How does MOZ calculate PA for a new page? Why brand-new pages’ PA can differ greatly even if the domains’ DA are the same? These and other MOZ-related questions are answered here.
Understanding MOZ’s Page Authority (PA) for a New Page
To dive deep into how Moz calculates Page Authority (PA) and the reasons behind different PA scores for brand-new pages on domains with the same Domain Authority (DA), we must first understand the concepts behind PA and DA and the metrics that influence them.
Page Authority (PA)
PA is a metric developed by Moz to predict the likelihood of a single page to rank in search engine results. It’s a score ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores correlating to a greater ability to rank. PA is based on an amalgamation of numerous factors, and it is a machine learning model that uses link-based metrics as input to predict the ranking potential of pages.
Domain Authority (DA)
DA is another metric by Moz, which predicts the ranking potential of entire domains or subdomains. Like PA, it is also scored on a 100-point logarithmic scale. The higher the score, the greater the website’s potential to rank.
Factors Influencing PA
When we talk about PA, especially for a new page, the most predominant factors include:
- Link Profile. The number, quality, and relevance of backlinks pointing to the page.
- Internal Linking. The links from one page of the website to another page on the same website. Proper internal linking can distribute page authority and ranking power throughout the site.
- Link Freshness. How recent are the links? New links can provide a freshness factor.
- Link Diversity. Are the incoming links from varied and diverse domains, or are they all coming from a single domain?
And many others, including the design of the webpage, content quality, on-page optimization, etc.
PA Calculation for a New Page
While the exact algorithm and weightage of each factor remain proprietary to Moz, here’s a general idea of how PA might be calculated for a new page:
- Initial Score. A brand-new page, without any inbound or internal links, will generally start with a very low PA. This is because it lacks the link equity that is a primary component of PA.
- Initial Link Acquisition. As soon as the page starts getting links, either from external domains or internally from within the same domain, its PA can see an increase. The quality, relevance, and number of these links play a role in determining how significant this increase is.
- Evaluation of Link Quality. Not all links are equal. A link from a highly authoritative website (with high DA) can significantly boost the PA of a new page compared to links from low-authority sites.
Why Brand-new Pages’ PA Can Differ Despite Same DA
Now, coming to the heart of the matter, why can two brand-new pages on domains with identical DAs have different PAs? There are several reasons:
- Internal Link Structure. If one domain has a strong internal linking strategy that efficiently distributes link equity, its new pages can benefit more and have a higher PA than a similar domain that does not employ such a strategy.
- Quality of Inbound Links to the Page. As mentioned, not all links are equal. One new page might receive links from high-quality, relevant sources, while another gets them from less reputable sources. This can lead to significant differences in PA.
- Number of Inbound Links. Beyond quality, the sheer volume of links can also be a differentiating factor. If one new page gains a lot of links quickly, its PA might surge faster than another page which is gaining links at a slower rate.
- Link Freshness. New pages can often get a flurry of links when they’re first published (say, from promotional efforts or initial shares). If one page is seeing fresher links than another, it can lead to variations in PA.
- Content Quality and On-page Optimization. While PA is heavily influenced by link metrics, on-page factors, including content quality, keyword optimization, and user engagement, can also influence how a page is perceived and how likely it is to gain organic backlinks, which in turn can affect its PA.
- Other Technical Aspects. Factors like page load speed, mobile-friendliness, schema markup, and other technical aspects of a page can influence its propensity to gain links and thus can indirectly influence its PA.
It’s essential to understand that while metrics like PA and DA provide valuable insights, they are predictive scores and not definitive measures of how a page or domain will rank. Moreover, they are based on Moz’s own datasets and algorithms, and different SEO tools may provide different metrics and results based on their datasets.
Conclusion
While two domains may have the same DA, the PA of their new pages can differ significantly due to a multitude of reasons, predominantly revolving around their link profiles. Each page, even if new, lives its own life in the vast ecosystem of the web, influenced by its content, the quality and number of its links, and a myriad of other factors that can lead to variations in its PA. As with all SEO metrics, it’s crucial to use PA in conjunction with other indicators and not in isolation, to get a comprehensive understanding of a page’s potential and performance.