Key Takeaways
- Domain Authority is a predictive score from 1 to 100 that Moz calculates from its link index.
- The Moz domain authority update follows the cadence of the Link Explorer index, which Moz refreshes on a rolling basis rather than on a fixed public calendar date.
- Historically Moz has recalculated DA roughly once a month as part of its index updates, though the exact interval varies and isn't guaranteed to land on the same day each cycle.
- Wait for the next index refresh if the domain is new — there may simply be nothing to display yet. Sign in or reset your
- When Moz's number is missing, frozen, or rate-limited, the cleanest workaround is a second authority metric.
- The most common causes are a new or thinly linked domain that Moz hasn't fully indexed, being between Moz's roughly monthly index refreshes, hitting a free-tier limit in the MozBar or Link Explorer, or crawl issues on your site that block Moz from reading your link data.
- How to Improve Moz Domain Authority Why Is My Domain Authority So Low (or Stuck at 1)? DR vs DA: Domain Rating and Domai
If Moz is not showing domain authority anymore, the score is almost never gone for good. A blank or frozen DA usually traces back to four things: the domain is too new or barely indexed, you're between Moz's roughly monthly index refreshes, you've hit a free-tier limit in Link Explorer or the MozBar, or Moz's crawler can't fully reach the site. None of those mean your site lost authority. They mean the number you're looking at is stale, gated, or not yet calculated.
The faster move when you just need an authority read right now is to skip the wait entirely. We built a free Domain Rating Checker so you can use our free DR checker instead and pull an Ahrefs-based authority score for any domain in seconds, no signup required.
Check your Domain Rating free
See any website's DR in seconds with our free Domain Rating Checker — no signup, powered by live Ahrefs data.
Check your DR free →Why Moz is not showing domain authority anymore
Domain Authority is a predictive score from 1 to 100 that Moz calculates from its link index. It is not a live counter — it only changes when Moz recrawls the web and recomputes the model. So when DA appears blank, zero, or simply hasn't moved, the cause is usually one of a handful of predictable issues.
The domain is new or has almost no link data
Moz can only score what it has crawled. A freshly registered domain, or one with a tiny handful of referring domains, may show no DA or a placeholder until Moz's index picks up enough links to model it. Per Moz's own documentation, DA is built from data in the Link Explorer index, so thin link profiles produce thin or missing scores.
You're between Moz index updates
DA only refreshes when the underlying index does. If you checked yesterday and the number is identical today, that's expected — you're simply inside the same update cycle. A "missing" score on a new site often just means the next refresh hasn't run yet.
Free-tier and Link Explorer limits
The free MozBar and the no-login version of Link Explorer cap how many queries you get. Hit the limit and the DA field can come back empty or refuse to load until the quota resets or you sign in. This is the single most common reason DA "disappears" for casual users — it's a usage gate, not a data problem.
Crawl and indexing issues on your site
If your robots.txt blocks crawlers, your site returns errors, or backlinks point to URLs Moz can't resolve, the link data feeding DA gets patchy. A blocked or broken site can stall its own score. Google's robots.txt documentation is a good sanity check if you suspect crawl access is the culprit.
Moz domain authority update schedule
The Moz domain authority update follows the cadence of the Link Explorer index, which Moz refreshes on a rolling basis rather than on a fixed public calendar date. When the index updates, every domain's DA is recalculated against the newly crawled link graph at once.
Because DA is relative and normalized against the rest of the web, your score can move even if your own backlinks didn't change — if other sites gained links faster than you, your DA can dip on an update with zero loss on your end. This is the same dynamic behind a score that feels stuck or that drops unexpectedly. If yours has flatlined at the bottom, our guide on Why Is My Domain Authority So Low (or Stuck at 1)? walks through the specific reasons.
Free · No obligation
Find out what your site is losing in organic revenue.
In a free Revenue Gap Analysis, we show you exactly what's holding your rankings back — and what fixing it is worth in real revenue.
How often does Moz update domain authority?
Historically Moz has recalculated DA roughly once a month as part of its index updates, though the exact interval varies and isn't guaranteed to land on the same day each cycle. Moz publishes index timing on its data updates page, which is the authoritative place to confirm when the most recent refresh ran.
The practical takeaway: don't expect DA to react to a new backlink within hours or even days. The metric is designed to move slowly, so a single missing or unchanged reading between cycles is normal — not a sign something broke.
How to get your Moz DA showing again
- Wait for the next index refresh if the domain is new — there may simply be nothing to display yet.
- Sign in or reset your quota if you're using the free MozBar or Link Explorer and the field is blank.
- Check crawl access — confirm robots.txt isn't blocking crawlers and the site returns clean 200 responses.
- Build real referring domains, since DA needs link data to model. Our How to Improve Moz Domain Authority guide covers the link-building that actually moves the score.
- Cross-check with another tool so you're not blocked by a single vendor's limits or update lag.
See the system
The Full-Stack Search Method.
Seven compounding pillars that turn search into your highest ROI channel. See exactly how we build organic growth that lasts.
What to use instead: Ahrefs Domain Rating
When Moz's number is missing, frozen, or rate-limited, the cleanest workaround is a second authority metric. Ahrefs' Domain Rating (DR) is the closest equivalent — a 0 to 100 score based on the strength of a site's backlink profile, drawn from one of the largest live link indexes on the web.
DR and DA aren't identical and won't match number-for-number, since each vendor crawls its own index and weights links differently. But for the everyday question — "roughly how authoritative is this domain?" — DR answers it instantly. In our checker you'll enter any domain and see its current Ahrefs-based DR with no login wall and no monthly quota to trip over. If you want the full comparison, see DR vs DA: Domain Rating and Domain Authority Explained.
Treat both scores as directional, not gospel. Whichever metric you anchor on, the underlying work is the same: earn links from relevant, trusted sites and keep your domain crawlable.
FAQ
Why is Moz not showing my domain authority anymore?
The most common causes are a new or thinly linked domain that Moz hasn't fully indexed, being between Moz's roughly monthly index refreshes, hitting a free-tier limit in the MozBar or Link Explorer, or crawl issues on your site that block Moz from reading your link data.
How often does Moz update domain authority?
Moz has historically recalculated DA roughly once a month, tied to its Link Explorer index updates rather than a fixed calendar date. The exact timing varies, and Moz lists each refresh on its public data updates page.
Did my domain authority disappear because my site lost links?
Usually no. A blank or unchanged DA almost always reflects index lag, a usage limit, or a crawl problem — not a real loss of authority. Confirm your backlinks are intact before assuming the score itself dropped.
Is Ahrefs Domain Rating the same as Moz Domain Authority?
No. Both are 0 to 100 link-based authority scores, but they use different indexes and weighting, so the numbers won't match exactly. DR is a strong, instantly available alternative when DA is missing or rate-limited.
How can I check site authority without waiting for Moz?
Use an Ahrefs-based Domain Rating checker. It returns a live authority score for any domain in seconds with no signup, so you're not blocked by Moz's update schedule or free-tier limits.
Related reading
Written by
Anjan LuthraManaging Partner, Indexed
Anjan Luthra is Managing Partner at Indexed. He has spent over a decade inside high-growth companies building organic search into their primary acquisition channel, and writes about SEO strategy, AI search, and revenue a…