# SEO Authority: Why It Matters **Last updated:** 2026-09-19 **Source:** https://www.lawrencehitches.com/seo-authority/ --- wp:post-featured-image / wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph When somebody of authority talks, we listen. We listen to them because they’re trusted within their area of expertise.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph [Search engines work in a similar way](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/how-search-engines-work/). They want to provide the searcher with the best experience possible. And to do that, they provide the searcher with websites that have [authority in a specific niche](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/what-is-topical-authority-in-seo/).  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph This is called SEO authority. It consists of various metrics - about [14,000](https://searchengineland.com/google-search-document-leak-ranking-442617) in total. But it can be split into three essential pillars: authority, relevance, and experience.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph It’s these exact pillars that determine SEO authority. With a focus on these, you can boost keyword rankings and organic visitors, increasing website performance.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## What is SEO Authority /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph SEO authority refers to a website's or specific page's strength or credibility. A high SEO authority influences how well a website or page ranks in the search results.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Types of SEO Authority /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph In total, there are two types of SEO authority: domain authority (DA) and page authority (PA):  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Domain Authority (DA) /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph [Moz](https://moz.com/learn/seo/domain-authority) developed DA and it predicts how well the entire website will rank on search engines. The score is on a scale from 1 to 100; the higher the score, the higher the DA.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph It’s important to note, however, that there isn’t an official DA score from search engines like Google. You can only get these scores on SEO tools like [Moz](https://moz.com/), [SEMrush](https://www.semrush.com/), and [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/). They may even have different names, such as Domain Ranking or Domain Score. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph These aren’t “Official” scores. However, they do provide website owners a strong indication of how strong their websites are compared to others.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Page Authority (PA) /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph [Moz](https://moz.com/learn/seo/page-authority) also developed PA, which predicts how well a specific page will rank on search engines. Again, it’s a score from 1 to 100.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Like DA, PA isn’t an “Official” score measured by Google. It’s an estimated score created by Moz to give website owners an idea of how authoritative certain pages are on their websites.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph It’s important to note that PA isn’t used industry-wide in terms of [SEO](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/what-is-seo-and-how-does-it-work/). Other tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush use different wording for PA, but it’s somewhat the same.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### Differences Between DA and PA /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph DA focuses on the domain as a whole, whereas PA focuses on singular pages. Both are important, but increasing your DA will improve your overall site performance.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Just so you know, PA also influences DA. As each of your pages increases in PA, your average PA rating will increase. As a result, your overall website DA will increase.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Why SEO Authority is Important /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph SEO authority in general, both DA and PA, can provide some great SEO benefits. These include:  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### More Keyword Rankings /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Time and time again, higher DA (a result of higher individual PA) improve keyword rankings.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Recently, Ahrefs studied the difference between what they call Domain Ranking (which is the same as domain authority) and ranking keywords.  /wp:paragraph wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph Source: [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/website-authority-checker)  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph As you can see from their research, the higher the domain authority, the higher the keyword rankings, especially when you reach over that DA ranking of 50.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Improved Organic Traffic /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph More keyword rankings always equals more organic traffic. There’s always a direct correlation.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph However, you still need relevant content to rank for keywords. If your content is not relevant, search engines won’t rank you, regardless of your PA or DA.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph But it does give you a boost. When you have high DA, and you create a new content asset, compared to others within the niche, search engines will prioritise yours.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Enhanced Credibility and Trust /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph High PA and DA mean one thing: people trust your content. Because of this, you’ve received backlinks and traffic. Search engines like Google recognise this and reward you in return.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Simply put, if you provide a great experience, even a better experience than others in your niche, Google knows this. And because you offer the “best”, you’ll get the most traffic, keyword rankings, etc.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## How is SEO Authority Determined /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph [SEO tools](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/what-tools-do-seo-specialists-use/) calculate DA and PA over a series of metrics. All of them are slightly different (even in naming), but all have a scoring system of 1 to 100.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph For the most part, DA and PA are calculated based on the following:  /wp:paragraph wp:list - Quantity and [quality of backlinks](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/backlinks-ranking-on-page-one/) - Estimated monthly traffic - Number of rankings on SERPs (for DA only) - Percentage of dofollow domains (Whether it’s natural or not) - The balance between links and organic traffic - Number of referring domains with the same IP address - Number of referring domains with the same IP network - Is there another domain with an identical backlink profile? /wp:list wp:paragraph Based on the above, the SEO tool will then give you a rating from 1 to 100 for your PA and DA.  /wp:paragraph wp:heading {"level":3} ### What’s a Good SEO Authority Score? /wp:heading wp:paragraph A “Good” SEO authority score depends on your competitors. If you’re in a highly competitive niche, you’ll need a higher authority score to compete than in a non-competitive niche.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph That being said, here are some benchmarks for DA and PA:  /wp:paragraph wp:list - 0 - 30 (Below average) - 40 - 50 (Average) - 50 - 60 (Good) - 60+ (Excellent) /wp:list wp:paragraph These are just benchmarks, however. Remember, it really depends on your niche and your competition authority score.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## How to Increase SEO Authority /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph After reading the above, you may want to increase your SEO authority. To achieve this, we recommend you follow the below tips:  /wp:paragraph wp:heading {"level":3} ### 1. Build Relevant Backlinks /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Still, today, backlinks are the king of website performance. Good backlinks, however. Backlinks that are relevant and come from high DA websites with a good backlink profile.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Not only this, they help boost website performance overall. Time and time again, backlinks have been proven to increase keyword rankings and search traffic.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph Source: [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/website-authority-checker) /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph As you can see from the Ahref research above, more referring domains equals more search traffic. This is the same for keyword rankings.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph And this all works full circle. As you get more traffic, your authority increases - as you get more backlinks, your authority increases - as you have more keyword rankings, your authority increases.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### What is a Valuable Backlink? /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph High DA or PA shouldn’t be the deciding factor for a backlink. If you’re searching for backlink opportunities, evaluate the “value” of the link by looking into factors like:  /wp:paragraph wp:list - Number of referring domains the website has - Amount of organic traffic the website is getting - Number of other websites the website is externally linked to - How [relevant the referring website is to your topic](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/topical-relevance-meaning/) - The user experience offered by the website (design, content, optimisation, etc.) /wp:list wp:paragraph This will take you longer to get backlinks. However, the longer it usually takes, the better. As a rule of thumb, the easier the backlink is to get, the less valuable it is.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Please remember - quality over quantity. A backlink from a high DA website that doesn’t fulfil the above variables won’t improve authority.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### 2.Update Content Regularly /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Don’t get us wrong, backlinks are important. However, you should never neglect content. Without quality content, backlinks don’t mean much. There needs to be a decent balance.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Having quality content is very important. But it also needs to be updated. Search engines love this, especially for evergreen content.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Updated content boosts SERP results, which indirectly will attract more visitors and backlinks, boosting PA and DA.  /wp:paragraph wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph *Reference: SERP results for “What is SEO”* /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph This isn’t just for this one keyword, either. It’s for all keywords. For the most part, you’ll always see content that has been updated within the year listed on the first page of the search.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## 3. Increase Popularity /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Search engines look at popular pages as trustworthy sources. There’s a reason people are visiting these pages more than others.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Because of this, you need to increase the popularity of your website and/or a specific page. And you don’t only need to do this via ranking. There are other ways you can do this also.  /wp:paragraph wp:list - [Internal linking](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/internal-linking-seo/) - Social media marketing - Offline advertising - Online communities and forums - Public relations - Paid advertising (Search) - Collaborations and partnerships - Referral programs /wp:list wp:paragraph The list goes on and on. The goal is to just drive more traffic to your website or page. By doing this, you’ll increase traffic (of course) and also the likelihood of other important metrics like backlinks. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph As an indirect response to this, your PA and DA will increase over time.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Focus on User Experience /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Lastly, focus on the most important part of your website - the users. User experience is a huge factor in SEO. For rankings, PA, and DA - for literally everything.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph If search engines like Google see you’re pleasing your users, you’ll be rewarded. It’s always the case. Google rewards websites that look after their users, providing them with a flawless experience time and time again.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Therefore, understand your users and remove any bottlenecks on your website. Make it a smooth and seamless experience to improve their satisfaction.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Where should you learn link building once you understand authority? **From people who have tested it, not people who sell it.** The reel below points to the set of videos I send anyone who asks me how to build links properly: how a link passes authority, which links move rankings and which are noise, and how digital PR earns the ones you cannot ask for. Comment LINKVIDS on the post and the list arrives in your DMs. > Watch the reel on Instagram: The videos that will make you a backlink god More like this → Follow @lawrenceaiseo ## Final Word: Build Your Authority in SEO! /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph After reading the above, you should have a good understanding of SEO authority. As you can see, it plays an important role in SEO.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph This importance will continue into the future, even through new [Google Core Updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates/core-updates). It follows some simple pillars: authority, relevance, and experience, which are all top-ranking factors for search engines.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph So, start increasing your SEO authority today. Go for quality backlinks, create great content, keep your website updated, and provide a superb user experience.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph By doing this, you’ll increase PA and DA and start outranking your competition.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer --- *Lawrence Hitches is an AI SEO consultant in Melbourne and Chief of Staff at StudioHawk, Australia's most awarded SEO agency. Agent edition of this site: https://www.lawrencehitches.com/md/index.md*