How to Check PA and DA Scores in 2026 (Step-by-Step Guide)

Table of Contents

Updated July 3, 2025

Understanding PA and DA in SEO

Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA) are predictive, logarithmic metrics developed by Moz to estimate a website's likelihood of ranking in search engine results. Both are scored on a 100-point scale, but they measure different scopes:

Page Authority (PA) evaluates the ranking strength of a specific page based on factors like backlink profile, content quality, and on-page SEO.
Domain Authority (DA) assesses the entire domain, including all subdomains and the overall link equity, trust, and authority of the root domain.

These are not official Google ranking factors, but they serve as useful benchmarks for SEO performance, competitive analysis, and strategic planning. Moz updates these scores regularly, so expecting some variation year-to-year is normal.

💡 Important Note: PA and DA should be used as relative indicators, not absolute truths. A site with a DA of 50 isn’t necessarily "better" than one with DA 40, but it likely signals stronger overall SEO potential.

Why Check PA and DA in 2026?

As search algorithms evolve—especially with AI integration and increased emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)—understanding where your pages and domain stand in authority becomes even more critical.

Here’s why monitoring PA and DA in 2026 matters:

Content Strategy: Identify high-authority pages to build topic clusters or repurpose content.
Link Building: Prioritize acquiring backlinks from domains with higher DA to boost your PA.
Competitor Benchmarking: Compare your domain and key pages against competitors to spot gaps.
SEO Health Tracking: Detect declines early (e.g., due to algorithm updates or lost backlinks).
Investment & Acquisition: Used by investors and buyers to assess SEO value of websites.

In 2026, with increased automation in SEO tools and AI-driven content, authority metrics will remain central to measuring trust and influence—even as Google shifts toward more nuanced ranking signals.

How to Check PA and DA: Step-by-Step

You can check Page Authority and Domain Authority using Moz’s free tools or API. Here’s how:

1. Use MozBar (Free Browser Extension)

Install MozBar for Chrome or Firefox.
Browse any webpage or domain.
The toolbar displays:
Page Authority (PA) – for the current page.
Domain Authority (DA) – for the root domain.
You’ll also see Spam Score and link metrics.

✅ Pro Tip: Use MozBar to quickly audit SERP competitors—just search your target keyword and see which pages have high PA.

2. Use Moz’s Link Explorer (Free Tier Available)

Go to: https://linkexplorer.moz.com/
Enter a URL (e.g., https://example.com/blog/post)
View:
Page Authority
Domain Authority
Backlink count, top linking domains, anchor text, etc.
Free tier allows 10 queries/month; paid plans offer more.

⚠️ Note: The free version limits results; for bulk analysis, use the API or paid tool.

3. Use Moz API (For Developers & Bulk Analysis)

Moz offers a free API endpoint (metrics) to programmatically check PA and DA:

bash

curl "https://lsapi.seomoz.com/v2/url_metrics" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"targets": ["https://example.com", "https://example.com/page"]}'

Response includes:

json

{
  "results": [
    {
      "pa": 35,
      "da": 48,
      "url": "https://example.com/page"
    }
  ]
}

Free tier: 25 queries/month.
Paid plans start at $50/month for higher volume.

🔧 Tip: Use this to automate audits, track changes over time, or integrate into dashboards like Google Sheets via IMPORTJSON or Zapier.

4. Alternative Tools (Third-Party)

While Moz is the originator, other tools now include PA/DA estimates:

Ahrefs: Uses "URL Rating (UR)" and "Domain Rating (DR)"—similar metrics.
SEMrush: Provides "Authority Score."
Majestic: Uses "Trust Flow" and "Citation Flow."

🔄 Correlation ≠ Identity: UR and DA are correlated but not identical. Use consistently for trend tracking, but don’t mix sources for comparisons.

Interpreting PA and DA Scores

Scores range from 0 to 100, but the scale is logarithmic. This means:

Going from DA 20 → 30 is much easier than 70 → 80.
Small score increases at the high end represent massive improvements in link profile strength.

