Category: SEO Fundamentals
A Moz metric that predicts how well a specific page will rank in search results, scored from 1-100. Unlike Domain Authority which evaluates the whole domain, Page Authority focuses on individual page strength.
Page Authority is a score developed by Moz that predicts the ranking potential of a specific individual page, as distinct from Domain Authority which evaluates an entire domain. Scored on the same 1-100 logarithmic scale, Page Authority reflects the combined strength of all the ranking signals pointing to that particular URL — primarily the backlinks it has earned and the quality of those linking sources.
The distinction between Page Authority and Domain Authority is important to grasp. A website might have a strong Domain Authority overall, yet individual pages can vary enormously in their Page Authority depending on how many quality links they have attracted. Conversely, a single outstanding piece of content on a modest domain can achieve a high Page Authority through exceptional backlinks, enabling it to compete with pages on much larger websites. This is precisely why creating link-worthy content for specific strategic pages is such an effective SEO tactic.
In practical terms, Page Authority is most useful when evaluating specific ranking opportunities. If you are targeting a particular keyword and want to understand your chances of ranking, comparing your page's PA against the PA of currently ranking pages gives you a realistic assessment. A significant PA gap suggests you will need to invest in building links specifically to that page, while a comparable PA indicates that improvements in on-page optimization and content quality could be sufficient to improve your position.
It bears repeating that, like Domain Authority, Page Authority is a third-party metric and not a direct Google ranking factor. It serves as a useful proxy and analytical tool, but the real ranking algorithm considers hundreds of factors that no external metric can fully capture. Use PA as one input in your decision-making, alongside your analysis of content quality, search intent alignment, and the competitive landscape.
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