Domain Authority or Page Authority? Know Which Matters More!
- Favour Obasi-ike (@flaevbeatz)
- Jun 11
- 15 min read
Understanding Authority Metrics in SEO
Domain Authority vs Page Authority are two critical SEO metrics developed by Moz that help predict how well websites and individual pages will rank in search engine results.
Metric | What It Measures | Score Range | Best For |
Domain Authority (DA) | Overall website strength | 1-100 | Comparing entire websites |
Page Authority (PA) | Individual page ranking potential | 1-100 | Evaluating specific pages |
Domain Authority measures the overall strength of an entire website, while Page Authority focuses on individual pages. Both metrics:
Use a logarithmic scale (harder to move from 70 to 80 than 20 to 30)
Are not used by Google as direct ranking factors
Should be used as comparative tools rather than absolute scores
Are calculated using link data, MozRank, MozTrust, and 40+ other factors
Which matters more? It depends on your goals:
Domain Authority: Better for overall website credibility and broad SEO strategy
Page Authority: Better for optimizing specific landing pages or content pieces
Both metrics provide valuable insights, but you'll typically want to improve both simultaneously for best results.
I'm Favour Obasi-ike, founder of Work & PLAY Entertainment, and I've helped businesses improve their Domain Authority vs Page Authority metrics to achieve higher rankings and increased organic traffic through strategic content and link-building campaigns. Throughout my experience working with clients across 145 countries, I've developed proven strategies to boost these authority metrics effectively.
Why These Metrics Matter
In the competitive world of SEO, understanding where you stand is crucial. Authority metrics provide context for your website's performance and help set realistic expectations. A new website with a Domain Authority of 10 competing against established sites with DAs of 70+ will face an uphill battle for competitive keywords.
These metrics matter because they:
Indicate your website's trust level in the eyes of search engines
Help benchmark your site against competitors
Allow you to track progress over time
Guide your link-building and content strategies
Help prioritize your SEO efforts
As our Houston-based clients often tell us, "We want to know if we're making progress!" Authority metrics provide that reassurance, showing incremental improvements even before ranking changes become apparent.
Domain Authority vs Page Authority: Key Differences at a Glance
When I'm explaining these metrics to my clients, I like to use this simple comparison table that really highlights how these two powerful SEO tools serve different purposes:
Feature | Domain Authority (DA) | Page Authority (PA) |
Scope | Entire domain or subdomain | Individual URL/page |
Primary factors | Domain age, backlink profile, overall site health | Page-specific links, content quality, on-page factors |
Best use | Comparing website strength with competitors | Evaluating specific pages for optimization |
Influence | Affected by site-wide changes | Affected by page-specific changes |
Fluctuation | More stable, changes gradually | Can change more rapidly with new links |
Starting point | New domains start at DA 1 | New pages start at PA 1 |
Ideal for | Overall SEO strategy, domain acquisitions | Content strategy, page-level optimization |
Think of Domain Authority vs Page Authority like comparing a city's reputation to a specific restaurant's reputation in that city. They're related, but measure different things! When we work with clients, we always analyze both metrics to create a balanced strategy that builds both overall site credibility and page-specific ranking power. More info about Domain Authority vs Page Authority SEO
Primary Keyword Spotlight—Domain Authority vs Page Authority
Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's prediction of how likely your entire website is to rank in search results. It's like your website's overall reputation score. Moz calculates this score on a 100-point logarithmic scale (which means jumping from 20 to 30 is much easier than from 70 to 80) by looking at linking root domains, total links, and many other factors.
Page Authority (PA) focuses on a single page's ranking potential. Also scored from 1-100 on a logarithmic scale, PA evaluates dozens of factors specific to that individual URL. It's particularly useful when you want to know if a specific blog post or landing page has what it takes to rank well.
Both metrics are predictive, not prescriptive. Google doesn't directly use DA or PA in its ranking algorithm—these are Moz's best attempt at predicting how Google might evaluate your site based on observed patterns and correlations.
Secondary Angle—Using Domain Authority vs Page Authority in audits
In our day-to-day work at Work & PLAY Entertainment, we use these metrics differently depending on what we're trying to accomplish.
