Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA) are Moz metrics that predict ranking ability. This guide explains what constitutes good scores, why they fluctuate, and how to evaluate link opportunities using DA—all from 20+ years of SEO experience.
Page Authority is a Moz metric scored 1-100 that tries to predict how well a specific page will rank. I've watched thousands of pages over two decades, and here's the reality: most brand-new pages start at PA 1. That's normal. A good page authority number for an established page sits between 30 and 50—it means the page has earned some decent links and age. Pages above PA 50 are genuinely competitive in most niches. Your homepage often carries your highest PA because it naturally attracts the most internal and external links.
The scale is logarithmic, which trips people up constantly. Moving from PA 20 to 30 takes a handful of quality backlinks and a few months. Climbing from PA 60 to 70 requires exponentially more effort—think dozens of strong links from authoritative sources. I see clients obsess over a 2-point PA drop on a single page. Don't. Moz recalculates the entire index monthly, shifting scores as the web changes. Small fluctuations are noise. Focus instead on whether your page is actually gaining links and ranking for target keywords. PA is a correlation tool, not a cause of rankings.
Domain Authority works the same way as PA but measures your entire domain's link profile strength. So what's a good domain authority? It depends entirely on your competitive landscape. For a local Ottawa plumber, DA 25-35 can dominate local pack results. For a SaaS startup competing nationally, you'll want DA 40-50 minimum to show up in organic results. E-commerce sites in competitive verticals often need DA 50-60 to fight for product category rankings.
Here's my rough guide after working with hundreds of domains: DA 10-20 is typical for brand-new sites or neglected older ones. DA 20-40 represents small businesses with some link-building history. DA 40-60 means you've invested seriously in content and outreach—you're competitive. DA 60-80 is where established media sites, large brands, and successful digital properties live. Above DA 80, you're looking at major publishers, universities, and government sites.
I tell clients to check their top five organic competitors' DA scores using Moz's free toolbar. If you're sitting 15-20 points below them, you've got a link gap to close. But remember: DA measures link equity, not content quality or user experience. I've seen DA 35 sites outrank DA 55 competitors because they nailed search intent.
Clients panic when DA drops 3-5 points overnight. I get it—it feels like your site is dying. But why does domain authority drop, really? Most often, it's because Moz updated their index and your competitors gained links faster than you did. DA is relative. If 10,000 sites in Moz's index suddenly earned stronger backlink profiles, your score shifts downward even if you didn't lose a single link. You didn't get worse; everyone else got better.
Moz also periodically tweaks their algorithm. In early 2024, they adjusted how they weight spam signals, and thousands of domains saw 5-10 point swings with zero change to their actual link profiles. The other common culprit: you lost backlinks. A directory shut down, a blog removed your guest post, or a news mention dropped off. Run a backlink audit in Ahrefs or Semrush (I prefer their link indexes) to spot losses.
Rarely, a DA drop signals real trouble—like a manual penalty or algorithmic filter hitting your site. Check Google Search Console for manual actions first. If your organic traffic is stable or growing, ignore the DA drop. I've worked on sites that dropped from DA 48 to 42 during a Moz recalculation and ranked better than ever because we focused on earning relevant links, not chasing a score.
When prospecting link opportunities, what is a good domain authority to get links from? My baseline rule: target domains at least 10-15 points higher than your own DA. If you're DA 30, pursue links from DA 40-50+ sites. That spread ensures you're climbing the authority ladder instead of trading sideways links that barely move the needle. A DA 25 site linking to your DA 30 site won't hurt, but it won't dramatically help either.
But—and this is critical—never use DA as your only filter. I've seen clients chase a DA 65 link from an irrelevant forum that Google completely ignored. Check these four things: actual organic traffic in Semrush or Ahrefs (proves Google trusts the site), topical relevance to your niche (a DA 50 plumbing blog beats a DA 60 tech news site for a contractor), link placement (editorial in-content links outperform footer spam by miles), and the site's link velocity (is it earning new links or stagnant?).
In Canada, I often target local news sites. A DA 55 CBC regional page or a DA 45 city newspaper carries serious ranking weight for local queries, even if their DA isn't sky-high. Compare that to a DA 70 international guest-post farm that Google has likely devalued. Context beats score. Always.
The single biggest misunderstanding I encounter: people think DA/PA scales are linear. They're not. Moving from DA 20 to 30 might take 20 decent backlinks over six months. Jumping from DA 50 to 60 could require 200+ high-quality links over two years. The effort multiplies exponentially because Moz's algorithm models how Google's PageRank worked—each incremental point becomes harder to achieve.
This logarithmic reality changes how you should set goals. If you're DA 25, aiming for DA 50 in twelve months is unrealistic unless you're running a serious $5,000–$10,000/month link-building campaign with PR outreach, digital PR placements, and strategic partnerships. A realistic target: 5-8 DA points per year with consistent, ethical link building. I've personally grown client domains from DA 18 to DA 42 over three years, which represents hundreds of hours of content creation and outreach.
