Page Authority: What It Means in SEO and How to Improve Your Score

Building a strong online presence revolves heavily around search engine optimization (SEO). Within SEO, Page Authority (PA) is a vital concept that determines a page's ranking potential in search engine results. But what exactly is Page Authority, and how can improving it propel your website up the search rankings?

This comprehensive guide explores what Page Authority means, the factors behind its calculation, and actionable strategies to improve your score. By the end of this blog, you'll understand how to leverage PA to achieve better visibility and traffic for your site.

What Is Page Authority?

Page Authority (PA) measures the likelihood of a specific webpage ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s scored on a scale from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a stronger chance of ranking well. Developed by Moz—a leading SEO software company—PA uses a range of factors to predict ranking potential, including the number and quality of linking domains, the quantity and relevance of backlinks, and the overall quality of the page content.

Think of Page Authority as a numerical reflection of a page’s SEO strength. The higher the PA score, the more likely the page is to rank prominently on SERPs, making it an important factor for driving organic traffic. However, it's worth noting that PA isn't a direct ranking factor used by search engines like Google. Instead, it’s a predictive tool that provides insights into how well a page is optimized in comparison to competitors. A higher PA score often equates to stronger rankings, increased visibility, and more opportunities to attract visitors to your site.

How Does Page Authority Differ From PageRank?

You might have heard of Google's PageRank, one of the original algorithms used to rank websites back in the early days of search engines. It was a revolutionary concept, designed to determine the importance of a webpage by analyzing the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to it. PageRank essentially evaluates how authoritative or credible a page is based on the links it receives, with higher-quality backlinks carrying more weight.

On the other hand, PA is a third-party metric created by Moz, offering a more comprehensive perspective on a webpage’s ability to rank. Unlike PageRank, which predominantly focuses on backlinks, PA evaluates a variety of SEO factors. These include content relevance, domain relevance, user engagement metrics, and even the overall link profile of the page. By considering multiple dimensions of SEO, PA provides a broader and more dynamic assessment of how well a page is likely to perform in search results.

While both metrics aim to measure a page’s ranking potential, their methods and scopes are quite different. PageRank relies heavily on Google’s proprietary algorithms and focuses on link-based authority, whereas Page Authority provides a multi-faceted view of SEO performance. Understanding the distinction between these two metrics can help guide your SEO efforts, allowing you to focus on building not just strong backlinks but also creating relevant, engaging content and a high-quality user experience. A successful SEO strategy requires balancing these elements to ensure your pages rank effectively in today’s competitive search environment.

How Is Page Authority Determined?

Page Authority is calculated using a complex algorithm that considers several key factors. At its core, PA is based on the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a page. High-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant domains carry more weight and can significantly boost a page's PA score. Simply put, not all links are created equal—links from trusted, industry-relevant websites are far more valuable than those from low-quality or spammy sources.

Aside from backlinks, Moz's algorithm also analyzes other metrics, such as the overall link profile of the page, which includes factors like the diversity of linking domains and the distribution of no-follow versus do-follow links. 

Additionally, the relevance and quality of the content on the page, user engagement signals like time spent on the page, and overall site structure can all contribute indirectly to a page’s PA calculation.

It’s important to note that PA is a comparative, rather than absolute, metric. Your page’s score should be measured relative to competitor pages targeting the same search terms. This makes PA a valuable tool for assessing and improving your competitive edge in search rankings, but steady efforts in SEO best practices are still required to enhance and maintain a strong Page Authority score over time.

What Defines a “Good” Page Authority Score?

Page Authority (PA) scores range from 1 to 100, but what qualifies as a "good" score depends heavily on the context of your industry and competitors. PA is a metric developed by Moz to predict how well a specific page is likely to rank on search engines, and it’s influenced by factors like the quality and quantity of backlinks, the page’s content, and other SEO elements. For example:

• A new website with minimal backlinks might have a PA of 10 to 20. This is completely normal for beginners just starting out, as building authority takes time and consistent effort.
• A well-established business with a strong backlink profile and regular high-quality content might range between 50 and 60. This shows a solid foundation and steady growth in terms of authority.
• Top-ranking pages, especially from authoritative domains like Wikipedia or major news outlets, often score in the 80s or 90s due to their consistent high-quality backlinks, age, and massive trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines.

Image Source: AgencyAnalytics

Rather than striving for a perfect score of 100 (which is rare and often unnecessary), focus on improving your PA incrementally, particularly in relation to your direct competitors within your niche. Analyze their scores and strategies to identify areas for improvement, such as better content, stronger backlinks, or optimizing your on-page SEO. Over time, these efforts will help you climb the rankings and establish your authority in your specific market.

How to Boost Your Page Authority Score?

Improving Page Authority doesn’t happen overnight, but with consistent effort, you can make significant progress. Here’s how:

1. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Earning backlinks from reputable websites is essential for improving your Page Authority (PA). Focus on strategies like guest blogging, collaborating with industry influencers, forming strategic partnerships, and creating highly shareable, value-driven content that naturally attracts links. Think about producing data-driven reports, infographics, or expert roundups that compel others to link back to your site. The more authoritative the linking site, the stronger the impact on your PA.

2. Optimize On-Page SEO

On-page SEO plays a huge role in how search engines view your content. Make sure your page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and images are optimized with relevant keywords that align with user intent. Use descriptive alt text for images and ensure that your content is structured in a way that’s easy to read and scannable, using bullet points, subheadings, and short paragraphs. This not only enhances user experience but also helps search engines better understand your content, indirectly boosting your PA.

3. Focus on Content Quality

High-quality, in-depth content is the foundation of authority. Create long-form articles, guides, and resources that offer actionable insights and solve problems for your audience. Content that is unique, well-researched, and valuable is more likely to be shared and linked to by others. Additionally, make it a point to regularly update your existing content to ensure it stays relevant and accurate. Fresh content signals to search engines that your website is active and reliable.

4. Strengthen Internal Links

Internal linking is a powerful yet often underutilized SEO strategy. Use links to strategically distribute Page Authority across your website by connecting high-traffic pages to those you want to rank higher. For example, link evergreen content or blog posts that perform well to product or service pages you want to promote. A well-thought-out internal linking structure not only improves site navigation for users but also helps search engines prioritize your most important pages.

5. Improve Site Performance

Website performance plays a critical role in both user experience and SEO rankings. Ensure your site loads quickly by optimizing images, reducing server response times, and enabling browser caching. Make your site mobile-friendly to cater to the growing number of users browsing via smartphones and tablets, and prioritize secure HTTPS connections to protect user data. These technical improvements not only build trust with visitors but also signal to search engines that your site is reliable.

6. Minimize Spammy Links

Not all backlinks are beneficial. Spammy or irrelevant links can harm your site’s credibility and lower your PA score. Regularly audit your backlink profile using tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console. Identify toxic or low-quality links and remove them, or use Google’s Disavow Tool to prevent them from affecting your authority.

A clean and healthy backlink profile ensures that your website remains trustworthy in the eyes of search engines.

By combining these strategies—earning quality backlinks, optimizing SEO, creating exceptional content, using smart internal links, improving site performance, and cleaning up spammy links—you’ll see steady, long-term improvements in your Page Authority score. Remember, building authority takes time, so consistency and effort are key.

Why Might Page Authority Change?

It’s normal to see fluctuations in your PA score over time. Here are some reasons it might change:

• New Algorithm Updates: Moz frequently updates its Page Authority (PA) model to better reflect the latest SEO trends and search engine algorithms. These updates can result in fluctuations across all websites, even if your site's performance remains unchanged.
• Competitor Growth: If your competitors are actively improving their SEO strategies, such as acquiring more high-quality backlinks or publishing new, engaging content, this can influence your PA positioning. Their growth may outpace yours, lowering your ranking in comparison.
• Backlink Changes: Backlinks play a crucial role in determining PA. Losing high-quality backlinks from reputable sources or gaining backlinks from spammy, low-quality sites can negatively impact your authority score. Regularly monitoring your backlink profile is essential to maintaining PA.
• Content Decay: Pages that become outdated, irrelevant, or experience declining traffic over time tend to lose authority. To combat this, consider updating older content, optimizing it for current trends, and promoting it to regain engagement.

