What is Page Authority?
Learn what Page Authority means, why it matters for search rankings, and how consistent content publishing keeps your business visible in Google.
Definition
Page Authority (PA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific webpage will rank in search results, based on its backlink profile and other factors, scored on a 0-100 scale.
What Is Page Authority?
Page Authority (PA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how likely a specific webpage is to rank in Google search results. It is scored on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate a greater likelihood of ranking well.
Page Authority is specific to individual pages, not entire websites. Your homepage might have a PA of 45 while a new blog post has a PA of 15. Over time, as that blog post earns backlinks, its PA will increase.
Important distinction: Page Authority is a third-party metric created by Moz. It is not a Google metric. Google does not use Page Authority in its ranking algorithm. However, PA correlates strongly with actual rankings because it measures the same signals Google values — primarily the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a page.
How Page Authority Is Calculated
Moz’s Page Authority algorithm uses a machine learning model trained on Google’s search results. It analyzes dozens of factors to predict ranking potential:
Primary factors:
- Total number of linking root domains
- Total number of individual backlinks
- Quality and authority of linking domains
- Quality and authority of linking pages
- Anchor text distribution
- Link freshness (recency of new links)
Secondary factors:
- Social signals (shares, mentions)
- Content relevance and quality
- Internal link structure
- On-page SEO elements
The calculation is logarithmic, meaning it is much harder to move from PA 70 to 80 than from PA 20 to 30. Most pages on the internet score between PA 10 and PA 40.
Page Authority vs. Domain Authority
| Metric | Measures | Scope | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page Authority (PA) | Ranking strength of a single page | Individual URL | Comparing specific pages |
| Domain Authority (DA) | Ranking strength of entire website | Root domain | Comparing websites |
Practical example:
A new blog post on Forbes.com might have a PA of 35 because it has few direct backlinks. But Forbes.com has a DA of 95. The high domain authority helps the new post rank despite its low PA — because Google trusts the domain.
Conversely, a highly linked page on a small blog might have PA 45 even if the domain only has DA 30. That specific page can outrank lower-PA pages on higher-DA sites for targeted keywords.
What Is a Good Page Authority Score?
Page Authority is relative — it should be compared against competitors, not judged in isolation.
| PA Score | Interpretation | Typical Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 0-20 | New or unlinked page | Recently published blog posts, new product pages |
| 20-40 | Average page | Established blog posts, standard service pages |
| 40-60 | Strong page | Popular articles, well-linked guides, category pages |
| 60-80 | Very strong page | Major publications, viral content, industry-defining resources |
| 80-100 | Exceptional page | Wikipedia articles, major news stories, top-ranking definitive guides |
The rule: Your target page should have a PA equal to or higher than the average PA of pages currently ranking in the top 10 for your target keyword.
How to Increase Page Authority
1. Earn High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are the primary driver of Page Authority. Focus on:
- Guest posting on relevant, authoritative sites
- Creating link-worthy content (research, data, tools)
- Digital PR and press outreach
- Broken link building
- Resource page link building
2. Build Internal Links from High-PA Pages
Link from your highest-PA pages to the pages you want to boost. Your homepage likely has the highest PA. Your most popular blog posts are next. Use these as authority sources.
3. Improve Content Quality and Depth
Pages with comprehensive, authoritative content naturally attract more links. Update old content with fresh data, new sections, and improved formatting. Better content earns more backlinks over time.
4. Fix Technical Issues
Pages with slow load times, mobile usability problems, or indexing issues struggle to earn and maintain authority. Fix Core Web Vitals, ensure proper indexing, and resolve crawl errors.
5. Promote Content Actively
Content that sits unpublished earns no links. Share your content on social media, in email newsletters, in industry forums, and with influencers who might link to it.
Page Authority Tools
| Tool | Metric Name | Scale | Data Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moz | Page Authority (PA) | 0-100 | Moz Link Explorer |
| Ahrefs | URL Rating (UR) | 0-100 | Ahrefs backlink index |
| Semrush | Authority Score | 0-100 | Semrush backlink data |
| Majestic | Citation Flow | 0-100 | Majestic backlink index |
Each tool uses its own data and methodology, so scores will differ. Use one tool consistently rather than comparing scores across tools.
Common Page Authority Mistakes
Mistake 1: Obsessing over PA score instead of rankings.
Page Authority is a prediction, not a guarantee. A page with PA 35 can outrank a page with PA 50 if it has better content, stronger relevance, or better user engagement. Use PA as a directional metric, not an absolute one.
Mistake 2: Ignoring PA for inner pages.
Many SEOs track their homepage DA but ignore PA for product pages, service pages, and blog posts. Inner pages are where conversions happen. Track PA for your most important conversion pages.
Mistake 3: Buying links to inflate PA.
Artificially inflated PA from low-quality or paid links does not translate to real rankings. Google detects and ignores manipulative links. Focus on earning genuine, editorial links.
Mistake 4: Not updating content to maintain PA.
Page Authority can decline if a page becomes outdated and stops earning new links. Refresh content regularly to maintain relevance and continue attracting backlinks.
Related Terms
From understanding Page Authority to ranking for it
Understanding Page Authority is the starting point. The businesses that actually benefit from it are the ones consistently publishing SEO content. Not just understanding the concept. Most companies know what they should be doing; the bottleneck is execution. theStacc removes that bottleneck by publishing 30 keyword-optimized articles to your site every month, automatically.
See how theStacc worksRelated Terms
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to a page on your site. Google treats them as votes of confidence. The more high-quality backlinks a.
Domain Authority (DA) is a Moz metric predicting how likely a domain is to rank in search results. Learn how DA is calculated, what's a good score, and.
Link building is the practice of getting other websites to link back to your site. These backlinks act as votes of confidence that tell Google your.
Link equity is the ranking value passed from one page to another through hyperlinks. It's a core component of how Google determines page authority and.
Build rankings around terms like "Page Authority". Automatically
30 keyword-optimized articles published to your site every month. Rankings compound while you focus on your business.
Start Your $1 Trial$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime