backlink, turning existing mentions into valuable links.

D. Competitor Backlink Analysis

Checking your competition’s backlink profiles with the likes of Ahrefs Site Explorer can indicate where they’re getting their backlinks. You can replicate their tactics, finding outreach opportunities and targeting similar high-authority sources.

2. Focus on Link Relevancy & Diversity

Building backlinks isn’t just about acquiring links from high-DR websites. The relevance of those links and the diversity of your backlink profile plays a crucial role in increasing Domain Rating and maintaining a natural link profile.

Why Niche-Relevant Backlinks Matter More Than Just DR

A high-DR backlink is a good thing, but if it is not within your niche, it is not as valuable. Google would like to see websites linking to you that are within your niche because they are trust and authority signals within a particular subject matter. Instead of chasing DR alone, focus on earning backlinks from sites that align with your content and audience.

How to Maintain a Balanced Backlink Profile

A healthy backlink profile is not about quantity; it’s about diversity with a mix of different types of links that look natural to search engines. The secret to keeping a balance is as follows:

• Mixing DoFollow & NoFollow Links: Search engines expect a natural ratio of DoFollow and NoFollow links. DoFollow links pass link equity and boost rankings, while NoFollow links add diversity and credibility. A completely DoFollow backlink profile can appear unnatural and may raise red flags with search engines.
• Editorial Links vs. Directory Links: Editorial backlinks—links naturally placed within high-quality content—carry more value than directory links, which are often lower in authority. While directories can be useful for local SEO, they shouldn’t be the foundation of your backlink strategy.
• Contextual Backlinks vs. Footer/Sidebar Links: Links embedded within relevant content (contextual backlinks) hold far more SEO weight than those placed in website footers or sidebars. Contextual links appear naturally within the content flow, making them more trustworthy and valuable.

A contextual and well-balanced backlink profile guarantees consistent domain authority development without causing spam signals. With an eye on diversity and relevancy, you establish a link-building approach that lasts.

3 Improve Internal Linking Strategy

Internal links help distribute Domain Ratings across your website, ensuring that authority flows beyond just a few pages. While external backlinks build authority, internal links strengthen site structure and improve SEO.

When high-authority pages link to other pages, they pass SEO value (“link juice“), signaling search engines about their importance. This helps rank less-linked but valuable pages, making internal linking a key strategy for balanced authority distribution.

Best Practices for Internal Linking

Here are some key ways to structure internal links effectively:

• Boost Lower-DR Pages – Identify pages with the highest DR and use them to boost the authority of lower-ranked pages. This helps search engines recognize them as valuable and improves their rankings.
• Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text- Instead of generic terms like “click here,” use relevant keywords that clearly indicate what the linked page is about. This improves SEO and enhances user navigation.
• Fix Orphan Pages- Pages without internal links are harder for search engines to find and index. Ensure every important page is linked from at least one other relevant page.
• Create Topic Clusters & Pillar Pages- Group related content into clusters by linking supporting pages to a central “pillar” page. This strengthens topical authority and improves site navigation.

A strong internal linking strategy ensures that all your important pages receive authority, improving rankings and user experience.

4. Remove Toxic & Spammy Backlinks

Toxic backlinks damage your Domain Rating and SEO by causing search engines to mark your site as being related to spam or spammy websites. If left unchecked, these links damage your rankings and, in severe cases, can even initiate a penalty. By conducting regular backlink audits, it is possible to have a clean, authoritative link profile.

Steps to Clean Up Bad Backlinks

Here’s how to find and remove harmful backlinks effectively:

1️. Identify Toxic Links – Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Search Console to detect harmful backlinks. Look for links from spammy, irrelevant, or low-quality websites.

2️. Manually Request Link Removal – Reach out to website owners and request them to remove spammy or unwanted backlinks. This is the preferred method before using the disavow tool.

3️. Use Google’s Disavow Tool (Only When Necessary) – If you can’t get harmful links removed manually, upload a Disavow file to Google Search Console to prevent them from impacting your SEO.

4️. Monitor Your Backlink Profile Regularly – Conduct routine backlink audits to identify and eliminate new toxic links before they cause any damage.

A clean backlink profile ensures that only high-quality links contribute to your Domain Rating and SEO growth.

5. Create Link-Worthy, High-Value Content

Disavowing irrelevant backlinks is only half part of boosting Domain Rating—the other is building quality links naturally. The simplest method is through the creation of content in which other people will desire to link. As soon as your content provides value, other websites will naturally link back to you, growing your authority and DR in time.

