What Is Page Authority and How to Boost Your Score

blog_related_media

blog_topic

blog_related_activities

blog_niche

blog_related_tips

unique_blog_element

Ever wondered why some blog posts rocket to the top of Google while others seem to vanish into the abyss of page ten? While Google’s algorithm has countless moving parts, a metric called Page Authority (PA) can give you a pretty good idea of why that happens.

Think of PA as a predictor of a single page's strength. It's not a grade from Google, but rather a score developed by the SEO tool company Moz that estimates how well a specific page is likely to rank in search results. It’s a crucial piece of the puzzle when you’re figuring out your content strategy, and it all ties back to the bigger picture of what is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Understanding Page Authority in SEO

Moz rolled out Page Authority back in the early 2010s to give marketers a way to gauge a page's ranking potential. The score itself is on a 1-to-100 logarithmic scale.

That "logarithmic" part is key. It means jumping from a PA of 10 to 20 is a whole lot easier than climbing from 70 to 80. Each step up the ladder gets exponentially harder, requiring significantly more effort.

What’s the Real Purpose of Page Authority?

Here’s something you need to get straight: Google does not use Page Authority. At all. It has zero direct impact on your actual rankings.

So, what's the point? PA is a comparative metric. It’s a tool that helps you size up the competition and track your own progress. You use it to:

Benchmark your pages against competitors ranking for the same keywords.

Spot high-value link-building opportunities from pages that already have strong authority.

Monitor the "ranking strength" of your most important content over time.

Imagine your new article on "how to bake sourdough bread" has a PA of 25. If you see the top-ranking competitor sitting at a PA of 55, you instantly know you've got an authority gap to close. It gives you a tangible goal for your SEO efforts.

Key Takeaway: Page Authority is a predictive, comparative metric. It helps you understand a page's competitive strength, but it does not directly influence Google rankings itself. It's a guide, not a rule.

To make things even clearer, let's quickly recap the fundamentals of Page Authority in a simple table.

Page Authority at a Glance

This table breaks down the core concepts of PA into bite-sized explanations.

Concept	Brief Explanation
Score Range	1 to 100, where higher scores predict better ranking potential.
Scale Type	Logarithmic, making higher scores progressively harder to achieve.
Core Function	Predicts the ranking strength of a single, specific webpage.
Primary Use	A comparative metric to analyze your pages against competitors.
Main Influencer	The quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to that specific page.

At the end of the day, Page Authority is all about giving you a clearer picture of where you stand and what it might take to outrank the pages currently at the top.

How Page Authority Is Actually Calculated

If you peek under the hood of Page Authority, you’ll find a complex algorithm, but one thing towers above everything else: your backlink profile. The number of external links pointing to a page—and more importantly, their quality—is the single biggest ingredient in its PA score.

Think of it like building a reputation in your field. If a few highly respected experts (high-authority sites) vouch for your work by linking to your page, your credibility shoots up. On the other hand, if hundreds of complete strangers say you're great, it just doesn't carry the same weight. Moz's algorithm is smart enough to know the difference, giving far more significance to links from trusted, established domains.

Of course, it's not just about the links. The calculation pulls in dozens of other signals from Moz’s massive web index, which is constantly crawling the internet to map out how pages and sites are all connected. While the exact recipe is a closely guarded secret, these other factors are all tied to the trust and authority of the sites linking to you.

This concept map helps break down the core components of Page Authority, showing how its definition, score, and ultimate purpose all tie together.

As you can see, PA is a multifaceted metric that’s ultimately designed to do one thing: predict a page’s potential to rank in search results.

Understanding the Logarithmic Scale

One of the trickiest parts of working with PA is its logarithmic scale. This is a common point of confusion, but a simple analogy makes it crystal clear.

Think about leveling up in a video game. When you’re just starting out, gaining levels is easy. Going from Level 1 to 10 might take an hour of completing simple quests. This is a lot like moving a page’s authority from a PA of 10 to 20—it’s a very achievable goal that doesn't require a monumental effort.

But what about getting to the top? To go from Level 80 to 90, you have to defeat powerful bosses and complete epic, time-consuming quests. The effort required is exponentially greater than what it took in the early stages. That’s exactly how Page Authority works.

A page's journey from a PA of 80 to 90 requires exponentially more high-quality backlinks and authority signals than the journey from 20 to 30.

This means you’ll see progress much faster with new or lower-authority pages. As your PA climbs, each new point becomes a huge achievement, reflecting the massive amount of trust your page has earned across the web.

Key Factors Moz’s Algorithm Considers

While the full recipe is a secret, we have a pretty good idea of the main ingredients Moz uses. The whole system is built to model how search engines see a page's importance based on who is linking to it.

Here are the core components that influence the score:

Link Count from Unique Domains: At a basic level, the number of different websites linking to your page matters. Getting links from more unique domains generally signals that your page is a valuable resource.

Quality and Authority of Linking Pages: This is the big one. A single backlink from a page with a PA of 80 is worth more than dozens—or even hundreds—of links from pages with a PA of 20. Quality trumps quantity every time.

Spam Score and Other Signals: The algorithm is also on the lookout for red flags. Links from spammy or low-trust sites can actually hurt your score because they suggest manipulation instead of a genuine, earned endorsement.

Ultimately, the calculation is a sophisticated process that rewards pages for earning natural, high-quality endorsements from all corners of the web.

Page Authority vs Domain Authority

One of the most common mix-ups in SEO is the difference between Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA). Even though they come from the same place—both are metrics created by Moz—they measure two very different things. Getting this distinction right is key to building a smart content strategy.

Let's use an analogy to clear this up right away. Think about your favorite band.

Page Authority is like their one-hit wonder—that single, incredibly popular song everyone knows by heart. It's powerful on its own and gets a ton of individual recognition. On the other hand, Domain Authority is the band’s entire celebrated album collection. It’s their overall legacy, influence, and the combined strength of everything they've ever released.

One metric zeros in on a specific success, while the other reflects the site's overall reputation and influence. It’s entirely possible to have a single page with a high PA on a site with a pretty average DA, just like a new band can have a viral hit long before they've built up a massive catalog of work.

Scope and Purpose: The Core Differences

The main difference between Page Authority and Domain Authority boils down to their scope. PA is laser-focused, predicting the ranking strength of just one single page. Its job is to help you figure out the competitive landscape for a specific URL, like yoursite.com/blog/amazing-post.

Domain Authority, however, takes a much broader view. It measures the predictive ranking strength of an entire website or subdomain. This gives you a high-level, strategic overview of your site's overall power compared to your competitors.

This screenshot from Moz's own guide on Page Authority helps drive the point home, showing how the metric is all about an individual page's strength.

As you can see, PA is applied to a specific URL. The score is pulled from link data pointing directly to that page and that page alone.

How They Influence Each Other

The relationship between PA and DA is a two-way street; they're constantly influencing one another. When you put in the work to improve one, the other usually gets a nice boost, too.

Improving DA Helps PA: A higher Domain Authority gives every new page you publish a stronger foundation. New posts on a high-DA site often start with a higher "base" Page Authority, giving them a head start in the search results.

Improving PA Helps DA: As individual pages gain authority by earning high-quality backlinks, that strength gets added to the domain's overall profile. Boosting the PA of your most important content is a direct way to build your site's DA.

This connection is crucial. While you might focus on PA for tactical, page-level optimizations, every bit of effort contributes to your site’s bigger strategic goals. If you want to go deeper, our guide on how to improve your Domain Authority is packed with strategies that will also lift your page-level efforts.

Key Insight: Don't look at PA and DA in isolation. Think of them as tactical (PA) and strategic (DA) metrics that work together. A strong site is built one authoritative page at a time.

To make the comparison crystal clear, let's break down their key differences side-by-side.

