You do not need to take anyone's word for your DR or DA. Ahrefs and Moz both offer free ways to look up a domain, and the numbers they show are the numbers that matter for your own tracking. This guide walks through the steps, then covers a few habits that stop you from misreading a figure. The whole process takes only a few minutes, and the log you build is useful for every later decision about your link profile.
Where to look
Both vendors publish free checker tools on their own websites. Ahrefs has a free authority checker that shows Domain Rating for a domain you type in. Moz has a free link research tool that shows Domain Authority, and a free account gives you a limited number of lookups. Browser toolbars from the same vendors can show the figure while you browse.
Free tools are enough for most owners. They are limited, so you may see only the headline score and a small sample of links. For this kind of tracking, the headline score is all you need.
The exact pages, limits and sign-up rules change, so start from the vendor's own site and read what it says today. Do not use a third party site that claims to show both numbers, because many of them copy old data or estimate a figure.
Step by step
- Open the vendor's own checker. Use Ahrefs for DR and Moz for DA.
- Type in the root domain. For example, enter the plain domain name and not a deep page, unless you want a page level figure.
- Read the score. Note whether the tool shows the figure for the whole domain or for a subdomain.
- Write down the date, the tool and the figure. A date matters because the vendors refresh their numbers on their own schedules.
- Repeat in the same tool. Come back after a few weeks and compare like with like.
If the tool shows no figure, the domain may be too new, or the address may be typed wrongly. Check the spelling, try the version of the address you actually use and try again later.
Keep a simple log
A spreadsheet with four columns is enough: date, tool, domain and figure. Add a column for notes, such as a new link you earned or a page you removed. Over a few months the log shows direction, which tells you far more than one reading does. Keep the sheet somewhere you can share it if you ever need to discuss a figure with a seller, a partner or a colleague.
If you place an order with us, check your figure before you start and write it down. After we tell you the work is delivered, check again in the same tool. The 30 day free refill compares the figure you see with the level you bought, so a dated record makes any claim simple.
Common mistakes when reading a figure
- Comparing across tools. A DR and a DA sit on different scales. Compare Ahrefs to Ahrefs and Moz to Moz.
- Checking too often. The figure normally changes slowly, so daily checks add noise. Weekly or monthly is enough.
- Expecting immediate updates. Vendors refresh on a schedule, so a change in your links may take time to show.
- Checking the wrong address. A version with www and a version without can show different figures if the tool treats them as separate.
- Reading a new site too closely. A very new domain may show little or no data until the crawlers have found it.
- Treating the score as a result. The figure is a link summary. Your results are traffic, enquiries and rankings from your own analytics.
To go deeper on what the numbers mean, see what DR and DA measure. If you decide you want the figure raised for your own tracking, the packages and pricing page lists the levels, and the same page repeats the limits you should read first.
Note: tools, limits and search guidelines change. Check the vendors' own pages for the current way to look up a domain.