What is Page Authority? (PA)

Page authority is a score from third-party SEO tools that estimates how strongly a single page is likely to perform in the search results. Just as with domain authority, the key nuance applies straight away: this is a third-party metric, not an official ranking factor that Google itself uses. It is an estimate, not a guarantee. In this article you will learn what page authority actually is, what determines the score and how to strengthen a specific page in a targeted way.

What is page authority exactly?

Where domain authority looks at your entire website, page authority (often abbreviated as PA) zooms in on a single URL. The score, usually on a scale of 0 to 100, tries to predict how well that one page can rank.

The term originally comes from the SEO tool Moz, which introduced Page Authority. Other tools have their own comparable page score under a different name. Important to remember: these are all calculations made by the tools themselves, based on what they can crawl of the web. Google does not publish a “page authority” and does not use these scores in its algorithm. For the broader context, read our explanation of what SEO is.

What determines page authority?

A page’s score depends mainly on two things:

The backlinks that point directly to that page. A page that attracts many relevant, strong backlinks scores higher than a page without a single reference.
The internal links that pass value to it. Through internal links you distribute link equity across your site. A heavily linked pillar page builds up more authority this way than an orphan page that hangs off nothing.

A new blog article without a single link will therefore have a low score, while a page that has collected links for years scores high. The score is also relative: it is mostly useful for comparing pages within the same tool, not as absolute truth.

Page authority versus domain authority

These two are often confused, but they measure something different:

	Page authority	Domain authority
What it measures	the strength of a single URL	the strength of your entire domain
What it depends on	links to that page	your site’s full link profile
When it is useful	which page deserves a push	how your whole site compares to competitors

In practice they work together. A strong domain lifts its pages more easily, and strong pages contribute to the domain’s authority. But neither one is a dial that Google itself turns.

How do you strengthen a specific page?

You lift a page’s authority by sending targeted signals towards it. Concretely:

Internal links from your strongest pages. Let your best-performing content link through to the URL you want to rank. That way you distribute your earned strength deliberately.
Earn relevant external links. A link from a topically relevant, trustworthy domain does more for a page than ten weak links.
Thoughtful anchor text. The words used to link to a page give context about what that page is about.
Make the page itself strong. Authority alone is not enough: the content has to genuinely answer the search intent.

That way you concentrate strength on the pages that matter commercially, instead of spreading it across corners that never bring in customers.

The Customer Impact view: a compass, not a goal

We use page authority to determine which pages deserve a push, not to show off. A high score on a page that leads nobody to a quote is worth little to a B2B company. So we always tie the metric to a simple question: does this page bring us closer to a customer?

By steering internal link strength intelligently towards your commercial landing pages and service pages, we turn authority into something that sells. Our SEO approach therefore treats page authority as an internal compass for setting priorities, while honestly stressing one thing: it remains a tool’s estimate, not a promise from Google. Steer on leads and revenue, not on a rising number in a dashboard. You will also find a short definition in our wiki on page authority.

Frequently asked questions about page authority

What is page authority? Page authority is a score from third-party SEO tools that estimates how strongly a single page is likely to perform in the search results, usually on a scale of 0 to 100. It is an estimate, not an official Google metric.

Does Google use page authority? No. Page authority is a third-party metric from SEO tools. Google does not publish the score and does not use it in its algorithm. Use it to compare, not as a ranking goal.

What is the difference with domain authority? Page authority measures the strength of a single URL, domain authority that of your entire website. They work together, but neither is an official Google factor.

How do I increase a page’s authority? Mainly by sending internal links to it from your strongest pages and earning relevant external links. On top of that, make sure the page itself answers the search intent well.

Want to make your strongest pages pay off?

Page authority is a handy compass, but not a goal in itself. We determine which pages deserve a push and steer your internal link strength towards the URLs that bring in customers. We are a small team that moves fast and steers on revenue, not on vanity scores. Book your free intake