Website authority checker: a free Quality Score and what authority metrics mean
Enter a domain like example.com
"Authority" is not a number that search engines publish. DA, DR, Authority Score and the rest are third-party estimates, each built from one company's own data. They are useful for comparing sites and vetting partners, as long as you know what they measure. This page explains the main metrics and gives you a free score built mostly on open data.
What the Satelo Quality Score measures
Enter a domain above and you get a Quality Score from 0 to 100. It combines several public signals, and the report shows each one with its source:
- Link popularity. Whether the domain appears in the Majestic Million (a list of domains with the most referring subnets) and how it sits in the Common Crawl web graph, an open map of links between sites.
- Popularity rank. The domain's place in Tranco, a research list of the top million domains designed to resist manipulation.
- Real-user presence. Whether the site has enough real Chrome visitors to appear in the Chrome UX Report.
- Age. When the domain was registered and first archived, from WHOIS/RDAP and the Internet Archive.
- Verified traffic. For sites connected to Satelo, measured visits from the plugin replace estimates. For sites in the network, Similarweb or Semrush estimates are shown where they exist.
Most small sites are below the threshold of these datasets, so a low score often means "no public evidence yet", not "bad site". Traffic signals alone are on the traffic checker page.
Third-party authority metrics, briefly
- Domain Authority (Moz). Predicts how likely a site is to rank, based on Moz's link index. Moz's own explanation says DA is not a metric Google uses in ranking. More in domain authority explained.
- Domain Rating (Ahrefs). The strength of a site's backlink profile in Ahrefs' index, on a 0–100 scale; Ahrefs offers a free authority checker. See what a good Domain Rating is.
- Authority Score (Semrush). Combines link data with organic traffic estimates and spam signals, as Semrush describes in its knowledge base. See Semrush Authority Score.
- Spam Score, Trust Flow and Citation Flow. Risk and link-quality estimates from Moz and Majestic; read Moz Spam Score.
- Tranco rank and domain age. Not authority scores, but useful context: see Tranco rank explained and website age and SEO.
Because each vendor crawls a different part of the web, the same site can score 20 in one tool and 35 in another. Compare sites within one tool, never across tools.
What these scores can't tell you
None of these numbers come from Google or Yandex. Google's guide to its ranking systems describes many systems, link analysis among them, and there is no public Google score to look up. Even the links Google itself reports in Search Console are, by Google's note, not a complete list. A high score doesn't make a site relevant to your audience, and it can be inflated with spammy links. Learn how to spot PBN sites before trusting a number.
How to use authority when vetting a site
- Compare the site with others in the same niche, in the same tool.
- Look at the referring domains, not only the total number of backlinks: referring domains vs backlinks explains why.
- Check that the topic is consistent and the outbound links on existing posts look editorial.
- Look for real-user signals: CrUX presence, Tranco rank, an active audience.
- Go through the full checklist in how to check a site before buying.
Growing your own authority
There is no shortcut that is also safe. Authority metrics rise when other sites link to and mention yours because they find it useful. How to increase domain authority lists the methods that hold up. Satelo's article exchange can bring labelled partner articles from sites of your level, but it doesn't promise any change in third-party scores or rankings, and it is in public beta.
Authority metrics explained
Links and growing authority
Vetting a site
FAQ
Is the Satelo website authority checker free?
Yes. Checking any domain is free and needs no account. You get a Quality Score from 0 to 100 with the source of every value.
Does Google use Domain Authority?
No. Domain Authority is Moz's metric, and Moz itself says it is not used by Google in ranking. Google doesn't publish a sitewide authority score.
Why do DA, DR and Authority Score differ for the same site?
Each tool uses its own link index and formula, and each crawls a different part of the web. Compare sites within one tool, not across tools.
What data is the Satelo Quality Score based on?
Mostly open data: Majestic Million, the Common Crawl web graph, Tranco, the Chrome UX Report, WHOIS/RDAP and the Internet Archive. Connected sites add verified traffic from the Satelo plugin.
Why does a small site get a low score?
Most small sites are below the threshold of public datasets. A low score often means there is no public evidence yet, not that the site is bad.
How can I increase my site's authority?
Earn links and mentions from relevant sites by publishing pages worth citing and building real partnerships. Avoid bought links and PBNs, which search engines treat as link spam.
Check your site's Quality Score
Free, no sign-up: a 0–100 score from mostly open data. Then add your site to Satelo and get partner articles from sites of your level.
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