why not all high da backlinks are good for your seo
Understanding Domain Authority and Its Role
Domain Authority, or DA, is a metric created by Moz to predict how likely a site is to rank on search engines. It’s scored from 0 to 100, and generally, the higher the DA, the stronger the domain.
When I first got into SEO, I chased only backlinks from sites with DA 70 or higher. It felt like collecting trophies. But my rankings didn’t budge. That’s when I realized: DA is just a number, not a guarantee.
Why High DA Links Aren't Always Valuable
Not all high DA backlinks are created equal. Here's why:
- Irrelevance: A high DA cooking blog linking to your tech startup? Google notices the mismatch.
- Spammy High DA Sites: Some sites inflate their DA artificially by trading backlinks aggressively. They look strong but deliver no real value.
- Weak Page Authority: You might get a backlink from a domain with DA 85, but if it’s buried on an orphaned page with no traffic or authority, it’s practically useless.
- Low Engagement: If the site’s audience isn’t engaged, the link won’t drive meaningful signals like click-throughs or time-on-page.
It’s like buying a luxury car with no engine. Looks good from the outside but won’t get you anywhere.
Case Study: High DA Link Building Gone Wrong
A client in the legal niche paid for guest posts on several DA 90+ domains. Sounds amazing, right? Except the sites were link farms disguised as blogs. Thin content, no real audience, and tons of outbound links on every page.
Instead of boosting rankings, their site got hit with a manual action for unnatural link building. Took us six months to recover using reconsideration requests and rebuilding trust.
What Makes a Backlink Truly Powerful?
- Relevance: Context matters. Links from sites in your industry or niche carry way more weight.
- Traffic: A DA 50 site with 100k monthly visitors is often more valuable than a DA 90 site with no visitors.
- Authority at Page Level: Not just the domain—look at the strength of the individual page linking to you.
- Editorial Nature: Natural, earned links in high-quality content matter much more than directory links or footers.
In short, think about how Google would view the link if it was a human editor deciding rankings manually. Would it look legitimate?
Tools to Evaluate Links Beyond DA
Here’s how I check if a backlink is worth it:
- Ahrefs: Check URL Rating (UR) and organic traffic estimates.
- Semrush: Analyze backlinks for toxicity and traffic health.
- Majestic: Look at Trust Flow and Citation Flow ratios.
If a site has high DA but zero organic traffic and tons of outbound links, it’s a big red flag. I’ve learned to trust traffic and content quality more than any shiny DA score.
How to Choose Link Targets Wisely
When building links, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this site relevant to my niche?
- Does it have real traffic and a loyal audience?
- Is the content surrounding the link high quality?
- Would I want a potential customer to land on this page?
If the answer is no, skip it—even if the DA is tempting.
Final Thought: Quality Over Numbers
In SEO, chasing high DA links without context is like chasing mirages in a desert. They look promising but often lead nowhere.
Focus on earning backlinks from real sites with real people reading them. Relevance, trust, and authenticity will always beat vanity metrics. Play the long game—and your rankings will thank you.
