Domain Rating / Authority
Domain Rating (DR) is a metric developed by Ahrefs that measures the strength of a website's backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100. A similar metric, Domain Authority, was developed by Moz. Both measure the same thing. The higher your DR/DA, the stronger your site's overall link authority compared to other sites on the web.
Note: On this page, we'll be referring to Domain Rating, but the same concepts apply to Domain Authority as well.
Why does Domain Rating matter for fitness businesses?
Domain Rating gives you a quick snapshot of how your site's authority compares to competitors. If your gym management software has a DR of 35 and your main competitor sits at 60, they likely have a much stronger backlink profile, and will likely rank for competitive keywords more easily.
While DR itself isn't a Google ranking factor, it correlates strongly with ranking ability. Sites with higher DR scores tend to rank better because they've earned more high-quality backlinks, which Google does use as a ranking signal.
For fitness SaaS platforms competing in crowded markets, understanding your DR helps prioritize link-building efforts. If you're significantly behind competitors, you know you need to focus on earning authoritative backlinks to close the gap.
What does Domain Rating look like in practice?
A workout tracking app checks its DR and finds it's at 28. Their main competitors range from 45 to 55. They analyze the competitors' backlink profiles, identify that most links come from fitness blogs, review sites, and SaaS directories. They prioritize getting featured in those same publications and platforms. Six months later, their DR increases to 38, and they start ranking on page one for previously out-of-reach keywords.
Good vs. bad examples of Domain Rating
How is Domain Rating calculated?
Ahrefs calculates DR based on the number and quality of websites linking to your domain. It's not just about quantity, though. A single link from a high-DR site like a major fitness publication carries more weight than dozens of links from low-DR blogs.
The metric also considers how many unique domains link to you. Getting 50 links from one site doesn't help as much as getting one link each from 50 different domains.
How do you improve your Domain Rating?
To improve your Domain Rating:
- Earn backlinks from high-DR sites in the fitness and health space by creating content worth referencing, like original research, comprehensive guides, or unique tools
- Focus on acquiring links from diverse domains rather than repeatedly getting links from the same few sites
- Build relationships with authoritative publications, bloggers, and industry influencers who can link to your content naturally
- Create linkable assets such as industry reports, free tools, or data-driven studies that other sites want to cite
- Monitor competitor backlink profiles to identify link opportunities you haven't tapped yet
- Avoid low-quality link schemes or spammy directories, as these don't improve DR and can harm your Google rankings
How to talk to your agency about this
"What's our current Domain Rating, and how does it compare to our top three competitors? Which high-DR sites are linking to competitors but not to us, and do we have a plan to earn similar links?"