Domain Rating Checker

Ahrefs calculates DR from the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to a domain, using a logarithmic scale rather than a linear one. That means the difference between DR 10 and DR 20 doesn't represent the same underlying change in backlink strength as the difference between DR 80 and DR 90, moving up at the higher end of the scale generally requires a much larger increase in backlink strength than moving up by the same number of points near the bottom.

Ahrefs doesn't publish the exact formula, and this page doesn't attempt to reverse-engineer or approximate it, the number shown here is exactly what Ahrefs' API returns.

No. Ahrefs states there's no evidence that Google, or any other search engine, uses Domain Rating, or any similar third-party authority score, as a ranking factor. DR is a tool for comparing backlink profiles across websites, not a proxy for how a site will actually perform in search results.

Google's own ranking systems weigh far more than backlinks alone, content relevance, search intent, technical SEO, page experience, and many other signals that a single third-party metric can't capture.

Domain Rating (DR) measures backlink strength at the whole-domain level, it's the same number regardless of which page on the site you're looking at. URL Rating (UR), also an Ahrefs metric, measures the same underlying idea but for one specific page. A domain can have a strong DR overall while a particular page on it has a much lower UR, if that page itself has few or no backlinks pointing directly to it. This tool checks domain-level DR only.

Enter a competitor's domain in the tool above the same way you would your own, this tool works for any public website. Checking a competitor's DR alongside your own can be a useful directional comparison, though remember DR alone doesn't explain why a competitor ranks well, or predict whether closing a DR gap would change your own rankings.

Backlinks are one part of a much bigger technical SEO picture, see our 2026 technical SEO checklist for what else affects how search engines evaluate your site. For a full look at your own site's health beyond backlinks, try Buzzing Bee, our free website & SEO audit, or talk to us about our SEO & organic growth services.