What Is Page Authority? How Do I Influence Page Authority?

Written by Miriam Ellis, edited by Jo Cameron, November 18, 2024

Page Authority (PA) is a score developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific web page will rank on search engine result pages (SERP). Page Authority scores range from one to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater ability to rank.

Page Authority is based on data from our web index and takes into account dozens of factors. Like Domain Authority® (DA), it uses a machine learning model to identify the algorithm that best correlates with rankings across the thousands of SERPs that we predict against, then produces Page Authority scores using that specific calculation.

You can find the PA of any page on your website for free. Go to Moz Link Explorer and enter the website address of any page you want to explore. In the above example, we're entering the URL of the men's clothing page on Patagonia.com. Click the button next to the search box. If you've not yet created a free Moz community account, you'll be prompted to do so, and once you've signed in, you'll be able to quickly receive useful data like this from Link Explorer on any URL you enter.

For more advanced client pitching and prospecting, Moz Pro provides a Domain Overview tool that enables you to compare other authority metrics like Domain Authority and Brand Authority™ so you can see the complete story of a website's ranking capabilities and online reach. Sign up for a free trial to get started.

Explore all the authority metrics with Domain Overview in Moz Pro

Moz’s Page Authority on a 100-point logarithmic scale. Meaning it is significantly easier to grow your score from 20 to 30 than it is to grow from 70 to 80. We constantly update the algorithm used to calculate Page Authority, so you may see your score fluctuate from time to time.

PA takes dozens of factors into account, including but not limited to:

• linking URLs
• linking root domains
• linking subdomains
• MozTrust + MozRank
• followed links
• nofollowed links
• link anchor text distribution
• 301 and 302 status
• new vs. old links
• top level domains (TLDs)
• domain names
• branded mentions
• Spam Score
• and many other factors

Improving the link profile is a vital strategy for enhancing a page's authority, which in turn can positively impact other key performance indicators like keyword ranking and organic traffic.

As is clearly seen from this partial list, PA is a link-centric metric.

Page Authority has value as a metric for seeing opportunities, researching competitors, measuring growth over time, and comparing one page against another. Like all SEO metrics, there are many use cases in which having a score can help you establish a baseline, engage in an action, and then see if it has produced the desired result. A high page authority score is crucial for marketers as it serves as a reliable indicator of a page's potential visibility in search engine results, correlating with increased website traffic and improved brand credibility. Over time, repeating this process can help you prove the value of your work to your organization or clients and help you create a strategy that prioritizes actions that produce meaningful gains.

More technically speaking, Page Authority is calculated in the same way as Domain Authority but at the individual page level. It is based on data from our robust Link Explorer web index and includes link counts and dozens of other factors (more than 40 in total).

It's important to know that PA does not take into consideration specific on-page elements like keyword use or content optimization.

Like Domain Authority and Brand Authority, Page Authority is calculated using a machine learning algorithm and will fluctuate as the data fed into the algorithm changes. For this reason, it's best to use Page Authority as a relative metric to compare against other pages rather than an absolute value "scoring" the rankability of any one page.

This frequently asked question is an important one. Because of how Page Authority is calculated, it’s best used as a comparative metric (rather than an absolute, concrete score) when doing research in the search results and determining which pages may have more powerful or important link profiles than others. Because it’s a comparative tool, there isn’t necessarily a “good” or “bad” Page Authority score.

A good page authority score typically ranges from 30 to 70, depending on industry competition, and is essential for understanding a page's ranking potential in search engines.
But we can arrive at a more practical answer to this common question by considering three of the main scenarios in which you’d be researching PA.

There may be many times in which you'll want to know the authority of a specific page, but these are three of the commonest scenarios:

PA in competitive research

You will frequently look at the PA of a competitor's page to predict how your page might perform against it. Logically, your goal here will be to learn how high the PA of your own page must become to match and surpass the metrics of the competitor.

However, the actual numbers will be different for every case based on your unique competitive scenario. Therefore, rather than aiming to earn a specific PA authority number as though your page exists in a vacuum, it's a better goal to look at the PA of a page against which you're competing to get a sense of where your own number should be. The page you're competing against could have a PA of 10, or 50, or 70!