When conducting Domain Authority audits, we're looking at the big picture. We'll compare your overall site strength against direct competitors to understand the authority gap you need to overcome. This helps set realistic expectations—if your competitors all have DAs in the 60s while you're sitting at 25, we know we have some serious domain-building work ahead!
For Page Authority audits, we get much more granular. We identify your strongest pages (which might deserve more internal links) and your weakest pages (which might need content upgrades or backlink campaigns). When a client wants to rank for a specific term, we'll compare their page's PA against the PAs of the pages currently ranking on page one.
I recently worked with a client who couldn't understand why their beautifully optimized product page wasn't ranking. The PA audit revealed the truth: while their content was excellent, the page had a PA of just 15, competing against pages with PAs in the 40-50 range. This immediately clarified our next steps—we needed a targeted backlink campaign specifically for that page.
These complementary metrics give us a complete picture of your SEO health, allowing us to develop strategies that build both site-wide credibility and page-specific ranking power.
What Influences Your Scores & Why They Fluctuate
Ever wonder why your authority metrics seem to have a mind of their own? Both Domain Authority vs Page Authority scores are calculated using sophisticated algorithms that consider dozens of factors. Understanding these moving parts helps explain those sometimes frustrating fluctuations.
Think of Moz's authority metrics like a recipe with several key ingredients:
MozRank works like your website's popularity contest, showing how many other pages think you're worth linking to. MozTrust measures how many steps you are away from highly trusted seed sites (like .edu or .gov domains). Your linking root domains – the number of unique websites pointing to yours – matter more than having thousands of links from just a few sites.
The algorithm also considers your total number of links, keeps an eye out for spam factors that might hurt you, and uses a machine learning model that's constantly training itself against real Google search results.
Factors Impacting Domain Authority
Your Domain Authority score has several influential factors that shape it over time:
Your domain age matters – like fine wine, older domains typically have more established link profiles. The quality of your backlinks weighs heavily (one link from The New York Times can outweigh dozens from obscure blogs). Of course, backlink quantity still counts – more linking domains generally means higher authority.
Sites with robust traffic volume tend to score higher, and while social signals aren't direct ranking factors, they often correlate with authority. Your technical SEO health – how well search engines can crawl and understand your site – plays a crucial role too. And never underestimate the power of content quality – valuable content naturally attracts more links.
One of our clients put it perfectly after we helped boost their DA from 23 to 38 over six months: "It's like watching your credit score improve—slow but satisfying!"
Factors Impacting Page Authority
While DA looks at your entire domain, Page Authority zooms in on individual page signals:
The number of unique links directly to that page carries significant weight. Your internal linking structure – how you connect that page to others on your site – can make a surprising difference. Content quality and relevance remain fundamental, as does proper implementation of on-page SEO elements like titles and headers.
Page performance metrics like load speed and mobile-friendliness matter too. Content freshness can give you temporary PA boosts when you update older content. And watch those redirects – they can affect how link equity flows to your pages.
We've noticed something interesting with our clients – pages with strong internal linking often see PA increases even without new external backlinks. It's like creating highways that help authority flow throughout your site.
Score Updates & Fluctuations
If you've watched your scores jump around, you're not alone. Here's why that happens:
Moz refreshes its index periodically, causing recalculations across the board. They also occasionally update their scoring algorithm to better match Google's evolving approach. Sometimes your scores drop not because you did anything wrong, but because your competitors gained authority, changing the relative landscape.
Natural link acquisition or loss impacts your scores, as do any major domain changes like migrations or URL restructuring.
According to latest research on Google still using PageRank, while Google no longer publishes PageRank scores publicly, they still use a similar internal metric. This reinforces why metrics like Domain Authority vs Page Authority remain valuable predictors of your ranking potential.
At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we help our clients understand these fluctuations so they can focus on meaningful improvements rather than stressing over every small change. Remember – it's the long-term trend that matters most!