Score Range	Interpretation
0–20	Very low authority; likely new or penalized.
20–40	Emerging or niche sites; some backlinks.
40–60	Established sites with moderate authority.
60–80	High authority; trusted by search engines.
80–100	Rare; top-tier domains (e.g., Wikipedia, BBC, NYT).

📊 Example: A DA 50 site with PA 30 on a blog post is healthy. If DA drops to 30 but PA stays 30, the page may be strong, but the domain is weakening.

Real-World Example: Auditing a Blog Post

Let’s analyze a hypothetical blog post: https://example.com/seo-checklist-2026

Using Moz Link Explorer:

Domain Authority (DA): 58
Page Authority (PA): 34
Spam Score: 2%
Linking Domains: 84
Top Anchor: “SEO checklist 2026” (12 links)

Analysis:

PA 34 is moderate for a detailed guide—could improve with more internal links or backlinks.
DA 58 indicates a strong domain, likely due to consistent content and backlinks.
Spam Score 2% is low, suggesting clean link profile.

Action Plan:

Add 2–3 internal links from high-PA pages (e.g., /seo-guide) to boost PA.
Target 1–2 backlinks from DA 50+ sites (e.g., industry blogs, resource pages).
Update content with fresh data (e.g., “2026 SEO trends”) to improve relevance and E-E-A-T.

📈 Goal: Increase PA to 45+ within 6 months by combining on-page and off-page SEO.

Common Misconceptions About PA and DA

❌ Myth 1: “Higher DA always means better rankings.”

✅ Truth: DA measures potential, not actual performance. A DA 70 site might rank poorly for a keyword if its content is thin or outdated. Focus on relevance and intent.

❌ Myth 2: “You can directly improve PA or DA.”

✅ Truth: You can’t "increase DA" directly. You improve it by earning high-quality backlinks, improving content quality, and fixing technical SEO issues.

❌ Myth 3: “PA and DA are updated in real time.”

✅ Truth: Moz updates its index every 3–4 weeks. Score changes reflect recent link activity, but there’s a lag.

❌ Myth 4: “A single backlink can skyrocket DA.”

✅ Truth: DA is domain-wide. A single spammy backlink won’t hurt much, but a high-quality editorial link from a DA 80 site can have a noticeable positive impact.

How to Improve PA and DA in 2026

Improving authority isn’t about gaming the system—it’s about building genuine trust and value.

🔧 Improving Page Authority (PA)

Internal Linking: Link from high-PA pages to your target page using keyword-rich anchor text.
Content Depth: Expand thin content to 1,500+ words with original research, data, or case studies.
On-Page SEO: Optimize title, H1, meta description, and use semantic HTML (e.g., schema markup).
Backlinks: Acquire 1–2 high-quality backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites.
User Engagement: Improve dwell time and reduce bounce rate with compelling content and UX.

✅ Example: A “2026 SEO Guide” with 3,000 words, internal links to related posts, and embedded infographics can rise from PA 25 → 50 in 6 months.

🏗️ Improving Domain Authority (DA)

Earn High-Quality Backlinks: Focus on editorial links from news sites, industry publications, and .edu/.gov domains.
Fix Broken Links: Use tools like Screaming Frog to find and repair 404s or redirect chains.
Improve Site Speed & Mobile UX: Core Web Vitals impact crawlability and user trust.
Consistent Content Strategy: Publish 2–4 high-value posts monthly.
Remove Toxic Backlinks: Disavow spammy or unnatural links via Google Search Console.

📌 Quick Wins:

Get listed on resource pages (e.g., “Best SEO Blogs of 2026”).

Guest post on DA 50+ sites with contextual relevance.

Sponsor local events and get backlinks from .org sites.

Using PA and DA for Competitor Research

In 2026, competitor analysis remains one of the most effective uses of these metrics.

Step-by-Step Competitor Audit

Identify Top 5 Competitors for your target keyword (e.g., “best CRM software 2026”).
Check DA and PA of their homepage and top-ranking pages.
Compare Backlink Profiles using Moz or Ahrefs:

Number of linking domains.
Domain diversity (variety of sources).
Anchor text distribution.

