Page Authority

Page Authority

Page Authority (PA) is a score developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific page will rank in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Similar to Domain Authority, PA values range from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater ranking potential. For SEO teams, PA offers a quick, comparable signal of competitive strength at the URL level.

How Page Authority differs from Domain Authority

While the two metrics share a common methodology, they answer different questions. Page Authority focuses on a single URL, whereas Domain Authority describes the strength of an entire domain. Understanding both is essential for a balanced SEO strategy.

• Scope: PA measures the ranking strength of a single page, while Domain Authority measures the overall strength of an entire domain.
• Specificity: PA is more useful when evaluating the ranking potential of individual pieces of content.
• Backlink focus: PA is heavily influenced by the backlink profile pointing specifically to that page.

How Moz calculates Page Authority

Moz computes PA on a logarithmic 0-to-100 scale using machine learning models trained against Google ranking data. The algorithm weighs dozens of link-based features, including the quantity and quality of referring domains, anchor distribution, and the trust signals of linking pages. Because the scale is logarithmic, moving from 20 to 30 is far easier than moving from 70 to 80.

Using Page Authority in your SEO workflow

PA is a tactical metric that supports decisions across content, outreach, and competitive analysis. Treat it as a directional signal rather than a target in itself.

1. Content evaluation: Identify which pages on your site carry the strongest ranking potential and prioritise them for refreshes.
2. Competitive analysis: Compare your URLs to competing pages for specific keywords to gauge the link gap.
3. Link prospecting: Assess the value of potential link opportunities before investing outreach time.

Page Authority versus URL Rating

Moz's PA is often compared to URL Rating from Ahrefs. Both metrics estimate the ranking strength of a single URL, but they use different crawlers, link indexes, and weighting models. Cross-checking PA with URL Rating reduces the bias of relying on a single tool. If both metrics agree, your confidence in the assessment should be higher.

How to improve Page Authority

PA grows when a page earns high-quality backlinks from trusted, topically relevant domains. The fastest path is content that deserves links: original research, definitive guides, or proprietary data sets. Internal links from your strongest pages also help distribute authority to priority URLs.

Common mistakes when interpreting Page Authority

Teams often treat PA as an absolute target. It is a relative, third-party metric and is not used directly by Google. PA can be skewed by unnatural link patterns, sudden index updates, or thin sample sizes for new URLs. Always pair PA with organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion data before drawing conclusions.

Use Page Authority alongside other SEO signals such as content quality, technical health, and user experience for a complete view of ranking potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Page Authority (PA) and how does it work?

Page Authority (PA) is a score developed by Moz.

The score is designed to predict how a web page will rank in the search engine results pages (SERPs). PA uses a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, where higher values indicate stronger ranking ability. The algorithm considers many factors, including link structure, referring domain quality, and content signals.

Review your PA regularly so you can adjust your SEO strategy with confidence.

How can I improve the Page Authority (PA) of my web pages?

To improve Page Authority (PA), focus on building high-quality backlinks.

PA is influenced by the number and quality of incoming links. Concentrate on earning links from trusted, topically relevant sources, and publish content that genuinely deserves to be cited. Strong internal linking from your most authoritative pages also lifts the PA of priority URLs.

Optimise your link-building strategy continuously to grow your PA over time.

Why is Page Authority (PA) important for SEO?

Page Authority (PA) is important because it predicts a page's potential to rank in the SERPs.

A higher PA value can mean better placement in search results, which translates into more visibility and traffic. Moz developed PA so that site owners and SEO teams have a benchmark to evaluate performance. PA acts as an indicator of how strong a page is compared to its competitors.

Use PA as one component of your broader SEO analysis.

How does Page Authority (PA) differ from Domain Authority (DA)?

Page Authority (PA) refers to individual pages, while Domain Authority (DA) evaluates the entire domain.

PA measures the ability of a specific URL to rank in the SERPs, whereas DA looks at the strength of the whole domain. Both metrics come from Moz and use similar methodologies, but they answer different questions. PA is useful when optimising single pages; DA reflects the overall authority of the website.

Analyse both values together for a complete SEO strategy.

What problems can occur when interpreting Page Authority (PA)?

A common problem is overrating PA as a standalone SEO indicator.

PA is a useful metric, but it should never be viewed in isolation. Content quality, user experience, and technical SEO are equally critical for ranking. PA can also be distorted by unnatural link practices, which can lead to a misleading view of real SEO performance.

Combine PA with other metrics for a holistic view of your ranking potential.

Last updated: 8. May 2026