Content That Naturally Attracts Backlinks

Here are the types of content that get the most organic backlinks:

1. Industry Reports & Data-Driven Research – Original studies, surveys, and case studies provide unique insights that other websites love to reference.
2. Infographics & Interactive Content – Visually appealing content makes complex data easier to digest and is highly shareable.
3. In-Depth Guides & How-To Articles – Comprehensive, well-researched guides become go-to resources for readers and earn natural backlinks.
4. Trending Topics & Expert Roundups – Covering hot topics and featuring expert insights increases shareability and citation potential.
5. Content Promotion for Organic Link Acquisition – Even the best content needs exposure. Share your content through social media, email outreach, and community engagement to attract backlinks.

By focusing on high-value content, you create a strong foundation for organic, authority-boosting backlinks—helping increase your Domain Rating sustainably.

6 Optimize Your Website’s Technical SEO

Creating high-value content attracts backlinks, but without strong technical SEO, search engines may struggle to index and rank your pages. A well-optimized website ensures that backlinks contribute effectively to your Domain Rating.

1. Improve Site Speed & Core Web Vitals

A slow website drives away visitors and search engines. Page speed optimization improves user experience and makes your site link-worthy. Utilize Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to identify performance problems and optimize load times.

2. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness & Responsive Design

With most users browsing on mobile, a mobile-friendly website is crucial. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, meaning a poorly optimized mobile site can hurt your rankings. Ensure your site adapts well to different screen sizes and devices.

3. Fix Crawl Errors & Redirect Chains

Search engines prioritize well-structured websites. Fixing broken links, redirect chains, and crawl errors improves indexing and ensures link equity is properly distributed. Use Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs to detect and resolve these issues.

4. Use Structured Data & Schema Markup

Implementing schema markup helps search engines understand your content better, improving visibility in search results and increasing the chances of earning backlinks. Adding rich snippets can enhance click-through rates (CTR) and attract more organic traffic.

5. Improve Website Security (HTTPS)

Websites with HTTPS are considered more trustworthy by both users and search engines. A secure site increases credibility and helps retain valuable backlinks. Google also favors secure websites in rankings, making SSL certificates essential.

By optimizing these technical SEO factors, you make your website more accessible, improving the impact of backlinks and strengthening your Domain Rating.

How Many Links Do You Need to Increase Domain Rating?

There’s no fixed number of backlinks required to increase your Domain Rating (DR). The impact depends on link quality, relevance, and diversity rather than just quantity. A few high-authority backlinks can boost DR more than hundreds of low-quality links.

Factors That Influence How Many Links You Need

The number of links required depends on multiple factors, not just quantity—quality and relevance matter the most.

1. The Authority of Backlinks – A single backlink from a high-DR site (e.g., DR 80+) can have a greater impact than dozens from low-DR websites.
2. Link Relevance – Links from niche-relevant sites carry more weight than random, unrelated backlinks.
3. Diversity of Backlink Sources – A mix of different types of links (editorial, guest posts, citations) creates a natural and strong backlink profile.
4. Your Current DR Score – Moving from DR 10 to 20 is easier than jumping from DR 50 to 60. The higher your DR, the more powerful links are needed to push it further.
5. Competitor Benchmarking – Analyzing competitors’ DR and backlink profiles can help estimate how many quality links you need to stay competitive.

So, How Many Backlinks Are Enough?

The number of backlinks needed to increase your Domain Rating depends on your current DR score. Here’s a general guideline:

• If your DR is 10–30: A few high-quality backlinks from DR 50+ sites can significantly boost your score.
• If your DR is 30–50: You need a consistent flow of authority backlinks to see steady growth. Links from DR 60+ sites will have the most impact.
• If your DR is 50+: Growth becomes more challenging, requiring editorial backlinks from high-DR (70+) and niche-relevant sites to see further improvement.

Instead of chasing numbers, focus on acquiring quality backlinks from trusted, relevant websites to see sustainable DR growth.

How Long Does It Take to Improve Domain Rating?

Domain Rating (DR) doesn’t increase overnight—it takes time for search engines to recognize and evaluate new backlinks. Since DR is calculated based on the strength and quality of your backlinks, gradual and consistent link-building is necessary for steady improvement.

Realistic Expectations for Link-Building Progress

• Short-Term (1–3 Months) – Initial changes might be small as backlinks get indexed and assessed.
• Mid-Term (3–6 Months) – Steady link acquisition can lead to noticeable DR growth.
• Long-Term (6+ Months) – Significant DR improvements happen with consistent, high-quality link-building efforts.

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Conclusion

Increasing Domain Rating (DR) requires a strategic approach—earning high-quality backlinks, optimizing internal links, and refining technical SEO. Simply chasing high DR links isn’t enough; relevance, authority, and a natural link profile matter more.

Avoid spammy backlinks and focus on consistent, organic link-building for long-term success. While improving DR takes time, a well-planned strategy ensures stronger authority and better search rankings in the long run. 

FAQs on How to Increase Domain Rating