What Is Moz? The SEO Tool and Domain Authority Explained

Moz is an American SEO software company that builds tools for search engine optimisation. It became best known for the metric it invented: Domain Authority, a number that estimates the strength of a website. In this article you will learn what Moz is, what Domain Authority means, why it is not a Google number and when it is useful for B2B.

What exactly is Moz?

Moz started out as an SEO blog and grew into one of the better-known names in the SEO world. It offers tools for keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking and site audits, among other things. But its biggest claim to fame comes from two in-house metrics: Domain Authority and Page Authority.

Worth saying up front: Moz is one of many providers on the market. We explain it here neutrally, not because you necessarily need it. Which SEO tools make sense depends entirely on your situation and your goals.

What is Domain Authority (DA)?

Domain Authority, or DA for short, is a score from 1 to 100 that predicts how likely a website is to rank well in Google. The higher the number, the stronger the domain is according to Moz. According to Moz itself, the score is calculated with a machine learning model that leans heavily on the number and quality of your backlinks.

Two things are important to understand:

• The scale is logarithmic. Going from 20 to 30 is far easier than going from 70 to 80. The higher you climb, the more each extra point weighs.
• There is also Page Authority (PA). Where DA assesses an entire domain, PA measures the strength of one specific page.

The difference between the two metrics at a glance:

We have a separate article on what domain authority is and how to increase it if you want to dig deeper.

Important: DA is not a Google number

This is the biggest misconception. Google does not use Domain Authority. It is an estimate by Moz, an external company, and not a factor in Google’s algorithm. Other tools such as Majestic have their own version under a different name, always with the same idea: a single number that sums up authority.

That does not make DA worthless, but it is something to view with the right lens. Use it as a compass to compare yourself with competitors: am I above or below whoever outranks me in Google? But never chase the number itself. Chase leads.

What do you actually use Moz for?

Beyond Domain Authority, Moz is a full-fledged SEO tool that you can deploy in a few ways.

Competitor comparison

How strong are the sites ranking above you? By putting their DA next to yours, you get a rough picture of how much authority you need to gain to compete. It is a guideline, not an exact prediction.

Backlink analysis

Which backlinks do you have, and which opportunities are your competitors leaving on the table? If you see a competitor earning links from relevant trade media that you are missing, you know where your link building should focus.

Keyword research

Which terms are realistic given your authority? A tool helps you estimate whether you can plausibly rank for a keyword or whether you should work on less competitive terms first.

Site audits

Where are the technical problems holding you back? Think of pages that never get indexed or slow load times. For the indexing side, it is best to combine this with Google Search Console, which does show data straight from Google.

A concrete B2B example

Picture this: a B2B service provider sits on page two for an important keyword and wants to know why. In Moz, the company sees that the three competitors above it all have a higher DA, fuelled by links from industry publications. The conclusion is not “I need to pump up my DA”, but “I need to earn relevant mentions from those same trade media”. The metric points the direction, while the real work, valuable content and genuine links, delivers the result. In practice, we see that this distinction makes the difference between chasing numbers and winning customers.

Honestly: when Moz matters for B2B

We would rather say it up front. For a small B2B company, an expensive SEO subscription is rarely the first investment that pays off. You do not need a tool to know that you should be working on relevant content and a handful of strong links. Start there.

A tool like Moz only becomes valuable once you work on SEO structurally, want to track several competitors or want to base bigger decisions on data. And even then the rule holds: steer on leads, conversions and revenue, not on a rising DA. A high number without customers is a vanity figure. That is how a leads-focused SEO approach delivered more than chasing metrics ever did.

Want to build your authority with purpose?

We look at your link profile and that of your competitors and build your authority safely, aimed at leads rather than a vanity number. We will also tell you honestly when a tool or investment is not worth it.

Book your free intake.

Frequently asked questions about Moz

Is Moz free?

There are free elements, such as a limited Domain Authority check and a browser extension. The full suite sits behind a paid subscription. For occasional use, the free tools are often enough.

What is a good Domain Authority score?

That depends on your sector. Compare yourself mainly with direct competitors instead of aiming for an absolute number. A DA higher than that of whoever outranks you is a far more useful signal than an arbitrary target.

Does Google use Domain Authority?

No. DA is Moz’s own metric and not a factor in Google’s algorithm. Use it to compare and prioritise, not as a ranking goal. What does count for Google, you can read in what is SEO.

What is the difference between Domain Authority and Page Authority?

Domain Authority assesses the strength of an entire domain, Page Authority that of one specific page. Both run from 1 to 100 on a logarithmic scale and come from Moz.