Analyze Content Gaps:

Are competitors using video, tools, or interactive content?
Is your content longer, more up-to-date, or better structured?

Look for Link Opportunities:

Broken links on their site (use Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker).
Their guest post opportunities or resource pages.

🔎 Example: Competitor A: DA 65, PA 45 on ranking page → strong domain + strong page. Competitor B: DA 30, PA 40 on ranking page → weak domain but optimized page. Your Opportunity: Target Competitor B’s weak domain with better content and outreach.

Automating PA/DA Monitoring in 2026

As SEO scales, manual checks become inefficient. Here’s how to automate:

1. Google Sheets with Moz API

Use this script (via IMPORTJSON or Apps Script) to pull PA/DA weekly:

javascript

function getMozMetrics(url) {
  const apiKey = 'YOUR_MOZ_API_KEY';
  const endpoint = `https://lsapi.seomoz.com/v2/url_metrics`;
  const payload = {
    targets: [url]
  };
  const options = {
    method: 'post',
    headers: { 'Authorization': 'Basic ' + Utilities.base64Encode(apiKey + ':') },
    payload: JSON.stringify(payload),
    contentType: 'application/json'
  };
  const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(endpoint, options);
  return JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
}

Then use:

code

=getMozMetrics(A2)

Where A2 contains the URL.

2. SEO Dashboards (e.g., Databox, Klipfolio)

Connect Moz API to visualize DA/PA trends.
Set alerts for drops >10% in 30 days.

3. CI/CD Integration (DevOps SEO)

Run Moz API checks in CI pipelines to fail builds if DA drops unexpectedly.
Great for sites where SEO health affects go-live decisions.

🛠️ Tip: Combine with Google Analytics to correlate PA/DA changes with traffic shifts.

PA and DA in 2026: What’s Changing?

As AI reshapes search, expect these trends:

Greater Emphasis on E-E-A-T: Sites with strong author bios, citations, and expert reviews will see indirect boosts in perceived authority.
Link Quality > Quantity: Moz may refine its scoring to weigh editorial links more heavily.
Topical Authority Becomes Key: Domains that dominate a niche (e.g., “AI in healthcare”) will see higher DA for relevant pages.
Real-Time Scoring (Emerging): Some tools may approximate PA/DA using live data feeds from search APIs.

🚀 Action Step: Start building author profiles, cite sources, and earn expert-contributed content—these will matter more than ever.

Q: Is DA still relevant in 2026?

A: Yes. While not a ranking factor, DA remains a strong proxy for domain-level trust and link equity. It helps prioritize SEO efforts and assess market position.

Q: Can a page have higher PA than DA?

A: Rarely, but possible. If a single page earns massive, high-quality backlinks (e.g., a viral guide), its PA could temporarily exceed the domain DA. This is unsustainable unless the domain grows.

Q: Why did my PA drop, but DA stayed the same?

A: Likely due to lost backlinks to that specific page, or Moz recalculating scores based on new data. Internal linking or content updates may help recover.

Q: How often should I check PA and DA?

A: Monthly for routine tracking. Weekly for high-stakes pages (e.g., product pages in competitive niches).

Q: Can I buy backlinks to boost DA?

A: Avoid. Google penalizes unnatural link schemes. Focus on earning links through value, not transactions.

Final Thoughts: Make Authority Work for You

Page Authority and Domain Authority aren’t magic bullets—but they are powerful compasses in the vast ocean of SEO. In 2026, as algorithms grow smarter and content ecosystems become more competitive, the sites that thrive will be those that earn trust through quality, not just chase numbers.

Use PA and DA to:

Guide your content strategy.
Spot weaknesses in your backlink profile.
Outmaneuver competitors with smarter link-building.
Validate your SEO efforts with data.

Remember: These metrics reflect collective digital reputation—built over time through consistency, expertise, and integrity. Focus on creating value, and the authority will follow.