To check page authority for free, sign up for a free Moz Community account, open Moz Link Explorer and enter the full URL of the page: you'll see its Page Authority, a Moz score from 1 to 100 that predicts how well that single page is likely to rank. You can also see it on the fly with Moz's free MozBar browser toolbar.
Page Authority (PA) is Domain Authority's page-level twin. Domain Authority scores a whole site; PA scores one URL. Both are Moz's predictions, built from links and other signals, and neither is used by Google.
Step by step: check Page Authority
- Create a free Moz Community account if you don't have one.
- Open Link Explorer.
- Paste the full URL of the page, not just the domain. PA is page by page.
- Read the Page Authority score next to Domain Authority.
- Look at the linking domains and inbound links listed for that URL to see what's driving the score.
- For quick checks while you browse, install MozBar, which shows PA and DA on the pages you visit and on search results.
What PA is built on
Moz says Page Authority is calculated the same way as Domain Authority but at the individual page level. It's based on Moz's Link Explorer web index, including link counts and dozens of other factors, more than 40 in total, run through a machine learning model trained to match rankings across thousands of search results.
| Fact about PA | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Scale of 1 to 100 | Higher means a greater predicted ability to rank |
| Logarithmic scale | Moving from 20 to 30 is much easier than moving from 70 to 80 |
| Machine learning model | Scores move when Moz's data or model changes, not only when your links do |
| Relative metric | Compare pages with each other, not against a fixed 'good' number |
| Page level | A strong homepage doesn't give every page the same score |
What's a good Page Authority?
There isn't a universal answer, and Moz says the same about Domain Authority: there's no single good or average score because it's relative. A PA of 30 could be excellent in a small local niche and weak in personal finance. The useful question is how your page compares with the pages ranking for the search you want.
So check PA for the top five or ten results for your target keyword, then for your own page. If everyone ranking has far higher PA, you need more links to that page, or a narrower keyword. If they're similar, content and relevance will decide it.
Page Authority versus Domain Authority
| Page Authority | Domain Authority | |
|---|---|---|
| Measures | One URL | A whole domain |
| Built from | Links to that page plus other factors | Linking root domains, link quality and other signals |
| Best used for | Comparing pages competing for the same search | Comparing sites in the same niche |
| Google ranking factor? | No | No: Moz says DA isn't a Google ranking factor |
Moz gives a vivid example of why both are relative: if a giant site such as Facebook gained a billion new links, other sites' DA would drop relative to it, even though nothing changed on those sites. PA works the same way at page level.
Why your Page Authority changed
- You gained or lost links to the page.
- Moz's crawlers found links they hadn't seen before, or dropped ones that disappeared.
- Moz updated its model. It says it constantly updates the algorithm, so scores can fluctuate from time to time.
- Other sites in the index grew faster than you, which moves your relative score.
Moz itself suggests that if you report PA to a client or a boss, you should explain significant changes and what may have caused them, rather than presenting the number on its own. That's good advice for any third-party score: the story behind the movement matters more than the movement.
None of these change your Google rankings directly. If your traffic is steady and your PA dips, it's usually a Moz data change, not a problem.
How to raise a page's authority
- Earn links to that specific page, not just your homepage, with content worth citing: data, tools, guides that answer a question better than anyone else.
- Link to it from your own strong pages with descriptive anchor text.
- Fix broken links and redirect old URLs that had links, so that value isn't wasted.
- Update the page so it stays the best answer, which keeps it earning links over time.
Using PA to vet guest post and link opportunities
PA earns its keep when you're deciding where to spend outreach time. A site's homepage might have a strong score while the page your link would sit on, a brand-new post deep in the archive, starts near the bottom of the scale. Check the PA of existing posts in the same section to see how the site's inner pages fare, and pair it with a look at the site's real search traffic and content quality before you commit.
Other tools that score pages
Moz isn't the only option. Ahrefs has URL Rating, Semrush has its Authority Score and Majestic has Trust Flow and Citation Flow. They're built differently, so never compare one tool's score with another's. My roundup of Moz alternatives compares the options, and for a full backlink view see Ahrefs alternatives.
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My verdict
Check PA when you're sizing up a keyword or judging a page for a link or guest post, and always compare it with the pages ranking for the same search. Don't report it as a goal in itself, and don't panic when it moves. The links behind the score are what matter; the number is just Moz's way of summing them up.
Curious about the risk side of the Moz scores? I break it down in my guide to checking Spam Score.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check Page Authority for free?
Sign up for a free Moz Community account, open Link Explorer and enter the full page URL. MozBar also shows PA as you browse.
What is a good Page Authority score?
There's no fixed answer because PA is relative. Compare your page with the pages ranking for the same search in your niche.
Is Page Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. It's a Moz prediction of how well a page might rank, based on links and other factors. Google doesn't use it.
What's the difference between Page Authority and Domain Authority?
Page Authority scores a single URL; Domain Authority scores a whole domain. Moz calculates both the same way at different levels.
Why did my Page Authority drop?
Usually because of link changes Moz detected, an update to Moz's model or other sites growing faster. It doesn't change your Google rankings directly.