PA in link research

Again, the actual numbers will vary, but PA can help you determine whether it will be more valuable to earn a link from one page vs. another. For example, if your organization had sponsored an event, and the event host offered you the chance of being featured and linked to from a page on their website with a PA of 49 or a page with a PA of 91, in most cases, you'd opt for the latter.

By this same token, PA can help you prioritize which pages across multiple websites to prioritize in your link building outreach. If site A doesn't have any pages with a PA higher than 15 but site B has multiple pages with a PA above 50, chances are, you'd make the earring a link from site B more of a priority on your to-do list.

PA can also help you with your internal linking prioritization. Let's say your organization has just launched a new guide and you need to find the strongest pages on your own website from which to link to it. Knowing the PA of your own pages will help you estimate which pages can convey the most authority to a newly-published asset.

PA in reporting

If you are an SEO or marketer or an in-house employee, including PA in your reporting can help decision-makers understand the results of your efforts. If you're tasked with building inbound links or improving internal linking practices, Moz Link Explorer and other Moz Pro tools that track PA can show how your work is, resulting in a gradual, month-over-month increase in this metric over time. It can also help you pinpoint drops in PA for troubleshooting, as in the event of having lost links from a particular source. Again, do bear in mind that fluctuations in actual numbers are expected due to the machine learning process, but over time, tracking PA can help you demonstrate growth

No, PA is not an acknowledged Google search engine ranking factor. While it is the business of SEOs to speculate on factors that appear to influence positioning in the search engine results, only Google is privy to all of the metrics that make up its algorithms. As mentioned above, PA is a metric invented by Moz – not a factor created or acknowledged by Google or any other search engine.

Consumers of SEO software should practice caution when encountering products that claim to have definitively identified a search engine ranking factor or that promise any type of guaranteed results. Legitimate SEO observes patterns of factors that appear to positively or negatively influence search engine visibility, but only Google knows its own algorithms and controls its own SERPs.

That being said, many of the link-based factors that are the foundation of the Page Authority metric have long been considered among the top factors that impact search engine rank. Meanwhile Google’s own representatives regularly speak about the degree to which links do and don’t impact rankings, which is an acknowledgement that aspects of links do play a role in SERP visibility. Thus, metrics like PA can be said to be measuring factors which Google has shared are included in their algorithms. 

Whereas Page Authority measures the predictive ranking strength of a single page, Domain Authority measures the strength of entire domains or subdomains. The metrics are, however, calculated using the same methodology — so in many ways, they're more alike than they are different.

In the Moz ecosystem, you can check Domain Authority using Link Explorer, MozBar, Moz's free SEO toolbar, or the SERP Analysis section of Keyword Explorer. Authority metrics are also incorporated into all Moz Pro campaigns, 

Moz's Page Authority is incorporated into dozens of SEO and online marketing platforms across the web to integrate SEO insights into wider digital marketing dashboards. If you're playing around with creating a dashboard, you can start using Moz's API, which includes a range of endpoints like backlink metrics, keywords, and more!

Page Authority is a holistic score that is difficult to influence directly. It is made up of an aggregate of metrics that each impact the score. This multi-factorial dependence is intentional: Since Google takes many factors into account when ranking a page, a metric that tries to calculate it must incorporate many factors as well.

The best way to influence a page's Authority is to improve its link profile. This can be accomplished by getting external links from other high-authority pages, which in turn act as "votes of confidence" for the authority of your page. The Linking Domains section of Moz Link Explorer will help you discover which domains and pages are currently linking to a page on your site, and you can use this same tool to plug in the page of a competitor to discover the most authoritative sources linking to it, helping you create a plan for earning more links from stronger pages over time.

Content optimization

Content optimization is a crucial factor in improving Page Authority. It involves creating high-quality, engaging, and informative content that resonates with your target audience. Here are some tips for optimizing your content:

• Conduct thorough keyword research: Identify relevant and high-traffic keywords that your audience is searching for. Use these keywords strategically throughout your content to improve its visibility in search engine results.
• Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.): Structure your content with header tags to highlight important keywords and make it easier for both users and search engines to navigate.
• Optimize your meta title and description: Ensure your meta title and description accurately reflect the content of your page and entice users to click through from search engine results pages.
• Use descriptive and keyword-rich alt tags for images: Improve your image search visibility by using alt tags that describe the image and include relevant keywords.
• Create high-quality, engaging, and informative content: Focus on providing value to your target audience with well-researched and well-written content.
• Use internal linking: Help users and search engines navigate your website by linking to related content within your site.

