Questions, answered.

Domain Rating is Ahrefs' score from 0 to 100 for how strong a website's backlink profile is compared with every other site in their index. It's on a logarithmic scale, so going from 70 to 80 is much harder than from 10 to 20.

Automatically, using the official Ahrefs API, and you get an email when it changes. You can also refresh it yourself from your site's page a few times a day.

Yes. Free accounts track up to 5 websites with automatic DR tracking, email alerts, a public page and the badge.

Yes, two of them, as soon as our badge is on your homepage: a dofollow link from your own page on DomainRating.app and one from the directory, category and DR range pages. Your page is also indexed by Google and added to our sitemap. Without the badge your page still works and you can share it, but it isn't indexed and its link to your site is nofollow.

Add the badge to your homepage with a normal (followed) link. We check for it automatically, or you can click "Check badge now" to get listed, and get your 2 dofollow backlinks, straight away.

DR is relative. When other sites gain links faster than yours, or links to your site are lost, your DR can drop. Your DR history makes these changes easy to spot.

Yes. We read your domain's expiry date from the official registry and email you 30 days and 7 days before it expires, so your website and email never go offline by accident.

Besides the Domain Rating checker, there is a domain age checker, a domain expiry checker and a website speed test with Core Web Vitals. All free, no sign-up needed.

Yes. You can check the Ahrefs Domain Rating of any website for free, without signing up.

Every score comes from Ahrefs' official Domain Rating API, the same DR you see inside Ahrefs.

It depends on your niche. Most new sites start below 10, DR 30 to 50 is solid for a growing business, DR 50 to 70 is well established, and DR 70 and above is reserved for major brands and publishers.

DR moves as a site gains or loses links from other websites, and as the rest of the web changes. Small moves of a point or two are normal.

Add your website for free. We keep tracking its DR automatically, show the full history on its own page, and email you whenever it changes.

We read the registration date straight from the official registry of the domain’s extension (RDAP, the modern replacement for WHOIS) and count the time since then.

Age on its own is not a ranking factor. Older domains often rank better because they have had more time to earn backlinks and trust, which is what Domain Rating measures.

If a domain expired and was registered again, the registry shows the new registration date. Transfers between registrars do not reset it.

Yes. Check as many domains as you like, no sign-up needed.

The website and email on it stop working. After a grace period (often 30 to 45 days) and a redemption period, the domain is released and anyone can register it.

Sign in to the registrar shown in the result, renew the domain and turn on auto-renew. Renewing for several years at once means fewer reminders.

A locked domain cannot be moved to another registrar without the owner unlocking it first. Keeping it locked protects you from domain theft.

Yes. Add your website for free and we email you 30 days and 7 days before it expires.

From a lab test that loads your homepage on a simulated phone and on desktop, plus real-user Core Web Vitals when the site has enough visitors.

90 to 100 is good, 50 to 89 needs improvement and below 50 is poor. Mobile scores are usually lower than desktop because the test simulates a slower phone and network.

Lab tests vary a little with server load and network conditions. Look at the trend and at the real-user data rather than one exact number.

The three user-experience metrics search engines care about most: Largest Contentful Paint (loading), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness) and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability).