What Is Authority Score?
Definition
Authority Score is a compound metric developed by Semrush that measures a domain's overall quality and SEO performance on a scale of 0 to 100. It combines backlink data, organic search traffic, and spam signals into a single number.
How Authority Score is calculated
Semrush's Authority Score uses a machine learning algorithm that weighs three main categories:
- Link power – the number and quality of backlinks and referring domains.
- Organic traffic – estimated monthly search visits and keyword rankings.
- Spam factors – signals that indicate whether a site's link profile looks natural or manipulative.
Unlike Domain Authority, which focuses primarily on links, Authority Score blends traffic data in, giving a broader view of a domain's health.
Authority Score vs. DA vs. DR
| Metric | Provider | Scale | Key inputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authority Score | Semrush | 0–100 | Links + traffic + spam signals |
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | 1–100 | Link quantity and quality |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | 0–100 | Backlink profile strength |
No single metric is "best." Many SEO professionals cross-reference all three to get a fuller picture of a website's authority.
Which SEO tool provides the Authority Score metric?
Correct! Authority Score is Semrush's metric. Moz uses Domain Authority and Ahrefs uses Domain Rating.
Authority Score is a Semrush metric. The other tools have their own equivalents: Moz has Domain Authority and Ahrefs has Domain Rating.
What is a good Authority Score?
| Score range | What it typically means |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | New or very low-traffic websites |
| 21–40 | Small businesses and growing blogs |
| 41–60 | Established sites with solid traffic and links |
| 61–80 | Highly authoritative domains |
| 81–100 | Major brands and top news outlets |
What makes Authority Score different from Domain Authority?
Right! Authority Score is broader than DA because it blends link data with organic traffic estimates and spam detection, giving a more holistic view of domain quality.
Authority Score combines three inputs: backlink strength, organic traffic data, and spam signals. This makes it broader than DA (which focuses mainly on links). Neither is an official Google metric.
How to improve your Authority Score
- Build high-quality backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites through link building and digital PR.
- Grow organic traffic by publishing helpful content that ranks for real search queries.
- Clean up spammy links using a disavow file to distance yourself from toxic referring domains.
- Focus on topical relevance. Links from sites in your niche carry more weight than random directories.
Build authority with real mentions
MentionAgent gets your product mentioned on relevant blogs, building the kind of backlinks that move Authority Score.
Start Getting Mentioned For $99/moFrequently asked questions
Is Authority Score a Google ranking factor?
No. Authority Score is a third-party metric created by Semrush. Google does not use it in its ranking algorithm. It's useful as a benchmarking tool to compare websites, but it's not something Google looks at.
Why is my Authority Score different from my Domain Authority?
Because they're calculated differently by different companies. Authority Score (Semrush) factors in organic traffic and spam signals alongside links. Domain Authority (Moz) focuses mainly on link data. It's normal for the numbers to differ.
Can Authority Score go down?
Yes. Authority Score can drop if you lose backlinks, your organic traffic declines, or Semrush detects new spam signals in your link profile. It can also shift when Semrush updates its algorithm.
How often does Semrush update Authority Score?
Semrush updates Authority Score as it recrawls the web and refreshes its backlink and traffic databases. This happens regularly, but not in real-time. Expect changes to reflect over days to weeks.