If you’ve been working on SEO for your website, you’ve probably come across terms like Domain Rating (DR), Domain Authority (DA), and Page Authority (PA). These are metrics used to evaluate how strong and trustworthy your website is in the eyes of search engines—especially when it comes to backlinks.
Among these, Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR) has become one of the most trusted indicators of a site’s backlink profile strength. The higher your DR, the more authoritative your website looks. And that usually means higher rankings, more traffic, and better results.
In this post, we’ll break down:
- What Domain Rating is and how it works
- The difference between DR, DA, and PA
- Why DR matters for SEO
- How to increase your Domain Rating the right way
- And how our company can increase your DR on demand
Table of Contents
- What Is Domain Rating (DR)?
- Domain Rating vs. Domain Authority vs. Page Authority
- Why Increasing Domain Rating Matters
- How to Increase Domain Rating (The Right Way)
- Our Company Can Boost Your DR—On Demand
- 🚀 Case Study #1: From DR 12 to DR 48 in 6 Weeks – SaaS Startup
- 📈 Case Study #2: DR 30 to DR 60 for Affiliate Site – Monetization Ready
- 🏆 Case Study #3: Agency Website – DR 18 to DR 42 in 4 Weeks
- Want Results Like These?
- Final Thoughts
What Is Domain Rating (DR)?
Domain Rating is a metric developed by Ahrefs, one of the most powerful SEO tools on the market. It scores websites on a scale from 0 to 100 based on the strength of their backlink profiles.
In simple terms, the more quality backlinks your site has—from domains that are themselves authoritative—the higher your DR.
DR is logarithmic. That means it’s easier to go from DR 10 to 20 than from 70 to 80. Each level up takes significantly more effort.
What Does DR Measure Exactly?
- Quantity and quality of backlinks to your domain
- Uniqueness of referring domains (getting 100 links from the same domain isn’t as valuable as 100 links from 100 different domains)
- Authority of linking sites (a link from Forbes helps more than a link from a random blog)
Important: DR is domain-wide, not page-specific. It looks at your whole domain, not individual pages.
Domain Rating vs. Domain Authority vs. Page Authority
Let’s clear up some confusion. DR, DA, and PA come from different SEO tools.
| Metric | Created By | Measures | Scale | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | Backlink profile strength | 0–100 | Entire domain |
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | Overall ranking potential | 0–100 | Entire domain |
| Page Authority (PA) | Moz | Ranking power of one page | 0–100 | Individual page |
Key Differences
- DR vs DA: Both are 0–100 scales, but they’re calculated differently. DR looks almost exclusively at backlinks. DA includes additional factors like MozRank, MozTrust, and other signals.
- DR vs PA: DR is for your whole site. PA focuses on one specific page, which is useful when optimizing landing pages or blog content.
There’s no “better” metric—they’re just different systems. But if you’re trying to get backlinks, sell links, or measure link-building success, DR is the industry standard.
Why Increasing Domain Rating Matters
High DR sites tend to:
- Rank higher in search results
- Get crawled faster by Google bots
- Attract better backlinks naturally
- Build trust with users and search engines
- Monetize more effectively, especially for affiliate sites or those selling backlinks
Think of DR as a “street cred” score for your website in the world of SEO. The higher it is, the more respect and visibility you get.
How to Increase Domain Rating (The Right Way)
1. Get Backlinks from High-DR Sites
This is the most direct and effective way. A few links from DR 80+ sites can do more for you than hundreds from low-DR sites.
Where to get them:
- Guest posts on niche-relevant high-DR blogs
- Niche edits (contextual links added to existing content)
- Digital PR (press releases, features, mentions)
- Partnerships or collaborations
2. Focus on Unique Referring Domains
Getting 50 links from one site might look good at a glance, but Ahrefs wants to see unique root domains linking to you.
Tip: Aim to increase referring domains every month.
3. Build Internal Links
While this doesn’t increase DR directly, a strong internal linking structure helps distribute your DR across your site, boosting overall performance.
4. Create Linkable Content
High-DR sites don’t link to thin content. Create:
- Research-backed posts
- Industry statistics
- Original case studies
- Infographics and tools
5. Disavow Toxic Links
Too many spammy backlinks can drag your DR down. Use Ahrefs’ backlink audit tools to find and disavow harmful links.
6. Keep Your Website Healthy
Site speed, mobile usability, and content freshness don’t directly impact DR, but they do affect how likely it is for people to link to you.
