How to Check Page Authority (PA)
Today in this article, I am going to show you how to check page authority for any URL, what the score really means, and what I would do to raise it. I will also be honest about what page authority cannot tell you, because a lot of articles skip that part.
What page authority is, in plain words
Page Authority (PA) is a score from 1 to 100 that predicts how well one specific page can rank in search results. Moz created it, and it is based mostly on the backlinks pointing at that page.
Here is what that means in practice:
- It scores one URL, not the whole site. A new post on a strong website still starts low, because the post has not earned its own links yet.
- It is built from links. Moz uses a machine learning model on its own link index. The biggest input is the number of different websites linking to the page, then total inbound links, then the quality of the pages that link.
- It ignores your content. Keywords, title tags, page speed and how fresh the article is do not change the score.
- The scale is logarithmic. Going from 20 to 30 may take a few good links. Going from 70 to 80 can take hundreds.
One important point before we go further: Google does not use page authority. It is a Moz estimate, not a Google signal. I still check it, because it is a fast way to compare the link strength of two pages, and that comparison is useful. I just never treat it as a ranking promise.
How to check page authority step by step
You can check any public URL in under a minute, and you do not need to sign up for a paid plan.
- Open the checker. Go to the free Page Authority Checker on this site.
- Paste the full URL. Use the exact page address, including
https://. Do not paste just the domain, because that gives you a different score. - Run the check. You will see the PA score for that page.
- Check the competitors too. Repeat for the top 3 to 5 pages that rank for your target keyword. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that makes the number useful.
- Save the results. Write the date and the scores in a sheet. Authority changes slowly, so one check per month is enough.
If you want the page score and the whole site score together, use the DA PA Checker. To look at the site only, use the Domain Authority Checker. You can also look at Moz Rank for another view of link strength.
One tip from my own routine: always check the page that actually ranks, not the homepage. A homepage can look strong while the article you care about sits at a very low score.
What is a good page authority score?
There is no single good number, because PA is a comparison score. A PA of 30 is strong in a quiet niche and weak in a crowded one. The rough bands below come from the sources I read, so treat them as a guide and not a rule.
|
PA score |
What it usually means |
What I would do |
|---|---|---|
|
1 to 10 |
New page or barely linked |
Add internal links and publish more helpful content |
|
10 to 25 |
Normal page on an established site |
Earn a few links from different websites |
|
25 to 40 |
Has real external links |
Compete for medium difficulty keywords |
|
40 to 60 |
Strong page |
Protect it, keep it updated, link out to related pages |
|
60 and above |
Rare, usually big publishers |
Not a realistic target for most sites |
The best target is simple: aim a few points above the pages that already rank for your keyword. Use the Page Authority Checker on those pages, and you have a real goal instead of a random number.
Page authority vs domain authority, and what Google really uses
Page authority scores one page. Domain authority scores a whole website. They use the same 1 to 100 idea, but they answer different questions.
|
|
Page Authority (PA) |
Domain Authority (DA) |
|---|---|---|
|
What it scores |
One URL |
The whole domain |
|
Best used for |
Comparing pages that compete for one keyword |
Comparing websites for outreach or link building |
|
Can it differ a lot? |
Yes, a single page can beat its own site score |
Yes, a new page on a strong site starts low |
|
Free check |
Both scores come from Moz. Google has said nothing that suggests it uses them, and the sources I read all agree that PA is not a Google ranking factor. Google ranks pages with its own signals, and it does not publish a score you can look up.
So why bother? Because links still matter, and PA is a quick way to see link strength. Think of it like a dashboard light. It does not drive the car, but it tells you where to look.
How to improve page authority
Since PA is built from links, every fix below is about links. These are the steps I would take, in order.
1. Fix your internal links first
This is the cheapest win, because you control it. Link from your strongest pages to the pages you want to lift. Use clear anchor text that says what the page is about. Also reduce click depth, so an important page is two clicks from the homepage and not four. To find your best pages, check a few with the Page Authority Checker.
2. Earn links from different websites
The number of different websites linking to you matters more than the total link count. Fifty links from one site count for much less than fifty links from fifty sites. Original data, free tools and in-depth guides are the content types that tend to attract these links. See who already links to you with the Backlink Checker.
3. Merge thin and duplicate pages
If three weak pages cover the same topic, links get split between them. Merge them into one strong page and redirect the old URLs. The page you keep gets all the link value.
4. Make sure the page is indexed
A page that is not in Google gets no visibility, and it will have a hard time earning links. Check it with the Google Index Checker. If you have a problem, read my guide on why Google is not indexing your pages.
5. Skip paid links and link schemes
Buying links can lead to a manual penalty. If a link is paid, it should be marked rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored". Clean growth is slower, but it lasts.
6. Be patient
Moz updates its index on its own schedule, so new links can take weeks to show up in a score. Do not judge a change after two days.
Common mistakes when reading PA scores
- Treating it as a Google score. It is not one. A low PA does not mean Google dislikes your page.
- Checking the wrong URL. The homepage and an article have different scores. Always test the exact page.
- Chasing the number. A page with a lower PA can still outrank a higher one if the content answers the question better. Relevance and quality still decide a lot.
- Ignoring link quality. Ten links from real, related sites beat a hundred from spam directories.
- Comparing across niches. A PA of 25 in a small niche is not the same as 25 in a crowded one.
- Expecting fast change. Scores move slowly and update on Moz's schedule.
- Using it alone. Pair it with real data from Google Search Console, such as clicks, impressions and average position. That data comes from Google, so it is the closer truth.
My view and a 7 day plan
My honest view: page authority is a useful comparison tool and a bad goal. I use it to answer one question, "how far behind the pages above me am I on links?" I do not use it to judge if my content is good.
If I wanted to raise the authority of one important page in a week, this is what I would do:
- Day 1: Check my page and the top 5 ranking pages with the Page Authority Checker, and save the scores
- Day 2: Confirm the page is indexed with the Google Index Checker
- Day 3: Add internal links to it from my 3 strongest pages
- Day 4: Improve the page with real examples, screenshots and a direct answer at the top
- Day 5: Merge any thin page that covers the same topic, and redirect it
- Day 6: List 10 relevant sites that could link to it and send a short, honest outreach message to each
- Day 7: Record the starting point, then re-check in 30 days
After that, repeat the check once a month and watch the trend, not a single day.
FAQ
What is page authority? It is a 1 to 100 score from Moz that predicts how well a single page can rank, based mostly on the links pointing to it.
How do I check page authority for free? Paste the full page URL into the Page Authority Checker and run the check. No sign up is needed.
What is a good page authority score? It depends on your niche. A good target is a few points above the pages already ranking for your keyword. As a rough guide, 10 to 25 is normal for an established site and 40 or more is strong.
Is page authority a Google ranking factor? No. It is a Moz metric, and Google does not use it.
What is the difference between PA and DA? PA scores one page, and DA scores the whole domain. Check both with the DA PA Checker.
How long does it take to increase page authority? Usually several weeks to months, because new links must be found and counted by Moz first.
Can a new page have a high PA? Not at first. A new page starts at the bottom of the scale, even on a strong site, until it earns links of its own.
Do internal links help page authority? They help pass value between your own pages, so they are a good first step before you chase outside links.
Sources
- Page Authority: what it is, what a good score looks like, and how to improve it, Dashword
- What is Page Authority in SEO and How to Improve It?, Linkstorm
The score bands in this article are rough guides from these sources. Verify them against your own niche before you publish.