Domain Authority and Page Authority: Why Does Google Dismiss These Key SEO Metrics?

Why Does Google Bother Denying These Metrics?

This clarification addresses a persistent confusion in the industry. Too many SEOs continue to present DA or PA as official metrics, even as goals in themselves. Google wants to put an end to this trend.

The problem is that these scores have become massive commercial arguments. Agencies, backlink sellers, website publishers: everyone flaunts their DA50+ as a quality label. Google reminds that these figures have absolutely no connection to its engine.

Where Do These Metrics Actually Come From?

Moz created Domain Authority in 2004 in an attempt to model the concept of PageRank, which Google was then using (and publicly communicated the score). The goal was laudable: to provide SEOs with a comparable indicator across sites.

DA operates on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. It aggregates several dozen signals — link profile, domain age, volume of indexed pages — and compiles them through a machine learning model. PA applies the same logic at the page level.

But these scores remain external approximations. Moz does not have access to Google's actual data, only its own index and observed correlations. There is no guarantee that what correlates with ranking is the direct cause.

What Is Google's Real Stance on Domain Authority?

Google does not deny the existence of a concept of authority. It does use reputation signals to assess a site's credibility, especially since updates around E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

However, this authority cannot be summarized by a single score. It varies depending on the topic, the query, and the context. A site can be very authoritative in health and completely ignored in finance. DA, on the other hand, gives an overall number per domain, which does not reflect this granularity.

• Domain Authority and Page Authority are inventions of third-party tools (Moz, Ahrefs DR, Semrush AS…), not Google metrics.
• Google assesses authority in a contextual and granular way, not through a single score per domain.
• These metrics remain useful as relative indicators (comparing two sites, assessing keyword difficulty), but should never be presented as SEO objectives in themselves.
• Confusing correlation and causation is a common mistake: a high DA often correlates with good ranking, but it is not the direct cause.

Are These Metrics Useless Then?

No. Let's be honest: they remain daily work tools for the majority of SEOs. When comparing two competing domains, DA provides a quick indication of their relative strength in backlinks. It's an imperfect but practical proxy.

The real issue is how they are used. Too many agencies sell “guaranteed DA50” as if it were a Google label. Too many clients judge the quality of a link-building campaign solely based on the progression of DA. That's where things go wrong.

Why Does Google Maintain This Ambiguity About Its Authority Signals?

Because Google does not want to give a clear target to manipulators. If tomorrow it published its true “Domain Trust Score,” all PBN networks would start optimizing it artificially. By keeping things vague, Google preserves the diversity of its signals.

But this opacity creates a void that third-party tools fill. And it's precisely this void that gives so much weight to DA in commercial discussions. [To be verified]: Google claims not to use these metrics but provides no official substitute — which maintains confusion.

In What Cases Do These Scores Become Misleading?

First case: expired domains. A site can have a DA60 inherited from its past, but if its current content is recycled spam, Google ignores it. DA does not reflect this degradation in real-time.

Second case: ultra-specialized niches. A medical blog run by a recognized researcher may have a DA30 but hold absolute authority on its subject. DA measures the quantity of links, not their semantic relevance or the actual expertise of the author.

Third case: index manipulation. Some tools calculate DA based on their own index, not Google's. If Moz crawls a link network that Google has already devalued, the DA will remain artificially inflated.

How to Evaluate a Site's Quality Without Relying on DA?

Focus on verifiable signals. Analyze the backlink profile in depth: diversity of referring domains, natural anchors, editorial context of the links. A site with 50 links from recognized media outlets is often worth more than a DA70 built on 5000 directories.

Also examine the thematic consistency. If you work in insurance, a link from a finance blog with a DA35 will be more powerful than a link from a general media outlet with a DA60 that talks about everything and nothing. Google understands these nuances, not overall scores.

Should These Metrics Be Completely Abandoned in Audits and Reporting?

No, but change the vocabulary. Instead of saying “our goal is to reach DA40,” say “we will increase the number of quality referring domains, which should be reflected in the evolution of DA as a secondary indicator.”

Use these scores as prioritization tools, not as objectives. If you're torn between two guest post opportunities, DA can help you decide quickly. But it should never replace a real qualitative analysis of the target site.

What Alternative Metrics Should Be Favored in a Link-Building Strategy?

Focus on KPIs that are directly correlated with ranking. Number of unique referring domains (not just total backlinks), growth in positions for your priority queries, evolution of organic traffic on pages boosted by new links.

Also incorporate real trust metrics: brand mentions (branded searches), organic click-through rate in Search Console, session duration on SEO landing pages. These signals show that Google recognizes your site as a reference, well beyond a simple authority score.

• Stop mentioning DA/PA as a sales argument or contractual KPI in your business proposals.
• Educate your clients to understand the difference between correlation and causation: a good DA is not the cause of good ranking, but often its consequence.
• In your audits, replace “current DA: 28” with “X quality referring domains, including Y sector media” — factual data, not opaque scores.
• Use DA as a quick pre-selection filter (e.g., DA30+ sites for guest posting), then refine with a genuine manual analysis.
• Monitor the evolution of the backlink profile through Google metrics (Search Console: referring domains) rather than through proxies from third-party tools.
• When comparing competitors, cross-reference multiple sources (Moz DA, Ahrefs DR, Majestic TF/CF) to detect inconsistencies that often signal manipulations.