BUY WEBSITES
BUY DOMAINS
LOGIN
SIGNUP
What is a good Domain Authority score: Tier brackets, niche benchmarks, and how to read DA at the marketplace
A good Domain Authority score is the value that beats the niche-relative top-3 SERP competitors on the queries the buyer targets.
Absolute tier benchmarks (DA 30 is developing, DA 50 is solid, DA 70 is strong) describe general link-graph strength on the Moz machine-learning model. Acquisition decisions depend on the competitive baseline of the buyer’s intended niche.
The SEO Domains analytical position sets two targets. Target DA matches the niche’s median top-10 SERP competitor for organic acquisition campaigns. It exceeds the niche median by 10-20 points for aged-domain acquisition where the buyer pays for inherited authority.
SEO Domains operates the curated marketplace with a 220,000+ pre-screened catalogue from $100 entry-level domains through $1.5 million premium acquisitions. Every listing surfaces the Domain Authority value alongside Domain Rating, Trust Flow, Citation Flow, and the catalogue’s 7-vector inheritance screen. Buyers compare candidates against niche-relative DA benchmarks before acquisition.
What is a good Domain Authority score: tier-by-tier interpretation
A good Domain Authority score is the value that beats or matches the niche-relative top-3 SERP competitors on the queries the buyer targets. Absolute tier benchmarks describe general link-graph strength on the Moz machine-learning model.
The competitive baseline of the intended niche determines what counts as good for an acquisition decision. The 5 tier brackets below describe what each Domain Authority range reflects in link-profile depth and outreach investment.
| DA tier | Profile interpretation | Effort to reach | Linking root domains |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-10 | Minimal backlink profile (new site, no outreach) | Default state for an unlinked domain | 0-30 linking root domains |
| 10-30 | Early-stage outreach success | 3-6 months of consistent outreach | 30-300 linking root domains |
| 30-50 | Established link-building presence | 12-24 months of structured campaigns | 300-1,500 linking root domains |
| 50-70 | Well-established authority site | 24-48 months of editorial outreach plus digital PR | 1,500-10,000 linking root domains |
| 70-100 | Top-tier media, enterprise, institutional | Years of brand-building plus newsworthy content drive | 10,000+ linking root domains |
Absolute DA tiers describe link-profile depth without competitive context.
The DA 50-70 bracket describes a site with 1,500-10,000 linking root domains and 24-48 months of editorial outreach investment. That description is accurate as a profile snapshot.
The description does not answer the buyer’s actual question: will this DA rank against the competitors faced in the target niche. The competitive benchmark is the layer the absolute tier cannot reach.
Domain Authority 0 to 30: new-site and early-outreach baseline
Domain Authority 0-30 describes a new or early-stage site that has built an initial linking-root-domain base through entry-level outreach. The bracket spans three growth stages:
- Brand-new sites at DA 0-10.
- Sites with 3 months of consistent outreach at DA 10-20.
- Sites approaching the 6-month outreach milestone at DA 20-30.
A DA in this range is competitive only in genuinely low-competition niches. Top-10 SERP competitors there also sit in the 10-30 bracket.
DA 0-10 reflects the default state for an unlinked or barely-linked domain.
Brand-new sites and sites with fewer than 30 linking root domains sit in the 0-10 bracket.
Aged-domain buyers reading DA 0-10 investigate whether the domain has a historical link profile that has decayed, or whether the domain has never built links. The Wayback Machine plus historical Mozscape index data surface this distinction.
DA 10-30 reflects early outreach success and a 50-300 linking-root-domain base.
The 10-30 bracket is the outreach milestone every new site targets in the first 3-6 months. Brian Dean at Backlinko has documented this trajectory across SaaS, affiliate, and content-site case studies through 2018-2024.
Domain Authority in this range is competitive for long-tail content queries in low-competition niches and inadequate for any commercial-intent query in competitive verticals.
Domain Authority 30 to 50: established link-building presence
Domain Authority 30-50 describes a site with established link-building presence and a 300-1,500 linking-root-domain base accumulated through 12-24 months of structured campaigns. The bracket is the entry point for serious commercial-intent ranking in mid-competition niches.
The 30-50 range remains insufficient for highly competitive verticals like finance, insurance, and law. The transition from DA 30 to DA 50 requires roughly 4x more linking-root-domain volume than the prior tier transition, due to logarithmic scaling on the Moz model.
DA 30-50 corresponds to 300-1,500 unique linking root domains across 12-24 months.
The linking-root-domain count range reflects practitioners running 4-8 outreach campaigns per quarter over 1-2 years, with editorial conversion rates of 5-10 percent. Authority Hacker has documented this campaign structure as the standard playbook. It moves affiliate and SaaS sites from new-site DA 10 to established-presence DA 50.
The DA 30-50 bracket is competitive for mid-competition commercial-intent queries.
Mid-competition niches carry a top-10 SERP DA that ranges from DA 35 to DA 55. The bracket covers three site types:
- B2B SaaS sub-verticals.
- Niche e-commerce categories.
- Specialised affiliate verticals.
