What is Authority (Domain Authority / Page Authority)? - Definition & Meaning Simplified

Authority (Domain Authority / Page Authority)

Authority is a relative metric used by SEO platforms to predict how likely a website or specific page is to rank in search engine results. While not an official Google metric, authority scores are highly correlated with organic performance; research shows that top-ranking pages average nearly 2x more linking domains than lower-ranked competitors. Authority is built through a combination of high-quality content, technical excellence, and most importantly, acquiring relevant backlinks from other trusted entities. Ignoring authority building is fighting a losing battle, to dominate competitive markets, a domain’s authority must systematically eclipse the market average.

Authority Simplified

Authority is a score that estimates how much trust and power your website has. Think of it like a reputation score, the higher your authority, the easier it is for your website to rank at the top of Google for competitive keywords.