Page Authority (PA) vs. Domain Authority (DA)

This table really highlights the distinct roles Page Authority and Domain Authority play in your SEO toolkit, helping you understand when to focus on each one.

Aspect	Page Authority (PA)	Domain Authority (DA)
Scope	Measures the strength of a single page.	Measures the strength of an entire domain or subdomain.
Primary Use	Tactical: Used to assess the ranking potential of specific content like blog posts or product pages.	Strategic: Used for high-level competitive analysis and gauging a site's overall reputation.
Link Focus	Analyzes backlinks pointing directly to that one specific page.	Aggregates link data and signals from across the entire website.
Analogy	A band's single hit song.	A band's entire album collection.

Ultimately, knowing when to lean on each metric is what matters. Use PA when you're trying to rank a specific piece of content for a target keyword. Use DA when you're sizing up your site’s overall competitive standing or spotting high-value domains for link building.

Proven Strategies to Increase Your Page Authority

Knowing what Page Authority is and how it’s calculated is one thing. Actually improving it is another game entirely. Boosting your PA score is a marathon, not a sprint, but if you focus on the right areas, you can methodically build a page’s ranking potential over time.

Think of it like tending a garden. You can’t just throw a seed on the ground and expect a prize-winning tomato. You need to prepare the soil (technical SEO), plant a high-quality seed (on-page SEO), and give it consistent water and nutrients (link building). All three are essential for growth.

We’ll break down the process into three core pillars: getting your on-page optimization right, ensuring your site's technical health is solid, and the all-important practice of building high-quality links.

Solidify Your On-Page SEO Foundation

Before you even think about backlinks, your page has to be worthy of them. A page with a high PA almost always delivers exceptional value to its readers. Your first job is to create something that both people and search engines will love.

Start by targeting a specific, relevant keyword for your page. This focus keeps your content aligned with what people are actually searching for. From there, your main goal is to satisfy user intent—the "why" behind someone's search. If a person types in "how to fix a leaky faucet," they want a clear, step-by-step guide, not a history lesson on plumbing.

Once your content is drafted, it's time to optimize.

Compelling Title and Meta Description: Your title tag needs to be engaging and include your main keyword. Think of the meta description as your sales pitch in the search results—make it good enough to earn the click.

Logical Heading Structure: Use headings (H2s, H3s) to break your content into digestible sections. This makes it easier for users and search engines to scan the page and understand its structure.

Strategic Internal Linking: Linking to other relevant pages on your own site helps spread authority around and guides users to more helpful content. This shouldn't be random; you can learn more by exploring our detailed guide on creating an internal linking strategy for SEO.

Ensure Flawless Technical Health

Your page’s technical performance is the invisible foundation holding everything up. If a page is slow, broken, or a pain to use, visitors will bounce, and search engines will notice. A technically sound page is a non-negotiable prerequisite for earning authority.

Page speed is everything. Study after study shows that slow-loading pages lead to higher bounce rates. A user shouldn't have to wait more than a couple of seconds for your content to load. Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to find and fix what's slowing you down.

On top of that, your page absolutely must be mobile-friendly. With over 60% of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, a design that looks and works great on a smartphone isn't optional. Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it primarily evaluates the mobile version of your site for ranking.

Key Insight: On-page and technical SEO don't directly build Page Authority, but they are the price of admission. Without a high-quality, technically sound page, your link-building efforts will be far less effective.

Master the Art of Link Building

This is where the magic really happens for increasing your Page Authority. Backlinks are the currency of the web. Each high-quality link acts as a vote of confidence from another site, telling search engines your content is valuable and trustworthy. The more authoritative "votes" you get, the higher your PA will climb.

But not all links are created equal. A single link from a well-respected industry publication is worth more than a hundred links from low-quality, unknown blogs. You're aiming to earn links from sites that are:

Relevant: The linking site should be in a similar niche or industry.

Authoritative: The site should have a strong reputation and high authority itself.

Trustworthy: The link should come from a legitimate website, not a spammy or manipulative one.

