Page Authority
Definition
A score predicting how well a specific page will rank in search results. Based primarily on backlinks and link equity flowing to that individual page.
What is Page Authority?
Page Authority (PA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how likely a specific page is to rank well. Scored from 1-100, it measures the strength of an individual page rather than an entire domain.
Other tools have similar metrics—Ahrefs has URL Rating, for example.
How Page Authority is Calculated
The score primarily considers:
- Number of backlinks to that specific page
- Quality and authority of linking pages
- Link equity from internal links
- Trust signals and spam indicators
A page with many quality backlinks from authoritative sources will score higher than one with few or low-quality links.
Page Authority vs Domain Authority
| Page Authority | Domain Authority |
|---|---|
| Single page strength | Entire site strength |
| Varies across your site | Same for all pages |
| Built by links to that page | Built by links to any page |
| Changes as pages gain/lose links | More stable over time |
Why It Matters
Page Authority helps you:
- Assess competition: See how strong ranking pages are
- Prioritise efforts: Know which pages need more link building
- Predict outcomes: Higher PA pages generally rank better
Improving Page Authority
- Build backlinks specifically to the page you want to strengthen
- Internal linking from other high-authority pages on your site
- Quality content that naturally attracts links
- Patience—authority builds over time
Keep Perspective
Page Authority is a third-party estimate, not a Google metric. Use it as a comparative tool rather than an absolute measure. A PA 40 page can outrank a PA 60 page if it better matches search intent.