What Is a Domain Rating and How to Increase It Fast
Domain Rating explained in plain English — why it matters and how to increase Domain Rating fast.
Most builders see "DR 28" or "DR 80" thrown around on X and have no idea what it actually means. Here's the short version, plus the fastest way I've found to push your own number up.
What is Domain Rating?
Domain Rating (DR) is a score from 0 to 100, invented by one of the most popular SEO tools, Ahrefs, that measures how strong a website's backlink profile is. The more high-quality sites linking to you, the higher your DR.
The number is logarithmic, meaning moving from DR 10 to DR 20 is way easier than moving from DR 70 to DR 80. The first 30 points are mostly about getting on the map. The last 30 are about earning links from giants like Wikipedia, the New York Times, or Google itself.
A few reference points:
- DR 0–10: brand new domain with no backlinks
- DR 20–40: small but established indie product
- DR 50–70: well-known SaaS with active SEO
- DR 80+: household names (G2, Stripe, Shopify)
DR vs DA: what's the difference?
You'll also hear about Domain Authority (DA). Same idea, different company. DA is Moz's score, DR is Ahrefs'. Most indie builders look at DR because Ahrefs has a free checker that anyone can use without an account.
Both numbers are estimates. Google doesn't actually use either one. But they're a decent proxy for "how seriously will Google take this site?"
Why does Domain Rating matter?
Two reasons:
- Higher DR = better Google rankings. Pages on high-DR sites tend to outrank pages on low-DR sites for the same keyword, all else equal.
- Higher DR = more powerful outbound links. When *you* link to someone, your DR makes their backlink more valuable too. That's why getting linked from a DR 80 site is such a big deal.
If you're trying to rank for any keyword with real search volume, you need at least DR 20–30 before Google starts taking your pages seriously.
How is DR calculated?
The exact formula is Ahrefs' secret sauce, but the rough inputs are:
- Number of unique referring domains (not total backlinks — 100 links from one site count as 1 domain)
- DR of the sites linking to you (one link from a DR 80 site beats 50 links from DR 5 sites)
- Whether the link is dofollow or nofollow (only dofollow passes link equity)
That's it. Content quality, traffic, and on-page SEO don't directly affect DR. It's a pure backlink metric.
How to increase Domain Rating fast
As a builder there are different ways to increase your Domain Rating. One of the fastest ways is to launch on so-called directories. These are platforms where builders can launch their products for others to see. Many of them also give dofollow backlinks, meaning they tell Google you are a credible website.
Here's the playbook to increasing your Domain Rating fast.
1. Submit to high-DR launch directories
This is the single fastest lever for a new domain. Each approved listing on a DR 70+ directory adds a fresh referring domain. Twenty of those and you're at DR 25+ before you've written a single blog post.
The trick is going for the highest-DR ones first. One backlink from AlternativeTo (DR 85) is worth ten from random DR 10 directories.
Highest-DR Free Directories
2. Skip nofollow links, they don't count toward DR
Product Hunt is probably the most popular directory. However, it is nofollow. Still worth launching there for traffic and social proof, but it won't move your DR by a single point.
Always check whether a directory's link is dofollow before spending an hour on their form. LaunchPanda labels every directory with this info upfront.
3. Place required badges (it's a fair trade)
Some directories give you a dofollow backlink in exchange for putting their badge on your site. A small image in your footer for a permanent SEO boost is one of the best deals in indie marketing. Don't skip these.
4. Get listed in niche communities
After the obvious directories, look at curated lists in your niche. "Best AI writing tools," "Open-source alternatives to X," subreddit wikis, awesome-* lists on GitHub, niche newsletters' "tools we love" pages. Each one adds a referring domain Google has never seen pointing to you before.
5. Be patient with the long tail
Once you're past DR 25–30, directory submissions slow down as a strategy. The next phase is content that earns links naturally with useful guides, original research and free tools. But we would advise not to skip phase 1, as it can give a great headstart.
A realistic timeline
Based on what we've seen across our own product and dozens of indie launches:
- Week 1: DR 0 → 10 (10–15 fast, easy directories)
- Week 2–4: DR 10 → 25 (high-DR directories, badge swaps)
- Month 2–3: DR 25 → 35 (long-tail directories, niche lists)
- Month 4+: DR 35 → 50 (content + earned links)
Past DR 50, you need PR, real traffic, and a brand. That's a whole different game.
The shortcut
The painful part with launching on directories is the manual work. Researching directories and rewriting your product info into 50 different forms can be tedious.
That's why we built LaunchPanda: save your product info once, get a personalized roadmap of the right directories for your stage, and check them off as you go.
Whether you DIY it or use our Done-For-You plan (45 submissions in 7 days), the math is the same. Submit to high-DR directories, prioritize dofollow, and let the backlinks compound.
DR is a long game — but the first 30 points are surprisingly fast if you know where to look.
Ready to launch?
Save your product info once, get matched to the right directories, and launch everywhere in 30 minutes.
Get Started Free →