
Moz Domain Authority (DA) remains one of the most referenced third-party metrics to estimate how well a website can rank in search engines. Even in 2026, DA is not a Google ranking factor—it’s a comparative score calculated by Moz using a machine-learning model trained on link data, domain age, content quality signals, and Moz’s own web-crawl data. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher numbers indicating a greater ability to rank.
For content teams, DA is primarily useful in three ways:
In 2026, Moz still refreshes its index every 3–4 weeks. The company has moved from a single DA score to a “DA Suite” that includes DA, Spam Score, and Linking Domains graphs. You can still use the classic 0–100 DA for most decisions, but the suite gives finer granularity when you need it.
Moz has consolidated all metrics under moz.com/products/seo-tools. The official endpoints are:
Web Interface (DA Suite) Navigate to moz.com/domain-analysis, enter any domain or subdomain, and view DA, Spam Score, and the Linking Domains chart. You do not need an account to see DA for the top 10 results, but deeper history requires a Moz Pro or Moz API subscription.
Moz API v2 (DA Endpoint)
The REST endpoint is https://api.moz.com/domain-authority/v2. Send a POST with a JSON body { "targets": ["example.com"] }. The response includes DA, Spam Score, and last-crawl date. Rate limits are 20 requests per second for Pro users, 5 for free.
Browser Extensions MozBar (Chrome/Edge/Firefox) still shows DA on SERPs and on-page. In 2026, the extension now surfaces DA Suite mini-charts when you hover a link.
Third-party dashboards SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Sitebulb import Moz DA via their “Link Research” modules. You can export a CSV of DA scores to cross-reference with your own rankings.
Quick tip: If you want to check a subdomain separately (e.g., blog.example.com), prefix it explicitly: blog.example.com.
When you need DA for hundreds or thousands of domains, manual entry is impractical. Here are the supported bulk methods:
curl -X POST https://api.moz.com/domain-authority/v2 \
-H "Authorization: Basic $(echo -n 'ACCESS_ID:SECRET_KEY' | base64)" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"targets": ["example.com", "example.org", "blog.example.com"]}'
Response:
{
"results": [
{"target": "example.com", "da": 78, "spam_score": 2, "last_crawl": "2026-05-12"},
{"target": "example.org", "da": 41, "spam_score": 8, "last_crawl": "2026-05-10"},
{"target": "blog.example.com", "da": 33, "spam_score": 5, "last_crawl": "2026-05-11"}
]
}
Notes:
ACCESS_ID:SECRET_KEY with your Moz Pro credentials.Install the free IMPORTJSON add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. In cell A2, enter:
=IMPORTJSON("https://api.moz.com/domain-authority/v2", "$.results[?(@.target == '"&A2&"')].da")
Drag the formula down; each cell will fetch the DA for the domain in column A.
import requests, pandas as pd, time
api_url = "https://api.moz.com/domain-authority/v2"
auth = ("ACCESS_ID", "SECRET_KEY")
chunks = pd.read_csv("domains.csv", chunksize=200)
results = []
for chunk in chunks:
payload = {"targets": chunk["domain"].tolist()}
resp = requests.post(api_url, json=payload, auth=auth).json()
results.extend(resp["results"])
time.sleep(1.1) # respect rate limit
df = pd.DataFrame(results)
df.to_csv("da_scores_2026.csv", index=False)
DA is best used comparatively, not in absolute terms.
Spam Score (0–17 in 2026) is now more predictive than ever. If a DA 70 domain has Spam Score 12+, treat the link as risky—Moz’s model considers it a “toxic” backlink in many verticals.
When migrating content, preserve links where the referring domain has DA ≥ your site’s DA. If the target domain DA is lower, add internal links from high-DA pages to compensate.
During due diligence, run a DA Suite scan:
last_crawl field; if it’s older than 60 days, the score may be stale.example.com) or a specific subdomain (blog.example.com). The DA can differ significantly.Moz treats subdomains as separate domains. To check a subdomain:
blog.example.com"targets": ["blog.example.com"]blog.example.com; the DA shown is for the subdomain.Subdirectories (example.com/blog/) are not scored separately—Moz attributes all link equity to the root domain. If you need subdirectory-level metrics, use Ahrefs or Google Search Console instead.
Create a scenario that triggers on new backlinks discovered by Ahrefs, then calls the Moz API and appends DA to the CRM record.
function updateDA() {
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActive().getSheetByName("Backlinks");
const domains = sheet.getRange("A2:A").getValues().flat().filter(String);
const auth = "ACCESS_ID:SECRET_KEY";
const url = "https://api.moz.com/domain-authority/v2";
domains.forEach(domain => {
const payload = JSON.stringify({ targets: [domain] });
const options = {
method: "post",
headers: { Authorization: "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode(auth) },
payload,
muteHttpExceptions: true
};
const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, options);
const data = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
sheet.getRange(`C${sheet.getLastRow()}`).setValue(data.results[0].da);
Utilities.sleep(1200); // 20 requests per minute
});
}
Sync your backlink database with Airtable, then run a Make.com scenario every Monday that enriches new records with DA and Spam Score via the Moz API.
| Error Code | Meaning | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | Invalid credentials | Double-check ACCESSID and SECRETKEY format. |
| 403 | Rate limit exceeded | Wait 60 seconds and retry; upgrade plan if needed. |
| 429 | Too many requests | Implement exponential back-off or reduce batch size. |
| 500 | Moz internal error | Retry after 5 minutes; contact Moz support if persistent. |
By treating Moz DA as one lens among many, you avoid tunnel vision while still leveraging Moz’s decade of link-graph research. In 2026, the smartest SEOs automate the grind, keep the metric in context, and let the data—not the score—drive decisions.
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