A DA 45 site ranks competitively in these niches with strong on-page optimisation and topical authority. Highly competitive verticals where top-10 SERP DA averages 60+ require higher-tier acquisition.
Domain Authority 50 to 70: well-established authority sites
Domain Authority 50-70 describes well-established authority sites with 1,500-10,000 linking root domains accumulated through 24-48 months of editorial outreach plus digital PR. The bracket covers the practitioner sweet spot for competitive commercial-intent ranking across 70 percent of SEO verticals.
Aged-domain acquisition in the DA 50-70 range is the highest-leverage acquisition path for SEO teams. It skips the 24-48 month organic build timeline.
DA 50-70 sites accumulate linking root domains through a 4-tactic outreach mix.
The tactic mix at this tier combines four workstreams:
- Journalist outreach.
- Resource-page inclusion.
- Broken-link replacement.
- Podcast appearances.
The Authority Builders playbook by Matt Diggity documents the campaign structure that produces DA 50-70 outcomes across affiliate and niche-site portfolios. Sites at this tier run 6-12 active outreach workstreams in parallel.
The DA 50-70 bracket is competitive for highly competitive commercial-intent queries.
The highly competitive verticals at this tier span six industries:
- Finance.
- Insurance.
- Legal.
- Health.
- Technology.
- B2B enterprise SaaS.
The top-10 SERP DA in these verticals averages 60-80, so DA 50-70 sites compete at the lower end of the SERP. Aged-domain acquisition in this tier is how SEO teams enter these verticals without the 24-48 month organic build cost.
Domain Authority 70 to 100: top-tier media and institutional domains
Domain Authority 70-100 describes top-tier media publications, enterprise brands, and institutional domains with 10,000+ linking root domains accumulated through years of brand-building plus newsworthy content drive. The bracket covers domains where editorial relationships and brand recognition compound link acquisition beyond what outreach alone produces.
Aged-domain acquisition at this tier is the premium-tier path for SEO buyers entering top-competitive verticals.
DA 70-100 sites accumulate linking root domains through digital PR and brand drive.
The tactic mix at this tier emphasises four high-leverage channels:
- Newsworthy data drops.
- Expert-commentary syndication.
- Brand-mention reclamation.
- Editorial relationships with top-tier publications.
Glen Allsopp at Detailed has documented this tier in enterprise SEO programme audits across finance, technology, and media verticals. Pure-outreach campaigns rarely reach DA 80+ without parallel brand investment.
The DA 70-100 bracket dominates SERP positions on top-competitive commercial-intent queries.
Top-competitive queries carry a top-10 SERP DA that averages 75-90. The high-CPC commercial keywords at this tier include:
- "best credit card".
- "personal injury lawyer".
- "life insurance quotes".
A DA 75 site competes mid-SERP in these niches. A DA 88 site competes at the top. Premium-tier aged-domain acquisition is the operational path SEO teams use to enter these verticals at scale.
Niche-relative Domain Authority benchmarks across 6 industry verticals
Niche-relative Domain Authority benchmarks reflect the median Domain Authority of the top-10 SERP competitors on the buyer’s target queries. The 6 industry verticals below show typical top-10 SERP DA ranges based on documented competitive audits.
The benchmarks are starting points for acquisition decisions. Specific queries within each vertical produce their own competitive baseline. Buyers verify that baseline before committing acquisition budget.
| Industry vertical | Top-10 SERP DA range | Median competitor DA | Aged-domain target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 70-90 | ~80 | DA 75+ for competitive entry |
| Health and YMYL niches | 65-85 | ~75 | DA 70+ for competitive entry |
| Legal and law firms | 60-80 | ~70 | DA 65+ for competitive entry |
| Technology and SaaS | 50-75 | ~60 | DA 55+ for competitive entry |
| Affiliate and review sites | 35-60 | ~45 | DA 45+ for competitive entry |
| Niche content sites | 25-50 | ~35 | DA 35+ for competitive entry |
Finance and insurance verticals require the highest Domain Authority thresholds.
The finance and insurance verticals concentrate top-tier publications, established review sites, and enterprise brands at DA 70-90. Charles Floate has documented the competitive landscape in these verticals across PBN A/B testing through 2018-2024.
Aged-domain acquisition at DA 75+ is the operational path for SEO teams entering finance affiliate or insurance comparison. It skips the 48-month organic build cost.
Niche content sites accept Domain Authority 25-50 as the competitive range.
Niche content verticals carry a top-10 SERP DA that averages DA 35. The category covers three site types:
- Hobby sites.
- Regional content.
- Specialised information sites.
A DA 40 site competes mid-SERP. A DA 50 site competes at the top. Aged-domain acquisition at DA 35+ is the entry threshold, and sites below that range struggle to compete even on long-tail queries.
SERP competitor comparison: the Domain Authority benchmark that predicts ranking
SERP competitor comparison is the Domain Authority benchmark that predicts ranking outcome on the buyer’s target queries. The three benchmark layers measure different things:
- Absolute tier benchmarks describe link-profile depth.