Our Company Can Boost Your DR—On Demand
Let’s be blunt: building backlinks is time-consuming, expensive, and tricky.
We’ve already done the hard work. Our team has access to a network of real, high-quality sites across multiple industries and niches. With our on-demand DR increase service, we:
- Analyze your current backlink profile
- Identify gaps and link opportunities
- Deliver white-hat backlinks from authoritative domains
- Guarantee measurable DR increases in Ahrefs within weeks
Whether you’re trying to grow from DR 10 to 30, or need to break past 50+ for your agency, affiliate site, or e-commerce brand—we can make it happen.
Why Choose Us?
- Fast turnaround (links live within days, not months)
- Guaranteed results (we target a specific DR increase)
- Transparent reporting (you see every link built)
- Niche relevance (we avoid irrelevant links that don’t help)
We don’t just “build links.” We grow your domain authority in a way that Google—and your competitors—can’t ignore.
🚀 Case Study #1: From DR 12 to DR 48 in 6 Weeks – SaaS Startup
Client: Early-stage B2B SaaS tool
Industry: Productivity software
Goal: Boost authority to support long-term content marketing strategy
Strategy:
- 18 guest posts on DR 50–90 blogs in SaaS and marketing niches
- 10 high-authority niche edits from content already ranking on Google
- Anchor text strategy focused on branded and generic anchors to keep it natural
- Weekly crawl analysis to monitor DR movement and link indexation
Results:
- Starting DR: 12
- Final DR (6 weeks): 48
- Unique referring domains added: 64
- Ahrefs traffic growth: +170%
- Ranking wins: 27 new page-one keywords, 5 featured snippets
Client feedback:
“We tried link-building ourselves for months with barely any traction. These guys got us on huge sites fast — and our organic traffic hasn’t stopped growing since.”
📈 Case Study #2: DR 30 to DR 60 for Affiliate Site – Monetization Ready
Client: Niche product review site
Industry: Outdoor gear
Goal: Increase DR to qualify for premium affiliate networks and sponsored link sales
Strategy:
- Targeted outreach to gear blogs and outdoor publications
- 20 links built over 2 months — mostly contextual and highly relevant
- Leveraged seasonal trends (camping season) for better content tie-ins
- Disavowed 40+ spammy PBN links from client’s prior attempts
Results:
- Starting DR: 30
- Final DR: 60
- New revenue opportunities: Accepted to 3 exclusive affiliate networks
- Link sales: Started charging $300–$500 per link placement
- Time to DR increase: 8 weeks
Client feedback:
“We used to be stuck in the DR 30s forever. Once we crossed 50+, the link offers started pouring in. Definitely worth the investment.”
🏆 Case Study #3: Agency Website – DR 18 to DR 42 in 4 Weeks
Client: Digital marketing agency
Industry: B2B services
Goal: Improve DR to close more clients and improve credibility in proposals
Strategy:
- 15 contextual links from other marketing blogs and news sites
- Featured guest article published on Entrepreneur (DR 91)
- Homepage and services pages linked directly to boost authority flow
- Optimized internal linking to spread DR across the site
Results:
- Starting DR: 18
- Final DR: 42
- Sales close rate improvement: +22% (tracked over 90 days)
- Keyword rankings: Top 3 for “local SEO agency [city]” and “Google Ads expert [city]”
Client feedback:
“Our competitors were ahead in DR and it was costing us deals. This pushed us into their league fast — and we’re winning more proposals now.”
Want Results Like These?
We don’t just promise growth — we deliver measurable increases in Domain Rating, backed by data and proven tactics. Whether you’re a small site trying to build authority or a brand aiming to dominate your space, we’ve got the tools, contacts, and strategies to make it happen.
Let’s build your case study next.
Final Thoughts
Increasing your Domain Rating in Ahrefs is one of the best ways to strengthen your site’s SEO foundation. It’s not magic—it’s math. The more quality, relevant links you have from trusted sites, the stronger your domain becomes.
And if you don’t have the time, connections, or strategy to do it yourself, that’s where we come in. Our DR growth service is fast, proven, and designed to make a real impact.
Ready to boost your DR and dominate your niche?
Let’s talk. We’ll get your site the authority it deserves.
Andrej Fedek is the creator and the one-person owner of two blogs: InterCool Studio and CareersMomentum. As an experienced marketer, he is driven by turning leads into customers with White Hat SEO techniques. Besides being a boss, he is a real team player with a great sense of equality.