Check any domain's Authority Score, backlink profile, ranking keywords, and organic traffic in one report. Benchmark your site against competitors and find link-building opportunities — no login required.
Website authority is an estimate of how strong and trusted a domain looks to search engines, based mainly on its backlink profile — how many sites link to it and how reputable those sites are. Sites with higher authority tend to rank more often, earn more organic traffic, and get cited more frequently across the web.
Important: Authority scores are third-party SEO metrics. Google does not use Domain Authority, Domain Rating, or Authority Score directly in its ranking algorithms. They are still useful for comparing websites, vetting link prospects, and tracking SEO progress over time.
Different SEO platforms measure authority in different ways. All scores run from 1 to 100, but the numbers are not interchangeable:
Authority Score (Semrush) — Used by this tool. Combines backlink quality, organic traffic signals, and spam checks. Sites with manipulated or low-quality link profiles often score lower than backlink-only metrics suggest.
Domain Authority (Moz) — Predicts ranking potential using Moz's link index and machine-learning model.
Domain Rating (Ahrefs) — Focuses on backlink quantity and strength without factoring in traffic or spam signals.
When benchmarking competitors, stick to one metric and compare sites in the same niche. A score of 35 can be strong in a small industry and weak in a competitive one.
Top SEO tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz use authority metrics to help marketers compare domains quickly. Our free checker gives you the same starting point — instant domain-level insight before you dive into deeper competitor research.
Use it to:
✅ Benchmark competitors — Run your domain and 2–3 rival sites to see who has stronger backlinks, more ranking keywords, and higher organic traffic.
✅ Compare SEO strength — If a competitor has a higher Authority Score or many more referring domains, that difference often points to content and link opportunities you have not covered yet.
✅ Vet link-building prospects — Before outreach or guest posts, check whether a site's Authority Score is worth your time.
✅ Track SEO progress — Re-check your domain every few weeks to see if your content and link-building efforts are moving the needle.
✅ Audit your backlink profile — Review top referring domains, anchor text, and follow vs. nofollow ratios to understand link quality at a glance.
This authority checker is a fast first step for competitor research. Run a competitor's domain here and note their Ranking Keywords, Authority Score, Referring Domains, and Organic Traffic. Then run your own site and compare side by side:
• Authority difference — They have a higher score and more trusted referring domains.
• Keyword footprint — They appear for many more search queries in Google's results.
• Traffic difference — They capture more branded or non-branded organic visits.
• Backlink opportunities — Their top referring domains and anchors reveal sites you could pitch for similar links.
Repeat for each main competitor. The domains with the biggest lead in keywords and backlinks are usually the ones worth studying first when you plan new content or outreach.
Follow these steps to analyze any domain or subdomain:
1. Go to the Free Website Authority Checker page.
2. Enter a domain (for example, google.com or yoursite.com).
3. Complete the security check and click Search.
4. Review the domain overview report — authority metrics, traffic breakdown, and backlink tables.
5. Run the same check on competitor domains to build a quick comparison snapshot.
Each search returns a full domain overview powered by Semrush data, including:
Semrush's 1–100 rating of overall domain strength. It factors in backlink quality, organic traffic signals, and spam checks — so a site with many low-quality links can score lower than a smaller site with cleaner, trusted links. Use it to compare your domain with competitors in the same niche.
The number of unique websites linking to the domain. More quality referring domains usually supports stronger rankings.
How many keywords the site ranks for in search results. Compare this count with competitors to see whose keyword footprint is larger.
A popularity score based on backlink data. Useful for seeing how a domain stacks up in Semrush's index.
Total inbound links pointing to the domain. Review alongside referring domains to gauge link profile depth.
Estimated monthly visitors from unpaid search results — a direct signal of how well the site's SEO is performing.
Branded traffic comes from searches that include the brand name. Non-branded traffic comes from generic queries and often shows how well the site attracts new visitors through content and SEO.
The estimated value of organic traffic if it were bought through paid ads. Helps you measure SEO ROI against PPC spend.
Shows the balance of links that pass SEO value versus those that do not. A healthy profile includes both.
Tables listing the most common anchor texts, linking root domains, and highest-value backlinks — essential for competitor backlink research and outreach planning.
Authority grows when you earn trusted links, publish content that ranks, and keep your backlink profile clean. Focus on these proven tactics:
Earn links from new referring domains — Digital PR, original research, expert guides, and tools attract natural backlinks. Multiple links from the same site help less than links from new, relevant domains.
Create stronger content — Study what competitors rank for, then create pages that match search intent with more depth, better structure, and stronger on-page SEO.
Target mid-to-high authority sites in your niche — Prioritize outreach to domains with scores at or above your own for the best link-building ROI.
Avoid spammy link tactics — Paid link schemes, private blog networks, and unnatural anchor patterns can hurt both your score and long-term rankings.
Keep content fresh and linkable — Update top pages regularly so they continue earning links and holding rankings over time.
There is no single "good" score for every website. Authority is relative to your niche and competition.
A score above 50 is often considered strong in general terms, but a site in a competitive industry may need 70+ to compete, while a local or niche site can thrive with a lower score.
The best approach: check your score, then check 3–5 direct competitors. If they consistently score higher with more referring domains and ranking keywords, that is where your biggest SEO opportunities likely are — and where your next content and link-building efforts should focus.
Yes. You can check any domain without creating an account or signing in.
No. These are third-party estimates. Google uses its own ranking systems with hundreds of signals. Authority metrics are useful for comparison and planning, not as official ranking data.
Authority Score is Semrush's 1–100 estimate of domain strength. It looks at backlink quality, organic traffic signals, and spam patterns — not just raw link counts.
Monthly is enough for most sites. Authority changes gradually. Sudden drops may signal lost backlinks or spam issues worth investigating.
Common reasons include fewer referring domains, weaker backlink quality, lower organic traffic, or spam signals in the link profile. Compare your referring domains and top backlinks tables to see where the difference is widest.