Debug: DB lookup batches (click to expand)
| Domain | PR | Linking Domains |
Followed Linking Domains |
Website Authority |
|---|
How it works
The Website Authority Checker computes a single 0-100 score (WA) per domain that blends three independent ranking-strength signals from a local copy of the web's link-graph metrics: Moz's Domain Authority, Open PageRank, and the count of followed linking domains. No live crawl, no upstream API call, no API key required for the lookup.
The WA formula:
WA = round(0.5 × DA + 0.3 × (PR × 10) + 0.2 × FLD_norm)FLD_norm = min(100, log10(max(1, FLD)) × 14.3), log-scaled so very-high follower counts don't dominate the score.
Blending three signals from independent sources makes the score harder to game than any single metric alone, you can't spam your way to a high WA by inflating just one input.
Single mode processes one domain inline. Bulk mode queues up to 100 domains per submission on your plan and processes them in the background, batched against the local database.
Canonical resolution. When you enter example.com, we look up both that and www.example.com, and return whichever variant has the higher WA. Subdomains you type explicitly (e.g. support.google.com) are looked up verbatim, not folded back to the root domain.
Plan caps. Per-submission bulk cap on the Free plan is 100. Each submission counts as one lookup per domain toward a daily quota shared with other domain-lookup tools.
Known limitations.
- Snapshot, not live. Each row reflects the most recent crawl-cycle for that domain's underlying metrics. Very recent link-building activity may not be reflected for up to a month.
- Domain coverage isn't universal. Domains that are very new, very low-traffic, or unlinked may not appear in the index and return a no data row.
- WA isn't a Google ranking factor. Like DA, it's a third-party prediction of link-graph strength. Use it for competitive benchmarking.
What the columns mean
- Domain
- The canonical variant of the domain you submitted (
example.comorwww.example.com, whichever has the higher computed WA in our index). - Website Authority (WA)
- Our composite 0-100 score that blends DA (50%), PageRank (30%), and a log-scaled followed-linking-domain count (20%). Tiered as 0-29 low, 30-59 medium, 60+ high.
- Domain Authority (DA)
- Moz's 0-100 prediction of ranking strength. Surfaced alongside WA so you can see what fraction of the WA score comes from this signal alone.
- Page Rank (PR)
- Open PageRank score on a 0-10 scale, computed independently from Moz. When a domain has no PageRank data, PR contributes 0 to the WA blend.
- Linking Domains
- Total unique domains that link to the target. A higher count typically correlates with stronger WA, but not linearly , the score uses a log-normalized version of the followed subset.
- Followed Linking Domains
- The subset of linking domains where at least one link is followed (not
rel="nofollow"). This is the count the WA formula actually uses, since nofollow links pass no ranking equity.
Frequently asked questions
What is website authority?
Website Authority is our composite 0-100 score that blends three independent ranking-strength signals into a single number: Moz's Domain Authority (50% weight), Open PageRank (30% weight), and a log-scaled normalization of the domain's followed linking-domain count (20% weight). It's designed to give you a single headline score that's harder to game than any one of the underlying metrics alone, since spamming one signal alone won't move all three.
How is the Website Authority score calculated?
The formula is WA = round(0.5 × DA + 0.3 × (PR × 10) + 0.2 × FLD_norm), where:
- DA is Moz's Domain Authority (0-100), the most-cited third-party SEO signal.
- PR is Open PageRank (0-10, scaled by 10 to match DA's range). When a domain has no PageRank data, PR contributes 0.
- FLD_norm is a log-scaled normalization of followed linking domains:
min(100, log10(max(1, FLD)) × 14.3). Anchors: 10k followed domains -> ~57, 100k -> ~71, 1M -> ~86, 10M+ -> 100.
The output is rounded to an integer 0-100 so it reads naturally alongside DA in the results table.
How is Website Authority different from Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is Moz's standalone metric, modeled from Moz's view of the link graph only. Website Authority (WA) is our blend that brings in two additional signals (PageRank from an independent crawl, and a normalized followed-linking-domain count) so the score doesn't depend on any single data source. In practice WA tracks DA closely because DA carries 50% of the weight, but for sites where one metric is unusually high or low the other two pull WA back toward a more representative middle. The two are complementary, not competing.
What is a good Website Authority score?
WA uses the same tier mental model as DA:
- 0-29, low. Typical for new sites and those with limited link profiles.
- 30-59, medium. Established sites with steady link-building.
- 60+, high. Competitive industry leaders and major brands.
"Good" is always relative to your competitors. If the top 10 SERP results in your niche all score WA 35-45, hitting WA 50 is meaningful. If they score WA 80, you have a longer climb. Always benchmark against the actual SERP.
How do I check the authority of a website?
Enter the domain (e.g. example.com) in the box above and click Check. We return its Website Authority score along with the three underlying metrics (DA, PR, and Followed Linking Domains) so you can see exactly where the score came from. Bulk mode lets you audit up to domains in one submission on your current plan, useful when sizing up a list of potential link-building targets or comparing competitors.
How can I increase my Website Authority?
Because WA is a blend of three link-graph signals, the highest-leverage action is the same as for any of them: earn more high-quality backlinks over time. Practical tactics:
- Publish content other sites want to cite (original data, research, useful tools).
- Do targeted outreach for guest posts and resource-page inclusions.
- Fix broken inbound links so existing link equity isn't lost.
- Disavow toxic links from spam sites via Google Search Console.
WA moves slowly because all three underlying metrics update on monthly crawl cycles. Plan on quarterly reviews, not weekly progress checks.
Is Website Authority a Google ranking factor?
No, neither WA nor any of the metrics it blends (DA, PageRank from third-party sources, follower-domain counts from third-party crawls) are direct Google ranking factors. Google has its own internal link-graph signals plus dozens of others (content quality, user signals, freshness, intent matching). WA is a third-party prediction of how strong a domain's link profile is, and it correlates with rankings because the same actions move both, but improving WA doesn't directly cause better rankings. Use it for competitive benchmarking, not as a definitive SEO score.
Why is my Website Authority lower than competitors with fewer backlinks?
WA isn't just a backlink count, it factors in three independent signals weighted to favor quality over quantity. A competitor with fewer total backlinks but stronger metrics across the board (higher DA from authoritative linking domains, higher PageRank, more diverse followed linking domains) will score higher than a site with a larger but lower-quality link profile. The log-scaled FLD normalization also means the difference between 10k and 100k followed domains is smaller than the difference between 100 and 1k, so once you're past a certain volume, the quality of each link matters more than the count.