What is Domain authority?
Domain authority is a score, originally from the SEO tool Moz, that estimates how likely a website is to rank based mainly on its backlink profile. Other tools publish similar scores under different names. Google does not use these scores; they are useful only as rough comparisons between a hospital’s site and competitors, not as a target in themselves.
Why it matters for hospitals
Agencies often report domain authority to hospital leaders as proof of progress. It can show whether the site’s link strength is growing relative to rivals, but it can be inflated with low-quality links that do nothing for patients or rankings. Leaders should know what it is and what it is not.
How to put it into practice
- Use it only to compare against direct competitors in the same city and specialty.
- Track rankings, organic enquiries and AI citations for priority services as the real outcomes.
- Look at who links to you, not just the score; a few strong health and news links beat many weak ones.
- Ask agencies to explain any sudden score jump and which links caused it.
- Do not write domain authority targets into agency contracts.
The common mistake
Paying an agency on domain authority growth, which rewards buying links rather than winning patients.
An illustrative example
An agency reported a large jump in a hospital’s authority score, but organic enquiries were flat. A review found the gain came from directory and comment links, and the contract was changed to measure enquiries and rankings. (Composite example, not a specific hospital.)
Related terms
Further reading
Part of the healthcare growth and digital glossary. Last reviewed 7 October 2026.