Domain Rating · 2026-07-15 · 6 min read
What Is Domain Rating? (And How to Check It Free)
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs’ metric for the relative strength of a website’s backlink profile. It uses a 100-point logarithmic scale: moving from DR 10 to 20 is very different from moving from DR 70 to 80.
Why people check DR
- Quick sense of competitive authority when comparing domains
- Rough qualification for link outreach or partnership lists
- Context alongside on-page and crawlability checks
DR is not a Google ranking factor published by Google. It is a third-party estimate of backlink strength.
Check DR free on SeoCheckup
Use the Domain Rating Checker. Paste a domain or full URL. We call Ahrefs’ public free endpoint (domain-rating-free) — no API key and no paid Ahrefs plan required.
Whenever DR is shown, we include the required attribution: Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
What a “good” DR looks like
There is no universal good score. A local business can rank well with a low DR. A competitive SaaS niche may need a much higher profile. Use DR comparatively, not as a vanity target.
Pair DR with a full audit
Authority without crawl access still fails. After you check DR, run a free site audit for robots, sitemap, meta tags, and security headers.
FAQ
Is this the same as Domain Authority?
No. Domain Authority is Moz’s metric. Domain Rating is Ahrefs’. They correlate loosely but are not interchangeable.
Can I get historical DR charts here?
Not in the free checker. We return the current public DR value only.
Do I need to attribute Ahrefs?
Yes. Ahrefs’ Domain Rating license requires visible attribution when you display DR. SeoCheckup always includes it.