How to Check and Benchmark Your Authority Metrics
Tracking your authority metrics is essential for measuring SEO progress. Here are the most reliable tools for checking Domain Authority and Page Authority:
Moz's Link Explorer - The official tool from Moz (limited free checks)
MozBar - Browser extension for quick DA/PA checks while browsing
Moz's free Domain Analysis tool - Limited to a few checks per day
Semrush - Offers "Authority Score," a similar metric
Ahrefs - Provides "Domain Rating" (DR), their equivalent to DA
At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we use a combination of these tools to provide our clients with comprehensive authority analyses.
Tools for Fast Checks
For quick authority checks without diving into detailed analysis:
Moz Domain Analysis - Enter any domain to see its DA, linking domains, and top pages
MozBar - See DA/PA directly in search results or while browsing any website
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools - Free option to check your own site's metrics
Semrush Domain Overview - Quick snapshot of domain metrics
Google Search Console - While it doesn't show DA/PA directly, it provides valuable link data
These quick checks are particularly useful when evaluating potential link-building opportunities or checking competitor metrics on the fly.
Interpreting "Good" Scores
A common question we hear from our Houston clients is, "What's a good Domain Authority or Page Authority score?" The answer isn't straightforward because these metrics are relative, not absolute.
Generally speaking:
DA/PA 1-10: Very low, typical for new sites
DA/PA 10-20: Low, beginning to establish authority
DA/PA 20-30: Below average, but improving
DA/PA 30-40: Average for established small businesses
DA/PA 40-50: Above average, good local authority
DA/PA 50-60: Good, competitive in most niches
DA/PA 60-70: Very good, established authority
DA/PA 70-80: Excellent, major publications/sites
DA/PA 80-100: Exceptional, reserved for industry leaders
However, the most important benchmark is your direct competition. If your top competitors have DAs of 30-40, a DA of 35 puts you in a competitive position. Conversely, if they're all 60+, you have work to do regardless of your current score.
Improving Domain Authority vs Page Authority: Actionable Strategies
Now for the part everyone wants to know: how to improve these metrics. Because DA and PA use logarithmic scales, it's easier to improve from 20 to 30 than from 60 to 70.
At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we've developed proven strategies for both metrics:
Boosting Domain Authority
Create high-quality, comprehensive content
Develop content that naturally attracts links
Focus on original research, statistics, and industry insights
Maintain consistent publishing schedule
Build a diverse, high-quality backlink profile
Earn links from relevant, authoritative websites
Vary anchor text naturally
Focus on editorial links rather than directories or forums
Improve technical SEO
Fix crawl errors and broken links
Optimize site speed and mobile experience
Create a logical site structure and clear navigation
Remove toxic backlinks
Regularly audit your backlink profile
Disavow spammy or low-quality links
Focus on quality over quantity
Strengthen your brand signals
Increase brand mentions (linked and unlinked)
Establish consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information
Build presence on social platforms and industry sites
One Houston client saw their DA increase from 22 to 37 over nine months by implementing these strategies, resulting in a 165% increase in organic traffic.
Elevating Page Authority
Target specific high-value pages
Identify pages with the highest conversion potential
Focus link-building efforts on these priority pages
Create linkable assets around these pages
Optimize on-page elements
Improve title tags, meta descriptions, and headers
Improve content quality and depth
Ensure proper keyword targeting without overstuffing
Build page-specific backlinks
Create outreach campaigns for specific pages
Develop content assets worthy of links (infographics, studies, tools)
Reclaim unlinked brand mentions with page-specific links
Implement strategic internal linking
Link to important pages from your highest-authority pages
Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text
Create content hubs around related topics
Fix or redirect low-performing pages
Improve thin content
Consolidate similar pages
Redirect outdated content to fresh, relevant pages
A client in the entertainment industry saw the PA of their key service page increase from 18 to 32 after implementing these strategies, resulting in a 43% increase in conversions from organic traffic.
Backlinks, Internal Links & Authority Flow
Understanding how authority flows through your site is crucial for maximizing both DA and PA:
Backlink distribution matters
Links to your homepage boost overall DA
Deep links to internal pages boost those specific pages' PA
A balanced approach improves both metrics
Internal linking strategy
Pass authority from high-PA pages to important conversion pages
Create topic clusters with pillar content and supporting articles
Use a silo structure to organize content and distribute authority
Folder-level authority
Links to category pages boost all pages within that category
Organize content in logical subdirectories
Build authority for key sections of your site
Redirect strategy
Maintain link equity when removing or consolidating pages
Use 301 redirects for permanent moves
Avoid redirect chains that dilute authority
As we often tell our clients, "Authority flows like water through your site—make sure it's flowing to where you need it most."