- Niche-vertical benchmarks describe industry averages.
- SERP competitor comparison describes the actual competitive baseline.
Practitioners running query-specific competitor audits produce acquisition decisions that translate into ranking outcomes.
The 3-step SERP competitor read produces a query-specific Domain Authority target.
Step 1 identifies 3-5 priority queries the buyer wants to rank for after acquisition. Step 2 pulls the top-10 organic results for each query and records each competitor’s Domain Authority via Moz Link Explorer.
Step 3 calculates the median DA across the top-10 set and adds 5-10 points to define the acquisition target. The process takes 30-60 minutes per acquisition decision. It replaces guesswork with a measurable competitive baseline.
Aleyda Solis has documented the SERP-relative read across enterprise SEO consulting engagements.
The SERP-relative read is the methodology Aleyda Solis applies across enterprise SEO consulting engagements through 2020-2024.
The same methodology underpins the multi-metric screening framework the SEO Domains catalogue applies at inventory ingestion: every listing in the catalogue is read against niche-relative SERP baselines before reaching buyers.
Cyrus Shepard at Zyppy has documented the same approach in correlation-study analysis through 2022-2024.
5 frequently asked questions about a good Domain Authority score
The 5 top questions practitioners and aged-domain buyers ask about a good Domain Authority score. Answers reflect the SEO Domains analytical position alongside documented industry-leader interpretation.
Q1Is DA 50 a good Domain Authority score?
DA 50 describes a well-established link profile with 1,500-3,000 linking root domains.
The score is good for mid-competition niches (top-10 SERP DA averaging 45-60) and inadequate for high-competition verticals like finance or insurance (top-10 SERP DA averaging 70-85).
The niche-relative SERP comparison produces the actual competitive read.
Q2Is DA 70 a good Domain Authority score?
DA 70 describes a strong established authority site with 5,000-10,000 linking root domains.
The score is competitive across 70 percent of SEO verticals, including legal, technology, and health affiliate.
The score is mid-SERP in top-competitive verticals like personal injury legal or credit card affiliate, where top-10 SERP DA averages 75-88.
Q3What is a good Domain Authority score for an affiliate site?
A good Domain Authority for an affiliate site depends on the affiliate vertical:
- General affiliate review sites compete at DA 35-60.
- Finance affiliate competes at DA 70-90.
- Health affiliate competes at DA 65-85.
The query-specific SERP-relative read produces the actual target.
Q4What is a good Domain Authority score for a new site?
A new site targets DA 30 in the first 6-12 months through structured outreach campaigns. The DA 30 milestone reflects 300-500 linking root domains and is the entry threshold for serious commercial-intent ranking.
Sites targeting competitive verticals from a new-site start face 24-48 months of organic build. Aged-domain acquisition compresses that timeline to a 14-day registrar transfer.
Q5What Domain Authority score is the right target when buying an aged domain?
The aged-domain DA target exceeds the niche-median top-10 SERP competitor DA by 10-20 points. The premium covers the inherited authority the buyer pays for and provides competitive headroom for post-acquisition content production.
The SEO Domains catalogue surfaces niche-relative DA comparisons at the listing level so buyers compare candidates against the competitive baseline they will face after acquisition.
Aged-domain Domain Authority targets: how to read DA at the SEO Domains marketplace
Aged-domain Domain Authority targets exceed niche-median top-10 SERP competitor Domain Authority by 10-20 points. The premium covers the inherited authority value the buyer pays for and provides competitive headroom for post-acquisition content production.
The SEO Domains catalogue applies niche-relative DA comparison at inventory ingestion and surfaces the comparison at the listing level for buyer review.
| Buyer intent | Target DA rule | Catalogue screening |
|---|---|---|
| Niche affiliate entry | DA 45+, exceeds niche median by 10 points | Multi-metric screen plus topical relevance check |
| SaaS or B2B authority | DA 55+, exceeds niche median by 15 points | Spam Score audit plus Trust Flow validation |
| High-competition affiliate (finance, insurance) | DA 70+, exceeds niche median by 10-15 points | Premium-tier screening plus Managed Account support |
| Top-tier media or institutional | DA 75+, exceeds niche median by 5-10 points | Premium-tier inventory plus editorial history verification |
The catalogue surfaces niche-relative DA comparison at the listing level.
SEO Domains catalogue listings show the Domain Authority value alongside the niche-relative competitive baseline. Buyers compare the listing DA against the niche median top-10 SERP competitor DA before acquisition.
The comparison is the operational shortcut to the SERP-relative read that practitioners would otherwise run manually for each candidate. Constantin Oesterling has documented the same screening discipline across guest-posting authority audits through 2021-2024.
ICANN-accredited transfer preserves Domain Authority attribution through ownership change.
SEO Domains operates with ICANN-accredited registrar transfer protocols. The Moz Mozscape index records link profiles by hostname and propagates the inherited Domain Authority to the new owner without re-validation.
Buyers acquire the established Domain Authority along with the link profile that produced it, validated by the catalogue’s 7-vector inheritance screen at inventory ingestion.
