How to Check Your Domain Rating (DR) for Free
A quick guide to checking your website's Domain Rating using free tools and understanding what the number means for your SEO.
How to Check Your Domain Rating (DR) for Free
Domain Rating (DR) is one of the most tracked SEO metrics. Here’s how to check yours and what the number actually means.
What is Domain Rating?
DR is a metric developed by Ahrefs that scores your website’s backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100. It measures the quality and quantity of websites linking to you.
Key things to know:
- DR is relative, not absolute — going from DR 20 to 30 is easier than 60 to 70
- It only counts dofollow backlinks
- It’s based on referring domains, not total backlinks
- The scale is logarithmic — each point gets exponentially harder
Free Ways to Check Your DR
1. Ahrefs Website Authority Checker
The original source. Free version shows DR for any URL:
- Go to ahrefs.com/website-authority-checker
- Enter your domain
- Get instant DR score
2. Ahrefs Backlink Checker
Also free, shows DR plus top backlinks:
- Go to ahrefs.com/backlink-checker
- Enter your URL
- See DR and basic backlink data
3. SmallSEOTools Domain Authority Checker
Multiple metrics in one tool:
- Shows DR, DA, and other scores
- Free, no account required
- Batch check multiple URLs
4. SEMrush (Free Account)
Limited free searches but shows authority scores:
- Create a free account
- Use Domain Overview tool
- Shows authority score (similar to DR)
What Your DR Means
| DR Range | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 0-10 | New or low-authority site. Focus on building initial backlinks. |
| 11-30 | Growing authority. Good enough for low-competition keywords. |
| 31-50 | Solid authority. Can compete for medium competition terms. |
| 51-70 | High authority. Competitive keywords become accessible. |
| 71-100 | Top-tier authority. Major brands and publications. |
How to Improve Your DR
The only way to increase DR is to get more dofollow backlinks from high-authority websites:
- Submit to quality directories — quick wins for new sites
- Guest post on relevant blogs
- Create link-worthy content — tools, research, infographics
- Build relationships with other site owners in your niche
- Fix broken links on other sites with your content
Common DR Mistakes
- Obsessing over DR — it’s a metric, not a goal
- Buying cheap links — DR 60+ spam sites will hurt you
- Ignoring relevance — DR 50 irrelevant site < DR 25 relevant site
- Expecting fast results — DR takes months to build
Bottom Line
Check your DR monthly, but don’t obsess over it. Focus on building quality backlinks from relevant sources, and your DR will naturally increase over time.