By optimizing your content, you can improve your Page Authority and increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results.

Link building

Link building is another critical factor in improving Page Authority. It involves acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites to increase your page’s authority and ranking potential. Here are some tips for building high-quality backlinks:

• Focus on acquiring links from authoritative websites: Target websites with high Domain Authority and Page Authority scores to boost your page’s authority.
• Use guest blogging and content marketing: Write guest posts for relevant and high-quality websites in your niche to earn valuable backlinks.
• Participate in online communities and forums: Engage with online communities related to your niche to build relationships and acquire links.
• Use resource pages and linkable assets: Create valuable resources and linkable assets that other websites will want to link to.
• Avoid buying links or participating in link schemes: These practices can harm your Page Authority and lead to penalties from search engines.

By building high-quality backlinks, you can improve your Page Authority and increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results.

Page Authority score is influenced by a variety of factors, including:

• Domain Authority: The authority of the domain on which the page is hosted plays a significant role in determining the Page Authority score.
• Inbound links: The number and quality of links pointing to the page are crucial factors. High-quality backlinks from authoritative sites can significantly boost your Page Authority.
• Content quality: The relevance, usefulness, and engagement of the page’s content are essential. High-quality content that meets user intent can improve your authority score.
• Page structure: The organization and structure of the page’s content, including the use of header tags and internal links, can impact the Page Authority score.
• User experience: Factors such as page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and overall user experience are important. A positive user experience can enhance your Page Authority.
• Social signals: The page’s social media presence and engagement can also influence its authority score. Social shares and interactions can indicate the content’s popularity and relevance.
• Spam factors: The presence of spammy or low-quality content on the page can negatively affect the Page Authority score. It’s important to maintain high standards of content quality and avoid spammy practices.

By understanding these factors, you can optimize your page to improve its Page Authority score and increase its ranking potential.

Measuring and tracking Page Authority is crucial to understanding your page’s performance and identifying areas for improvement. Here are some tools and metrics to help you measure and track Page Authority:

• Moz’s MozBar or Link Explorer: You can view your Page Authority score directly on MozBar or in app through Link Explorer. It povides a score from 1 to 100 indicating the page’s authority. Use these tool to track changes in your Page Authority score over time.
• Google Analytics: Provides data on page views, bounce rate, and average session duration. Use this data to understand user behavior and identify areas for improvement.
• Google Search Console: Provides data on search engine rankings, impressions, and clicks. This tool can help you track your page’s performance in search engine results pages.

By tracking these metrics, you can gain insights into your page’s performance and identify areas for improvement to increase its Page Authority score.

When reporting on Page Authority, it’s essential to provide context and insights to help stakeholders understand the data. Here are some best practices for reporting on Page Authority:

• Provide a clear explanation of Page Authority and its importance: Ensure stakeholders understand what Page Authority is and why it matters for SEO and ranking potential.
• Include a graph or chart to visualize the page’s Page Authority score over time: Visual representations can make it easier to understand trends and changes in the Page Authority score.
• Highlight changes in Page Authority and provide insights into the causes of these changes: Explain any significant fluctuations in the score and what factors may have contributed to these changes.
• Compare the page’s Page Authority score to industry benchmarks or competitors: Provide context by comparing your page’s score to those of competitors or industry standards.
• Provide recommendations for improving Page Authority based on the data: Offer actionable insights and strategies for increasing the Page Authority score.
• Use clear and concise language to explain the data and insights: Ensure your report is easy to understand and free of jargon.

By following these best practices, you can create informative and actionable reports that help stakeholders understand the importance of Page Authority and make data-driven decisions to improve it.

Page Authority depends on many factors and can fluctuate for a wide range of reasons. The “Why did my Authority change?” section here provides more information about why page authority changes and a model for interpreting those fluctuations.