When to Prioritize Domain Authority or Page Authority in Your SEO Strategy
Choosing whether to focus on Domain Authority vs Page Authority isn't always straightforward. It's a bit like deciding whether to renovate your entire house or just remodel the kitchen—both have their place depending on your situation and goals.
Domain-Level Goals
When should you put your energy into boosting overall Domain Authority? Based on our experience working with clients across industries, these scenarios call for a domain-focused approach:
If you've just launched a new website, building domain credibility should be your first priority. Think of it as establishing your reputation in a new neighborhood—you need to become known and trusted before focusing on specific offerings.
Domain Authority becomes particularly crucial in competitive industries. When your rivals all have DA scores in the 50-70 range, bringing your overall domain strength up gives every page on your site a better chance to compete. I've seen this with several clients who struggled to rank individual pages until we boosted their domain-wide authority.
Long-term growth plans also benefit from DA focus. A strong domain creates a rising tide that lifts all boats—every new page you create starts from a stronger position. As one client put it, "Our DA investment is paying dividends on content we haven't even created yet!"
If you're recovering from penalties or preparing for a site migration, domain strength provides a valuable buffer. Sites with stronger DA typically weather these transitions with less ranking volatility, which can mean the difference between maintaining revenue or watching it disappear overnight.
Page-Level Wins
On the flip side, there are clear situations where focusing on Page Authority makes more strategic sense:
When specific pages directly drive your business, prioritize their individual authority. Your product pages, service descriptions, and conversion-focused landing pages often deserve special attention. We've helped clients achieve dramatic revenue increases by focusing PA-building efforts on just a handful of high-value pages.
Featured snippets and "position zero" opportunities respond particularly well to page-specific optimization. Since these coveted positions are awarded on a page-by-page basis, boosting PA for content targeting these opportunities makes perfect sense.
Content marketing strategies naturally lend themselves to a PA focus. When you create cornerstone content designed to rank for specific topics, directing your authority-building efforts to these pages often yields faster results than a domain-wide approach.
Need quick wins? Page Authority improvements typically show results faster than Domain Authority gains. I remember one client who saw their key service page jump from page three to page one after just six weeks of focused PA work—long before we made meaningful progress on their overall DA.
For established sites with already decent Domain Authority, shifting focus to individual pages often produces the best return on investment. Once your domain has crossed certain thresholds (typically DA 30+), the incremental value of further domain-wide improvements may be less impactful than boosting specific pages.
At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we rarely recommend an all-or-nothing approach. Most successful SEO strategies involve some balance between domain and page-level efforts, with the exact ratio determined by your current metrics, competition, and business goals. We typically analyze where the bigger gap exists compared to your competitors and lean slightly in that direction.
For most businesses, the sweet spot is building domain authority through a consistent content and link acquisition strategy while simultaneously giving extra attention to your most valuable pages. This balanced approach delivers both short-term wins and long-term strength.
Frequently Asked Questions about Domain Authority vs Page Authority
How often do DA and PA update, and why did my numbers drop?
If you've been tracking your metrics and suddenly notice a change, don't panic! Moz typically refreshes its authority metrics about once a month, and fluctuations are completely normal.
When clients call us in a panic about dropping scores, we always explain the most common reasons behind these changes:
Algorithm updates happen periodically as Moz refines how they calculate these metrics. Just like Google updates its algorithm, Moz makes adjustments to better predict search rankings.
Competitive growth might be outpacing yours—if everyone in your industry is gaining authority faster than you are, your relative position might drop even if you're improving.
Link losses can impact your scores significantly, especially if you've lost a few high-quality backlinks. We recently helped a client find they'd accidentally blocked their most valuable referral domains with robots.txt!
Site changes like migrations, redesigns, or content removals can temporarily impact scores until search engines fully process the changes.
Penalties from Google eventually reflect in authority metrics, though this is less common than the other factors.