The flip side: once you hit DA 50+, maintaining it requires constant work. Competitors are also building links, and Moz's monthly recalculations mean standing still equals falling behind. I allocate roughly 20-30% of an SEO budget to ongoing link acquisition for mature sites. It's maintenance, not vanity. The logarithmic curve also means small sites can compete locally without obsessing over DA. A DA 30 site with perfect on-page and strong local citations beats a lazy DA 50 competitor daily.
Let me be blunt: Google doesn't use Domain Authority or Page Authority. These are Moz's proprietary predictions based on their crawl of the web, not official ranking factors. I've seen PA 55 pages stuck on page three because the content was thin and outdated, while PA 28 pages ranked position two because they nailed E-E-A-T signals and user intent. DA/PA correlate with rankings—sites with stronger link profiles generally rank better—but correlation isn't causation.
In 2026, Google's algorithm weighs hundreds of signals: content depth, entity associations, user engagement patterns, Core Web Vitals, and yes, backlink quality. Moz captures one slice of that (links) reasonably well, but it's blind to content quality, topical authority, and user satisfaction. I use DA/PA as quick-screening tools. During competitive analysis, they help identify which competitors have invested in links. During link prospecting, they filter out obvious low-authority junk.
But I never optimize *for* DA/PA. I optimize for rankings and traffic. If a tactic improves DA but doesn't move the needle on organic sessions, it's wasted effort. Conversely, I've run successful campaigns—especially local SEO and niche B2B—where DA barely budged but rankings and leads doubled because we focused on relevance and conversion optimization. Use these metrics as signposts, not destinations.
For Canadian SMBs I work with, DA/PA context matters regionally. If you're competing in Toronto or Vancouver metros, you're often up against DA 40-55 competitors with established link histories. Smaller markets—Ottawa, Halifax, Saskatoon—frequently see DA 25-35 sites dominate local pack and organic results because the competitive ceiling is lower. Don't blindly copy tactics from US competitors with DA 60+; your budget and market differ.
A realistic Canadian small-business link-building budget runs $2,000–$5,000/month for sustained growth. That gets you 4-8 quality links monthly through tactics like local sponsorships (community sports teams, charities), digital PR targeting Canadian news outlets (think blogTO, Daily Hive, regional CBC), and strategic guest contributions to industry blogs. Over twelve months, expect 3-6 DA points of growth if you're below DA 35, tapering to 2-4 points annually once you pass DA 40.
Check your own DA/PA free using Moz's Link Explorer (you get a few free queries monthly) or install their MozBar browser extension. Track it quarterly, not weekly. I log scores every January, April, July, October alongside traffic and rankings. Monthly obsession creates anxiety without actionable insight. Focus your energy on earning one great, relevant link per week. The authority scores will follow, and more importantly, so will your rankings.
A good page authority number falls between 30 and 50 for established pages. Brand-new pages start at PA 1, which is completely normal. Pages above PA 50 are competitive and typically have strong backlink profiles. Your homepage usually has your highest PA since it naturally attracts the most links. Don't stress over small month-to-month fluctuations—focus on whether your page is earning quality backlinks and ranking for your target keywords.
What's considered a good domain authority depends on your niche and competition. Local businesses often succeed with DA 25-40, while competitive national markets require DA 40-60. Check your top five organic competitors' DA—if you're 15+ points below them, you have a link gap. DA 10-20 is typical for new sites, 40-60 represents serious investment, and 60+ indicates established authority. Context matters more than absolute numbers.
Domain authority drops primarily because Moz recalculates the entire web monthly and competitors gained links faster than you, shifting the relative scale. You didn't necessarily lose authority—others gained more. Moz also occasionally updates their algorithm, causing score swings. Less commonly, you lost backlinks from removed content or closed sites. If your traffic is stable, DA drops are usually temporary noise. Check Google Search Console for actual penalties before panicking.
Target domains at least 10-15 points higher than your current DA for meaningful impact. If you're DA 30, pursue DA 40-50+ link sources. But don't use DA alone—verify the site has real organic traffic, topical relevance to your niche, and isn't a link farm. A relevant DA 45 industry blog outperforms an irrelevant DA 65 directory. Check link placement too—editorial in-content links matter far more than footer or sidebar spam.
Realistically, expect 3-6 DA points annually with consistent link building if you're below DA 35, tapering to 2-4 points once you pass DA 40. The scale is logarithmic—early growth is faster. A $2,000-5,000/month link-building budget earning 4-8 quality links monthly can move the needle steadily. Going from DA 20 to 40 might take 18-30 months. Going from DA 50 to 60 could take 2-3 years. Track quarterly, not monthly, to avoid obsessing over noise.