Why Did Ahrefs Domain Ratings Drop So Suddenly?
In late September 2025, many of us in the SEO community noticed a significant shift in how Ahrefs measures domain authority. Our Domain Ratings (DR) dropped—sometimes by 6 to 10 points or even more—without any clear changes to our backlink profiles. This wasn’t a glitch, nor was it a penalty handed down by Google. Instead, it stemmed from a substantial recalibration of Ahrefs’ own scoring system.
As a digital marketing agency that monitors SEO metrics across numerous clients, we saw this trend affect a broad range of websites simultaneously. Let’s explore why this happened and how your business should respond.
What Is Domain Rating in Ahrefs?
Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR) is a 0 to 100 metric that reflects the strength of a website’s backlink profile compared to others in its index. A higher DR suggests a stronger ability to pass link equity, and it often signals that a domain is more authoritative in its niche.
Source: Generated by ChatGPT
While Google does not use DR as a ranking factor, it plays a critical role in how websites are perceived by others in the SEO ecosystem. Site owners, digital marketers, link builders and PR professionals regularly use DR to determine which websites are worth collaborating with. It’s often used in:
- Link-building prospecting
- Competitor benchmarking
- Brand and influencer partnerships
- Agency performance reporting
When DR drops unexpectedly, it can create confusion for stakeholders and uncertainty around SEO progress. That’s why understanding this recent update is so important.
What Changed in Ahrefs’ Domain Rating Algorithm?
On September 26, 2025, Ahrefs rolled out a major algorithmic update that impacted both its Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR) metrics. Though the company did not publish an official blog post at launch, their support team and trusted industry sources, such as Stan Ventures and Outrank, confirmed the nature and intent of the update.
The recalibration focused on eliminating DR inflation and improving the accuracy of link equity measurements. Key updates included:
- A sharp reduction in the influence of low-quality referring domains
- Stricter differentiation between dofollow, nofollow, UGC, and sponsored links
- Stronger filters to detect spammy or manipulative linking strategies
- A redistribution of DR scores across the web to address artificial inflation
As a result, DR scores that previously relied on volume over value were recalculated to reflect more sustainable authority.
Why So Many Domains Lost 6 to 10 DR Points
The impact of the update was widespread and immediate. Many of our client websites, spanning industries from healthcare to SaaS to eCommerce, saw DR drops of 6 to 10 points. Others, especially those with older link profiles or excessive backlink volume from low-quality sites, saw even greater decreases.
What these websites had in common was not necessarily a decline in performance or traffic, but rather backlink profiles that no longer aligned with the updated scoring logic. Sites that saw the largest declines often featured:
- A large number of referring domains with minimal authority
- Links built through quantity-focused guest posting
- Historical reliance on link exchanges or private blog networks (PBNs)
- Limited diversity in linking sources or anchor text
In contrast, websites with fewer but higher-quality backlinks, especially editorial links from reputable sources, either retained their DR or saw slight improvements.
Does the DR Drop Affect Google Rankings?
No, your DR drop does not directly impact your rankings in Google Search. Google does not use Ahrefs’ Domain Rating, Moz’s Domain Authority, or any third-party metric in its algorithms. However, DR affects how your website is evaluated by real people, such as potential link partners, journalists, or prospective clients.
Source: Generated by ChatGPT
If your DR drops and a competitor’s remains steady, you may be overlooked for media coverage, link exchanges, or content collaborations, even if your actual traffic and keyword performance are strong. It can also create internal confusion if clients or teams associate DR with SEO success.
That’s why it’s important to contextualize this drop and communicate it accurately.
How to Know If the DR Drop Was Algorithm-Related
If your DR fell in early October, but your backlink profile didn’t change much, you’re likely seeing the effects of Ahrefs’ update. To be sure:
- Review your DR timeline: Was the drop between September 26 and October 15?
- Check backlink reports: Were there no significant losses in referring domains or links?
- Compare peers: Did other sites in your niche experience similar DR shifts?
If the answer to these questions is yes, your website was likely caught in the industry-wide adjustment, not penalized for poor performance.
What You Can Do Now to Rebuild Authority
Rather than chasing lost numbers, this is the time to strengthen the foundations of your backlink profile. We’re helping our clients recover value by focusing on three key steps.
First, we run a detailed backlink audit. Using Ahrefs, we identify referring domains that lost DR themselves, uncover toxic or spammy links, and analyze anchor text distributions. This helps us clean up legacy issues and establish a healthier link baseline.
Second, we revise link-building strategies to prioritize relevance and quality. That means moving away from templated guest post campaigns and toward more authoritative outreach. We focus on securing links from:
- Niche-relevant blogs with strong editorial standards
- News publications and local media
- Podcasts, interviews, and long-form contributor content
Third, we ensure transparency with stakeholders. Many of our clients rely on DR in their monthly reporting. We walk them through what changed, show competitor DR shifts, and shift the conversation toward metrics that reflect real SEO growth: traffic, rankings, conversions, and keyword visibility.
Could Moz or SEMrush Make Similar Changes?
Absolutely. Ahrefs may be the first to push for this level of accuracy in domain authority scoring, but they won’t be the last. Moz’s Domain Authority and SEMrush’s Authority Score have their own methodologies, but all face the same pressure: to fight inflation and maintain trust among SEO professionals.
We expect other tools to follow Ahrefs’ lead by refining their scoring systems and putting greater emphasis on quality, contextual relevance, and editorial trust. For businesses, this is a signal to double down on sustainable SEO practices and treat metrics like DR as helpful guides, not end goals.
Strengthen Your SEO Strategy With TechWyse
If your Domain Rating dropped after Ahrefs’ update, it’s not a failure; it’s a reset. This algorithm change is pushing the SEO industry toward better, cleaner link-building practices. At TechWyse, we help businesses adapt by focusing on long-term authority and content that earns links naturally.
Source: Generated by ChatGPT
Reach out to TechWyse today at (416) 410-7090, email us at info@techwyse.com or click here to get in touch online.