Actionable Link Building Tactics

Getting these valuable links requires a proactive approach. A huge part of increasing Page Authority comes down to strategy; you can learn how to build links effectively to improve your site's credibility.

Here are a few proven methods to get you started:

Guest Blogging: Write an article for another reputable website in your industry. In return, you'll typically get to include a link back to your page in your author bio or within the content itself.

Broken Link Building: Find a broken link on another website that points to a page similar to yours. Reach out to the site owner, let them know about the dead link, and politely suggest your page as a worthy replacement.

Create Linkable Assets: Develop something so unique and valuable that people want to link to it. This could be an original research study, a comprehensive guide, an interactive tool, or a killer infographic. When you create the best resource on a topic, links tend to follow.

Digital PR: Build relationships with journalists and bloggers in your niche. When you have a newsworthy story or an amazing piece of content, you can pitch it to them for potential coverage and a backlink.

Building a strong Page Authority is a direct result of creating exceptional content on a technically sound site and then earning the recognition it deserves from other authoritative voices on the web. By focusing on these three pillars, you create a powerful flywheel that continuously builds your page's ranking potential.

Essential Tools to Monitor Page Authority

Tracking Page Authority isn't a guessing game. To get clear, actionable data, you need the right set of tools. With the proper software, you can finally benchmark your content against competitors, analyze their strategies, and see the real-world impact of your link-building campaigns.

Understanding which tools to use—and how to read the story their numbers are telling—is fundamental to improving your PA. These platforms are what turn abstract SEO concepts into tangible figures, letting you build a content strategy that's truly driven by data.

Moz Link Explorer: The Original Source

Since Page Authority is a metric created by Moz, their own tool, Link Explorer, is the definitive source for checking PA scores. It's considered the gold standard for this specific metric, providing the most accurate and up-to-date information straight from the creators themselves.

Using it couldn't be simpler. You just plug in the exact URL of the page you want to check, and the tool spits out a detailed report. This includes the Page Authority score, the number of linking domains, and a full list of inbound links.

Pro Tip: Moz's free version lets you check a limited number of URLs each month. This is perfect for spot-checking your most important pages or quickly sizing up a top-ranking competitor without committing to a full subscription.

Regularly checking your key pages in Link Explorer helps you track your progress over time. Seeing a page's PA climb from 20 to 25 is a concrete sign that your link-building efforts are actually working.

Ahrefs and Semrush: Industry Alternatives

While Moz owns the Page Authority metric, other major SEO platforms have developed their own powerful, similar metrics. These tools use their own massive web crawlers and unique algorithms to measure a page's link strength, offering a slightly different—but equally valuable—perspective.

Ahrefs (URL Rating): Ahrefs uses a metric called URL Rating (UR). Just like PA, it operates on a 0-100 logarithmic scale and measures the strength of a specific page's backlink profile. Many SEO professionals live and breathe by UR because of its robust and frequently updated data.

Semrush (Authority Score): Semrush provides an Authority Score, which can be applied to both entire domains and individual pages. It's a bit of a hybrid, incorporating link data, organic search data, and even monthly traffic estimates to calculate a score that predicts a page's overall SEO performance.

These tools are for much more than just checking scores. They are absolutely essential for deep competitive analysis. You can plug in a competitor's URL to see exactly which high-authority sites are linking to them, revealing a treasure trove of opportunities for your own outreach. For a closer look at these platforms, our guide on the best SEO tools for bloggers has you covered.

Putting the Data to Work

The real value of these tools isn't just seeing a number; it's using that number to make smarter decisions. Tracking your Page Authority allows you to prove the ROI of your SEO campaigns, prioritize which pages need more link juice, and discover new link-building targets you never would have found otherwise.

For example, let's say a competitor has a page with a PA of 45 and you're stuck at 30. You can use Ahrefs or Moz to dissect their entire backlink profile. That analysis might reveal they've landed links from a dozen industry blogs you hadn't even considered, giving you a clear, actionable list for your next outreach campaign. This process transforms what is page authority from a simple vanity metric into a strategic roadmap for outranking your competition.

