Page Authority (PA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific webpage will rank in search results. It uses a logarithmic 0-100 scale based primarily on the page's backlink profile. PA is not a Google ranking factor — it's a third-party metric that correlates with ranking performance because it measures signals Google actually values.
Page Authority answers a specific question: if two pages compete for the same keyword and their content quality is equal, which one ranks higher? The one with more and better backlinks — which PA is designed to approximate. Understanding PA helps you prioritize link-building efforts and evaluate competitive landscape before targeting a keyword.
What is Page Authority?
Page Authority is a proprietary metric developed by Moz to predict how likely an individual page is to rank in Google search results. Unlike Domain Authority (which scores entire websites), PA scores a single URL — meaning the homepage of Forbes.com and a new blog post on Forbes.com have different PA scores.
PA is calculated by Moz's machine learning model, trained on Google's actual search results. The model identifies what distinguishes pages that rank from pages that don't, with backlink quality and quantity being the dominant factors.
Google does not use Page Authority in its algorithm. PA is a Moz metric. However, it correlates strongly with actual rankings because it measures backlink signals that Google does use — specifically the quality and quantity of external links pointing to the page.
Why Page Authority matters for SEO strategy
PA matters most for two decisions: keyword targeting and link-building prioritization.
- Keyword competition assessment. Before targeting a keyword, check the average PA of pages ranking in the top 10. If they average PA 60 and your target page has PA 15, you're significantly outgunned — either build more links first, or target less competitive keywords.
- Link-building prioritization. When deciding which pages to build links to, pages that are close to ranking (PA near competitors') need fewer additional links than pages starting from scratch.
- Internal link equity distribution. If you have high-PA pages on your site, strategic internal links from those pages can pass authority to newer, lower-PA pages and accelerate their ranking potential.
- Content ROI evaluation. A page with high PA but low organic traffic is likely ranking for the wrong keywords or missing on-page optimization — the authority is there, the targeting is off.
- Competitive intelligence. Knowing competitor page PA scores helps you estimate how much link-building effort a specific ranking position will require.
How Page Authority is calculated
Moz uses machine learning trained on Google's actual search results. The model analyses dozens of factors, with backlinks as the dominant signal:
| Factor type | Specific signals | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Backlink profile | Total linking root domains, individual backlinks, domain quality of linkers | Primary — highest weight |
| Link quality | Authority of linking pages, relevance of linking domains, anchor text distribution | Primary — high weight |
| Link freshness | Age of backlinks, rate of new link acquisition | Secondary |
| On-page signals | Content quality, internal link structure, page-level SEO | Secondary |
| Social signals | Social shares and engagement (weighted low) | Minor |
The logarithmic scale means advancement becomes progressively harder. Getting from PA 20 to PA 30 requires significantly less link equity than getting from PA 70 to PA 80. Most pages on the internet score between 10 and 40.
Page Authority vs Domain Authority — what's the difference?
These two metrics measure different things and should be used for different decisions.
Page Authority (PA)
- Measures a single URL's ranking strength
- Varies page-by-page on the same domain
- A new Forbes post might have PA 35
- Use for: keyword competition, link target selection
- Increases when the specific page earns backlinks
Domain Authority (DA)
- Measures the entire domain's ranking strength
- Same score for all pages on the domain
- Forbes.com might have DA 95 across all pages
- Use for: domain-level link prospecting, overall site health
- Increases when the domain earns backlinks across many pages
What is a good Page Authority score?
PA is relative — what counts as "good" depends on who you're competing against. The only number that matters is whether your PA is competitive with the pages currently ranking for your target keyword.
| PA range | Interpretation | Typical situation |
|---|---|---|
| 0-20 | New or unlinked | Freshly published pages, no backlinks yet |
| 20-40 | Average | Most content pages on established sites |
| 40-60 | Strong | Well-linked pages on authoritative sites |
| 60-80 | Very strong | Widely cited resources and major publisher pages |
| 80-100 | Exceptional | Wikipedia entries, major news homepages, viral content |
The practical rule: your target page's PA should equal or exceed the average PA of pages in the top 10 for your keyword. If they average PA 45, you need at least PA 40-45 to compete on link authority alone.
How to increase Page Authority
PA increases when your page earns more high-quality backlinks. Five strategies that work:
- Earn high-quality backlinks. Guest posts on relevant industry sites, digital PR (getting cited by journalists), broken link building (replacing dead links with your content), and resource page link building are the highest-reliability methods.
- Use internal links from high-PA pages. Your site likely has pages with much higher PA than the page you're trying to rank. A contextual internal link from a PA 55 page passes measurable authority to a PA 20 page.
- Improve content depth and quality. Pages that answer questions comprehensively earn more unsolicited backlinks. High-quality, citable content attracts links without active outreach.
- Fix technical crawl issues. Pages with slow load times, mobile usability problems, or crawl errors can't benefit fully from their backlink profiles. Fix technical foundations first.
- Promote content actively. Share on social media, email newsletters, industry forums, and relevant communities. Promotion drives awareness, which drives unsolicited links and PA growth over time.
Many SEOs focus on improving their PA score in isolation — going from PA 25 to PA 35 and calling it progress. The correct benchmark is your competitors' PA for a specific keyword. If you're targeting a keyword where the top 10 pages average PA 55, going from PA 25 to PA 35 hasn't changed your competitive position at all. Always evaluate PA relative to the competition for your specific target keyword.
Common Page Authority mistakes to avoid
- Prioritizing PA over actual rankings — PA predicts, it doesn't guarantee. Pages with lower PA sometimes outrank higher-PA pages because of better content relevance.
- Ignoring PA of inner pages — most conversions happen on product, service, and landing pages, not the homepage. These inner pages need their own PA building strategy.
- Purchasing links to inflate PA — Google detects and ignores manipulative links. Paid links often don't improve PA and risk manual penalties.
- Comparing PA across tools — Moz's PA, Ahrefs' URL Rating, and Semrush's Authority Score use different methodologies. Never compare a PA from Moz to a UR from Ahrefs — use one tool consistently.
- Letting high-PA pages become outdated — pages lose PA when backlinks are removed. Maintain content quality on your highest-PA pages to preserve their earned authority.
Frequently asked questions
No. Page Authority measures the ranking strength of an individual page. Domain Authority measures the overall ranking strength of an entire website. A page on a high-DA site may have low PA if it has few backlinks, while a page on a lower-DA site may have high PA if it has earned many quality links.
No. Page Authority is a Moz proprietary metric, not a Google ranking factor. Google does not use PA in its algorithm. However, PA correlates with actual rankings because it measures backlink quality and quantity — signals that Google does use.
Page Authority is relative, not absolute. A good score depends on your competition. As a general guide: 0-20 is new or unlinked pages, 20-40 is average, 40-60 is strong, 60-80 is very strong, 80-100 is exceptional. The practical rule: your target page's PA should equal or exceed the average PA of pages ranking in the top 10 for your keyword.
Page Authority increases primarily through earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative domains. You can also boost it by building internal links from high-PA pages on your own site, improving content quality and depth, fixing technical issues affecting crawlability, and actively promoting content to earn earned links.
Page Authority uses a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. Each point higher on the PA scale requires proportionally more link equity than the previous point. Getting from PA 20 to 30 might require 10 solid backlinks. Getting from PA 70 to 80 might require 10x the number of similarly strong backlinks because you're competing with the most-linked pages on the internet.