Authority Score
Authority Score is Semrush's proprietary 0–100 metric for estimating the overall quality and SEO strength of a domain or webpage using backlinks, organic traffic, and spam signals.
Key takeaways
- Authority Score is a 0–100 metric from Semrush based on Link Power, Organic Traffic, and Spam Factors.
- It is useful for benchmarking and link prospecting, but not a Google ranking factor.
- Avoid comparing it directly with other vendor metrics like Domain Rating.
- Focus on long-term trends rather than single-score changes.
It is a compound metric created by Semrush to grade the overall quality of a website or webpage.
Example
Imagine you are evaluating two potential link partners:
- Site A: Authority Score 72, high organic traffic, natural backlink profile.
- Site B: Authority Score 34, low traffic, many spammy links. You would prioritize Site A because its higher score indicates stronger SEO authority.
When should I use this?
Use Authority Score when you need to:
- Benchmark your site against competitors.
- Evaluate link prospects during outreach.
- Monitor backlink-led growth over time.
- Prioritize which domains to target for link building.
What it is not
- Not a Google ranking factor.
- Not a direct measure of content quality or relevance.
- Not interchangeable with Ahrefs Domain Rating or Moz Domain Authority.
- Not a short-term success signal; use trends over time.
Quick start
- Open Semrush Domain Overview.
- Enter your domain.
- Check the Authority Score in the top-left panel.
- Compare with competitors by adding their domains.
- Use the score to prioritize link prospects with scores above 50 (adjust based on your niche).
Common mistakes
- Treating Authority Score as a Google metric or direct ranking factor.
- Comparing Semrush Authority Score directly with Ahrefs Domain Rating or Moz Domain Authority as if they were identical measures.
- Chasing a higher score without checking whether the backlink profile is relevant, natural, and topically aligned.
- Using one score change as a short-term success signal instead of watching longer-term trends.
Next step
FAQ
Is Authority Score a Google ranking factor?
No. Authority Score is a third-party estimate from Semrush. Google does not use it in its ranking algorithms.
Can I compare Authority Score with Ahrefs Domain Rating?
Not directly. Each tool uses different inputs and calculations. Use them as directional indicators, not equivalent scores.
How often is Authority Score updated?
Semrush updates the score periodically based on fresh backlink and traffic data. Check the tool for the latest refresh schedule.
Related topics
Sources
- Semrush Authority Score Help — Primary definition, scale, inputs, and product locations.
- Semrush New Authority Score Update — Explains the updated weighting and spam-related factors.
- Google Search Central — Useful for clarifying that Google focuses on helpful, reliable content rather than third-party authority scores.
- Ahrefs Website Authority Checker — Helpful for contrasting vendor-specific authority concepts and avoiding cross-tool equivalence.
Reviewed by Lucía Marín, Founding editor.