What Domain Rating actually measures
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' authority score for a domain on a 0–100 log scale. It rewards sites with many links from other high-DR domains. It is not a Google metric — it is a proxy that correlates with ranking ability but does not guarantee it.
DR bands we use when vetting publishers
- 0–15 — new or thin sites; usable only in low-competition niches.
- 16–30 — the sweet spot for most campaigns: real editorial sites, reasonable prices.
- 31–50 — established regional media; good money-page targets.
- 51+ — national outlets; premium pricing, usually worth it for money pages.
Never look at DR alone
A high DR with near-zero organic traffic is a PBN red flag. Pair this tool with our Spam Score checker and always look at referring-domain quality and organic traffic distribution before you buy.