Which domain should you enter when checking Domain Authority?
Enter the website’s primary domain, such as example.co.uk, without https://, www or any page path. If you are assessing a subdomain separately, enter its complete subdomain instead, such as blog.example.co.uk.
Enter the website’s primary domain when you want to assess the authority of the whole site. Use the registrable domain, such as example.co.uk or example.com, rather than adding https://, www or a page path. For a subdomain that is managed and assessed separately, enter the complete subdomain, such as blog.example.co.uk.
The correct entry depends on what you want the check to represent:
- Entire website: enter the main domain, for example example.co.uk.
- Specific subdomain: enter the full subdomain, for example shop.example.co.uk or blog.example.co.uk, when you need to assess that section independently.
- Individual page: use the page URL only if your checking tool specifically supports page-level authority metrics. A page path is not normally appropriate when checking Domain Authority.
Domain Authority is generally intended to represent the strength of a domain or subdomain based largely on its backlink profile and other link-related signals. It is not the same as the authority of one page. Entering example.co.uk/products may therefore produce an unsuitable result, be rejected by the checker, or be interpreted differently from the main domain.
Leave out the protocol and page elements unless the tool requests a complete URL. In most cases, do not enter:
- https://example.co.uk
- http://example.co.uk
- www.example.co.uk
- example.co.uk/about-us
- example.co.uk?campaign=spring
Use the domain format that represents the canonical version of the website. If the site resolves from both the non-www and www versions, check which version is used as the canonical domain and normally entered in your SEO reporting. The same applies to HTTP and HTTPS: an established website should usually use its HTTPS version as the canonical destination, but the checker may still require only the domain name without the protocol.
Subdomains need more care because they can have different technical setups, content and backlink profiles from the main domain. A blog hosted at blog.example.co.uk may benefit from links pointing to the wider website, but it can also be assessed separately by some authority-checking systems. If you are reviewing the performance of the blog itself, use the subdomain consistently. If you are reporting on the organisation’s main website, use example.co.uk instead.
Country-code domains and multi-part domain endings should also be entered as a complete domain. For example, example.co.uk should not be reduced to co.uk, and example.com.au should be entered in full. The domain should identify the website you own or are comparing, not just its top-level domain ending.
Before recording a result, check that the entry does not redirect to a different domain, duplicate an existing property or include a temporary tracking parameter. Record the exact domain format used, particularly when monitoring results over time. Switching between the main domain, a www version and a subdomain can make separate checks appear inconsistent even when the website itself has not changed.
For the most reliable comparison, use the same scope for every website and every future check. Compare main domains with main domains, or equivalent subdomains with equivalent subdomains. Remember that Domain Authority is a comparative SEO indicator rather than a direct measure of rankings, traffic or business performance, so interpret it alongside relevant backlink, technical SEO and organic visibility information.
When checking Domain Authority for an entire website, enter its primary registrable domain, such as example.co.uk, without the protocol, www prefix or page path. This ensures the result represents the website’s domain rather than a single URL or tracking variation.
Use a complete subdomain, such as blog.example.co.uk, only when that subdomain needs to be assessed separately. For consistent reporting, use the same domain scope each time and avoid switching between the main domain, a subdomain and individual page URLs. A page address such as example.co.uk/about-us is generally not suitable for a Domain Authority check unless the tool explicitly supports page-level metrics.