Regularly tracking your score and identifying trends can help you stay ahead of potential issues.

Exploring the Three Levels of Authority in SEO

Authority in SEO isn’t limited to individual pages—it extends across multiple levels of a website. To build a strong foundation for your SEO strategy, it’s essential to understand and optimize the following three levels of authority:

1. Page Authority (PA)

Page Authority refers to the ranking potential of an individual page on your website. It’s influenced by factors like the quality of the content, the number of backlinks pointing to the page, keyword optimization, and user engagement metrics such as time on page and bounce rate. A well-optimized page with high authority is more likely to rank higher in search results and drive organic traffic.

2. Domain Authority (DA)

Domain Authority reflects the overall ranking potential of an entire domain or website. Key factors include the domain’s age, the number and quality of backlinks, and the website’s overall reputation and trustworthiness. A good Domain Authority means your site is more likely to rank well across multiple pages, not just individual ones. Building a strong DA requires consistent effort, from creating high-quality content to earning backlinks from reputable sources.

3. Link Authority

Link Authority focuses on the quality and relevance of specific backlinks pointing to your domain or individual pages. Not all backlinks are created equal—links from reputable, high-authority websites hold more value than those from low-quality or irrelevant sources. Additionally, the context of the link matters; backlinks from websites within your niche or industry carry more weight for SEO. Strong Link Authority can enhance both your Page and Domain Authority.

By understanding and optimizing all three levels—Page Authority, Domain Authority, and Link Authority—you can create a comprehensive and effective SEO strategy. This holistic approach will enable your website to perform better in search rankings, attract more traffic, and ultimately support your growth goals.

What Sets Page Authority Apart from Domain Authority?

While closely related, Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA) serve distinct yet complementary purposes in the world of SEO. PA evaluates the ranking potential of an individual webpage, taking into account factors like the quality and quantity of links pointing to that specific page. On the other hand, DA measures the overall authority of an entire website, reflecting its likelihood of ranking higher in search engine results based on factors like the domain’s overall backlink profile, age, and trustworthiness.

Image Source: Outreach Monks

For example:

• A newer page on a highly trusted site with strong DA may initially have a low PA. However, as it earns backlinks and builds its own credibility over time, its PA will grow.
• Conversely, a single page with exceptional backlinks and optimized content could achieve a high PA, even if the website’s overall DA is average or lower.

Both metrics are critical in understanding how well a website or page might perform in search rankings. While DA provides a broad overview of a website's standing, PA offers a zoomed-in look at the ranking potential of specific content. To gain a complete picture of your SEO performance and opportunities for improvement, it’s crucial to analyze both metrics together.

What Is Link Authority and Why It Matters?

Link Authority refers to the value and influence of the links pointing to your domain or individual pages. It assesses the quality, relevance, and trustworthiness of those links, rather than just the quantity. High-Authority links, such as those coming from reputable, well-established websites in your industry, carry more weight with search engines and can significantly improve your website’s ranking potential.

Link Authority matters because it directly impacts both Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA). Search engines perceive links from authoritative sources as votes of confidence in your content. The better the source of a backlink, the more credibility and trust your website builds, which, in turn, enhances its ability to rank higher in search engine results. For instance, a link from a trusted news site or an industry-leading blog can boost your authority more than dozens of links from low-quality, unrelated sites.

Additionally, Link Authority plays a key role in driving targeted traffic. Links from relevant, highly regarded websites often lead to visitors who are genuinely interested in your content or offerings. This can increase engagement, reduce bounce rates, and even drive conversions, making Link Authority a vital component of an effective SEO strategy. To build strong Link Authority, focus on earning links naturally through high-quality, valuable content and fostering relationships within your industry.

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Improve and Analyze Your Page Authority Today

Page Authority is critical for achieving long-term SEO success, but improving it requires dedicated effort. Begin by analyzing your PA using tools like Moz or Ahrefs, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing the actionable strategies covered in this guide.

Ultimately, boosting Page Authority isn’t just about reaching an arbitrary score—it’s about creating high-quality, trustworthy content that resonates with both search engines and users.