Building High Page Authority with Feather

Knowing the theory behind improving Page Authority is one thing, but actually putting it into practice is another. This is where the right tools make all the difference. A powerful blogging platform can shoulder the technical weight, freeing you up to focus on what moves the needle: creating fantastic content. For a growing number of businesses, Feather is that tool.

Feather is built to connect the dots between great content and high authority scores. It directly supports the core pillars of PA growth by simplifying both on-page and technical SEO, creating the perfect environment to attract high-quality backlinks.

Simplify On-Page and Technical SEO

A high Page Authority score is built on a flawless foundation. Feather's intuitive CMS is designed with content creators in mind, making it dead simple to produce well-structured articles that both search engines and readers will love. You can easily implement logical heading structures and optimize meta tags without ever having to touch a line of code.

Better yet, Feather handles critical technical optimizations behind the scenes, automatically.

Speed and Performance: Pages built on Feather are fast by default. This creates a positive user experience that keeps bounce rates low and Google happy.

Mobile-Friendliness: Every blog is automatically responsive, ensuring your content looks perfect on any device and satisfying Google's mobile-first indexing requirements.

These features are baked right in, so you know your content is published on a technically sound platform from day one—a non-negotiable for earning those precious backlinks.

Create Content That Earns Backlinks

At the end of the day, increasing Page Authority comes down to earning recognition from other authoritative sites. High-quality content is the magnet for these valuable backlinks. With Feather, turning your ideas into beautifully formatted, SEO-friendly posts is effortless.

Because the platform removes all the technical friction, you can consistently publish the kind of in-depth guides, original research, and valuable resources that others in your industry will want to reference. This creates a powerful cycle: you produce exceptional content on a high-performance platform, which in turn attracts the authoritative backlinks needed to steadily increase your Page Authority over time.

Common Questions About Page Authority

Once you start digging into Page Authority, a few questions always seem to surface. Let's tackle them head-on, so you can get a real-world feel for how this metric actually works in practice.

What Is a Good Page Authority Score?

This is easily the most common question, and the answer isn't a simple number—it's relative. A "good" PA score means nothing in a vacuum. Forget about chasing an arbitrary number like 50 or 60. The only thing that matters is how you stack up against your direct competitors.

If the pages ranking on page one for your target keyword all have a PA between 30 and 40, then that’s your target range. On the other hand, if you're up against heavy hitters with a PA of 70+, even a score of 45 might not be enough to compete effectively.

How Long Does It Take to Increase PA?

Improving your Page Authority is a long game. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so don’t expect to see big jumps overnight. The timeline can vary wildly depending on your industry, how competitive your keywords are, and how aggressively you're building links.

You might see small fluctuations within a few weeks, but significant, stable increases usually take several months, if not a year or more. Why? Because earning high-quality, authoritative backlinks—the main driver of PA—is a slow, steady process that relies on consistent effort over time.

Can My Page Authority Score Go Down?

Absolutely. Your Page Authority score can—and probably will—go down at some point. Since PA is a comparative metric that’s constantly being recalibrated against the rest of the web, fluctuations are totally normal. A drop doesn’t automatically mean you’ve made a mistake.

Here are a few reasons a page's authority might dip:

Algorithm Updates: Moz regularly refines its algorithm. When it does, scores across the board can shift as the system recalibrates.

Competitor Growth: If competing pages are earning powerful links faster than you are, their PA will climb, which can push yours down in comparison.

Link Profile Changes: Losing a few high-authority backlinks can cause your score to drop. It’s a natural part of the web—pages get updated, moved, or taken down all the time.

Keeping an eye on these changes helps you stay nimble and adjust your strategy when needed.

Ready to build content on a platform that handles the technical SEO for you? With Feather, you can focus on creating link-worthy articles while we ensure your blog is fast, mobile-friendly, and perfectly optimized. Start your free trial today.