The best approach when scores drop? Focus on the fundamentals: quality content, excellent user experience, and earning relevant backlinks. At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we monitor these fluctuations for our clients and adjust strategies accordingly, always keeping the long-term goals in mind.
Should I worry if my PA is higher than my DA?
This question comes up frequently, and my answer is always a reassuring "no"—it's actually quite common and often a positive sign!
When specific pages have higher PA than your overall DA, it typically indicates those pages have earned their own reputation independent of your domain. This is perfectly normal and can be strategically valuable.
A client recently noticed their resource guide had a PA of 42 while their domain sat at 35. Rather than seeing this as a problem, we helped them recognize it as an opportunity—that page had attracted quality backlinks because it provided exceptional value.
High-PA pages are often your content superstars that have:
Earned specific, valuable backlinks from relevant sources
Demonstrated that your content strategy is working effectively
Created opportunities to distribute authority throughout your site
The key is leveraging these high-PA pages by strategically linking from them to your important conversion pages. This helps distribute that hard-earned authority to the pages that drive your business results.
Are there alternatives to DA and PA like Ahrefs DR or Semrush Authority Score?
Absolutely! While Domain Authority vs Page Authority remain industry standards, several alternatives provide valuable perspectives:
Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) measures the strength of a website's backlink profile, focusing heavily on the number and quality of unique linking domains. Many of our clients find DR particularly useful for competitive analysis.
Semrush Authority Score takes a more holistic approach by combining multiple metrics including backlinks, traffic patterns, and keyword rankings. This comprehensive view can reveal insights that backlink-only metrics might miss.
Majestic Trust Flow and Citation Flow offer an interesting dual perspective—Trust Flow measures link quality while Citation Flow focuses on link quantity. Together, they help identify potential spam issues.
SEOquake SERPs overlay provides multiple metrics directly in search results, making quick competitive analysis much easier when researching keywords.
Each tool uses different methodologies and data sources, which explains why scores vary between platforms. At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we typically analyze multiple metrics to get a more complete picture of a site's authority. Think of it like getting a second and third opinion before making an important decision—more data points lead to better insights.
What matters most isn't which metric you choose, but that you track it consistently and understand what changes mean for your specific situation.
Conclusion
Domain Authority vs Page Authority are like two sides of the same coin in the SEO world. While they measure different aspects of your website's strength, they both play crucial roles in your overall ranking potential and visibility in search results.
I've seen how understanding these metrics can transform a website's performance. One of our Houston clients once told me, "I finally understand why we need to care about both the forest and the trees!" That's exactly right – your domain is the forest, and your individual pages are the trees that make it up.
Here's what really matters when thinking about these authority metrics:
First, both metrics deserve your attention. A truly effective SEO strategy addresses both your overall domain strength and the authority of key pages. We've found the most successful campaigns balance these efforts rather than focusing exclusively on one.
Context is everything when evaluating your scores. A DA of 35 might be outstanding in one industry but mediocre in another. That's why we always recommend comparing your metrics to direct competitors rather than arbitrary benchmarks or industry averages.
When it comes to improving these scores, quality always trumps quantity. I've seen too many businesses waste resources on mass link building only to see minimal improvements. Focus instead on earning valuable, relevant links that actually drive traffic and build real authority.
Authority building requires patience and persistence. One of our most successful clients took nearly a year to move their DA from 28 to 42, but the resulting traffic increase made the wait worthwhile. Think of authority building as a marathon, not a sprint.
Finally, your strategy should be customized to your specific situation. A new e-commerce site might need to focus heavily on domain authority first, while an established business might benefit more from boosting the page authority of key service pages.
At Work & PLAY Entertainment, we've helped businesses across 145 countries improve both their Domain Authority vs Page Authority through strategic, ethical SEO practices. Our approach focuses on sustainable growth through quality content creation, technical optimization, and relationship-based link building.
While these metrics provide valuable insights, they're ultimately just tools to help you achieve real business goals – increased organic traffic, higher conversions, and sustainable growth.
Ready to improve your authority metrics and achieve better search visibility? Learn more about our SEO services and find how we can help your business grow through strategic authority building that delivers lasting results.
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