Page Authority (PA)

Technical explanation

Moz calculates Page Authority with a machine-learning model using signals from its link index. Unlike Domain Authority, which estimates performance at domain level, PA applies to an individual URL. Because the model and link index are updated, scores can change even when the page itself has not been modified.

Business relevance

PA can support comparative link analysis, internal benchmarking, and prioritisation of pages for digital PR or internal linking. It should be considered alongside actual rankings, traffic, relevance, technical quality, and conversions.

Implementation example

An SEO team compares PA across a set of product guides to identify pages with relatively weak link equity, then reviews internal-link opportunities and external promotion while monitoring real search performance.

Limitations and common misconceptions

Page Authority is not a Google metric or confirmed ranking factor. It is best used for relative comparison within the same tool and time period. Scores from Moz cannot be directly compared with metrics from other vendors.

Topics

Sources