What Is Page Authority?
Definition
Page Authority (PA) is a metric created by Moz that predicts how well a specific webpage will rank in search results. Scored on a 0-100 logarithmic scale, it factors in backlinks, internal links, and dozens of other on-page and off-page signals.
Why B2B owners care about Page Authority
If you're running outreach to earn backlinks, PA is one of the metrics you check on every prospect URL before pitching. A high-DA site with low-PA pages means your link will land somewhere weak. A low-DA site with one high-PA page can be a better target than a famous publication's deep archive. The whole point of AI-powered link building tools is to filter prospect lists by PA and DR automatically, so you only pitch URLs that actually move rankings.
How Page Authority works
Page Authority is a page-level cousin to Domain Authority. Where DA scores an entire domain, PA scores a single URL. Moz built it to mirror Google's own ranking calculations as closely as a third party can.
The score combines several inputs:
- External links pointing to the page, weighted by the strength of the linking sites.
- Internal links from other pages on the same domain.
- Linking root domains, the count of unique domains pointing to the page.
- Link quality signals, including MozRank, MozTrust, and spam scores.
- The domain's overall strength, which influences but does not determine PA.
The output uses a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. Moving from 10 to 20 is fairly easy. Moving from 70 to 80 takes far more work because the curve compresses at the top.
Why is moving from PA 70 to 80 harder than moving from 10 to 20?
Right. PA is logarithmic, so the gap between high scores represents far more underlying link equity than the gap between low scores.
The score is logarithmic. Each step up represents exponentially more link strength than the step before.
Page Authority vs. Domain Authority
| Metric | Measures | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Page Authority (PA) | Ranking strength of a single URL | Comparing pages competing for the same keyword |
| Domain Authority (DA) | Ranking strength of the whole domain | Vetting sites for guest posts and backlink outreach |
Both metrics live on the same 0-100 scale and use similar inputs, but they answer different questions. DA tells you how strong a site is overall. PA tells you how strong a specific page is. A high-DA site can host weak pages, and a low-DA site can host one breakout page that ranks because of its own backlinks.
Equivalents from other tools
PA is Moz's metric. Other SEO tools have their own page-level authority scores:
- Ahrefs URL Rating (UR): page-level equivalent to Domain Rating, scored 0-100.
- SEMrush Page Authority Score: rebranded from "Page Score", uses similar inputs.
- Majestic Trust Flow / Citation Flow: work at both URL and domain level.
None of these are Google's PageRank. They're third-party predictions that correlate with rankings but don't determine them.
What's a good Page Authority score?
The honest answer: it depends on your competition. PA only matters relative to the pages you're trying to outrank.
- For local or long-tail queries, PA 20 to 30 is often enough to rank.
- For mid-competition commercial keywords, PA 40 to 50 is the typical zone.
- For top-tier head terms, the SERP usually starts at PA 60 and runs up.
Open the SERP for your target keyword. Run the top 10 results through Moz Link Explorer and check their PA scores. That's your benchmark. If your page is significantly below, you need more high-quality links to that specific URL.
Your homepage has PA 55 but your /pricing page has PA 12. What's the most likely explanation?
Correct. PA is page-level. Most homepages collect the bulk of external links by default. Sub-pages often need their own targeted link building.
PA reflects the link equity of one URL. If most external links go to the homepage, internal pages stay weak unless you build links directly to them.
How to increase Page Authority
- Build backlinks to the specific page, not just to the homepage. Guest posts, broken link building, and digital PR pitches that link to a deep page.
- Add strong internal links. Point your most-linked existing pages at the target URL with descriptive anchor text.
- Earn editorial mentions. Pages cited as sources in roundups, comparisons, or research tend to attract organic links over time. Unlinked brand mentions are a fast win once you have any traction.
- Make the page worth linking to. Original data, useful tools, definitive guides, free templates. PA follows usefulness.
- Clean up spammy links. Toxic backlinks can drag PA down. Use a disavow file if you spot a clear pattern of negative SEO.
How to check Page Authority
You can check any URL's PA in:
- Moz Link Explorer (free with a Moz account, limited queries on the free tier).
- The MozBar browser extension.
- The Moz Pro app, with deeper link analysis. See our Moz Pro review.
- Most SEO platforms display third-party authority metrics for a URL alongside their own. Ahrefs vs Moz covers the core differences.
For a rough authority signal without a Moz account, use our free Domain Authority Checker or PageRank Calculator.
Build the page-level backlinks that move PA
MentionAgent finds blogs already covering your topic, drafts a personalized pitch, and earns editorial links to your specific pages. Page Authority follows.
Start FreeFrequently asked questions
Is Page Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. PA is a Moz metric. Google does not use it. PA is a third-party prediction of ranking ability based on Moz's own link index, useful as a directional indicator only.
What's the difference between Page Authority and Domain Authority?
DA scores the whole domain. PA scores a single page. A high-DA site can have low-PA pages, and vice versa.
How is Page Authority calculated?
Moz uses a machine-learning model combining backlinks to the page, internal links, linking root domains, MozRank, MozTrust, and spam signals, mapped to a 0-100 logarithmic scale.
What is a good Page Authority score?
It's relative to the SERP you're targeting. Compare your page's PA against the top 10 results for your keyword. Local queries often rank with PA 20-30. Competitive commercial terms usually need PA 40-60.
How do I increase Page Authority?
Earn backlinks directly to that URL, add internal links from your strongest pages, and make the page genuinely worth linking to.
How often does Page Authority update?
Moz refreshes PA on a rolling basis as their crawler picks up new and lost links. Don't expect daily changes. Significant shifts usually take weeks after a meaningful change in the link profile, since Moz needs to recrawl the linking pages first.
Can two pages on the same site have very different PA scores?
Yes. PA is per-URL, not per-domain. A homepage that collects most external links can have a high PA while a buried product page on the same domain has a low one. That's why page-specific link building matters.