How to Build Domain Authority
A step-by-step guide to building your first 20+ high-quality backlinks. This roadmap gets new websites out of the zero-authority zone.
Understanding Domain Authority
Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) are third-party metrics that estimate how likely a site is to rank in search results. They're not Google metrics—Moz created DA, Ahrefs created DR. But they're useful benchmarks for comparing sites and tracking your progress.
Both metrics use a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, meaning it's much easier to go from 0 to 20 than from 60 to 80. They're calculated based on the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to your domain. More high-authority links = higher score.
Few or no backlinks. Hard to rank for competitive keywords.
Growing authority. Can compete for medium-difficulty keywords.
Solid backlink profile. Can target competitive keywords.
Your Own Sites
If you have other websites, side projects, or tools—link them together. These are backlinks no competitor can replicate. Look at our footer: it links to other projects. Building simple free tools or resources that get popular gives you link equity you control. The more websites you have, the easier it becomes to launch new ones.
Social Media Profiles
Beyond the obvious platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter), there are high-authority social sites that most people miss. Most are nofollow, which is fine—they establish your presence. Some are dofollow if you know the trick. Set these up early; they take 5 minutes each.
Site | DR | Price |
|---|---|---|
upgrade-to-see.com | free | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free |
Launch Platforms
Product Hunt, Hacker News, Reddit, Crunchbase, F6S—these platforms serve two purposes: discovery and backlinks. A good ProductHunt launch gets you traffic and a high-authority backlink. Even a quiet Crunchbase listing gives you a solid DA 90+ citation. Create profiles on all of these.
Site | DR | Price |
|---|---|---|
| free | ||
| free | ||
| free | ||
| free | ||
| free | ||
upgrade-to-see.com | free/$14 | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free/$35 | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free/$9 |
Quality Directories
Not the spam directories—quality ones with editorial standards. These won't move the needle much individually, but they establish your site across the web. Pick directories relevant to your niche. Browse our full database filtered by "directory" to find ones that fit.
Site | DR | Price |
|---|---|---|
upgrade-to-see.com | free | |
| free/paid | ||
upgrade-to-see.com | $29 |
High-Value Paid Options
Some paid backlinks offer exceptional value—high authority at a reasonable price. These aren't shady PBN links; they're legitimate platforms that charge for premium features. One payment can give you a permanent high-DA backlink. Worth considering if you have budget.
Site | DR | Price |
|---|---|---|
upgrade-to-see.com | paid | |
upgrade-to-see.com | $99 | |
upgrade-to-see.com | $45 |
Guest Posts & Articles
Find publications in your niche that accept guest contributions. This requires writing actual content, but the links are more valuable. One guest post on a relevant DA 60+ site is worth more than 20 profile links. Start with Medium and Substack if you're not ready for cold outreach.
Site | DR | Price |
|---|---|---|
upgrade-to-see.com | free | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free | |
upgrade-to-see.com | free |
Steal from Competitors
The best backlinks are the ones your competitors already have. Export their backlink profile using Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz. Filter for links you can replicate: guest posts, directories, resource pages. If they got it, you probably can too.
Pro tip: Ahrefs has a hidden $29/month starter plan. Excellent value for competitor research.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Keep Building?
This guide gets you started. Our full database has 250+ backlink opportunities to take you beyond DR 20.