What Is a Website’s Authority Score?

We’ll be honest with you, the world of SEO can sometimes feel like trying to decode a secret language. Between all the metrics, algorithms, and ever-changing best practices, it's enough to make anyone's head spin. While SEO at large can be a bit of a black box, authority scores can be simple. Measuring, tracking, and improving your site’s authority score isn’t rocket science, and it's actually one of the most important indicators for your overall web strategy.

Baal & Spots, what is an authority score? We’re so glad you asked. Think of your website's authority score as its reputation in the digital world. Just like you'd trust a recommendation from a friend over a stranger, search engines give more credibility to websites that have proven themselves trustworthy and valuable.

We’re here to get into the details of what makes a good authority score, how this score is calculated, and how you can go about improving it. As search engine optimization experts, we speak the language of SEO fluently, which makes us the perfect candidate to be your digital marketing partner.

Baal & Spots is a full-service agency based in Houston that specializes in delivering targeted organic SEO solutions to our clients. If you’re looking to upgrade your online presence, reach out to us to see what we can do for you.

What is a website authority score?

Although we touched on this briefly, we’ve only scratched the surface. An authority score is basically a report card for your website — it's a number (between 0 and 100) that predicts how likely your site is to show up in search results. The higher your score, the better your chances of getting found by people searching for what you offer. Many SEO tools like Semrush and Ahrefs have their own tools for measuring domain authority.

Authority scores are not just random numbers pulled from thin air. They're based on real factors that search engines care about, like who's linking to your website (backlinks), how fast your website is, how good your content is, and whether people actually stick around when they visit your site. You can see how your website stacks up against competitors and track your progress over time, allowing you to turn that data into actionable strategies for growth.

What is a good authority score?

The honest truth is that the definition of a “good authority score” can differ depending on your situation and industry. Let us explain.

Here is a general breakdown of authority score calculations:

Score	Meaning
1–20	You’re just getting started.
21–40	You’re building momentum and gaining some traction.
41–60	You have a decent foundation, let’s keep it going!
61–80	You’ve got serious domain authority. Good job!
81–100	You’re aligning with industry leaders. Look at you, top dog.

But here's the kicker: “What is the ideal page authority score?” Doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. A score of 30 might be fantastic if you're a smaller organization in a super competitive space like insurance, finance, or law — but a score of 30 is pretty lackluster if you're a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

The key is to focus on improvement rather than perfection. If you started at 15 and you're now at 25, that's serious progress worth celebrating! It's all about moving in the right direction consistently. As experts, we know which ranges are underperforming, average, and amazing for your business, and we know how to point your website towards improvement.

How is authority score calculated?

There are a lot of factors that go into calculating an authority score to give you a final number, but the main ones include:

Your backlink profile: Our SEO specialist Jordan likes to refer to backlinks as your website’s “street cred.” When other websites link to yours, it's like they're vouching for you — but not all links are created equal. For example, a link from the Mayo Clinic carries more weight than a link from a random YouTube video.
Your content quality: When you hear “content is key,” it’s 100% true. Search engines have gotten scary good at figuring out whether your content actually helps people or if you're just stuffing keywords everywhere hoping something sticks. At Baal & Spots, we always write for humans first, search engines second.
- To keep up with the latest trends, we also ensure your content appeals to generative search engines such as ChatGPT and Claude so users can find you wherever they search.
Your website’s health: Much like our bodies need proper maintenance to stay healthy, regular website management plays a huge role in your site’s health. If your site takes forever to load or looks terrible on mobile phones, that's going to hurt your authority score massively. A website that works well and caters to the user experience is the foundation of any good authority score.
Your user engagement: If people land on your site and immediately hit the back button or hit the “X” button (what we call "bouncing"), that's not a great sign. But if they're staying on your website, clicking through to other pages, and sharing your content, that tells search engines you're doing something right.

Sounds like a lot? It can be. But don’t worry, Baal & Spots helps businesses navigate all these complex factors without getting overwhelmed. Our team monitors these metrics regularly and implements strategies that move the needle on your authority score.

A note from our SEO specialists

Hi there! Clients sometimes ask us to research their historical authority score over several months or years; however, most SEO tools only provide data for the last 12 months. Why? Search engines frequently update what they deem to be valuable content to users — a domain with a great authority score in 2023 may see a noticeable dip in 2025 if they don’t update their best practices. In short, past performance does not always indicate future success.

The best way to interpret historical authority score performance is to ask two questions:

Has our score been stable, consistently improving, or weakening over the past 12 months?
How does our score compare to our direct competitors over that same time period?

We take the time to analyze this data along with search engine trends to inform our clients on whether or not their current score is where it needs to be or if we need to put in some elbow grease to get that number up.

How to increase authority score

If you’re looking to increase your authority score, here are some of the factors that really make a difference and actually show results over time.

Quality link building.
Forget about those sketchy link farms and paid link schemes — they'll do more harm than good. Instead, focus on creating content so good that other websites can't help but link to it. Although link building is often neglected in SEO strategies, a solid understanding of link building fundamentals is often crucial for long-term success.

Continue reading: What is link building in search engine optimization

Solid content marketing strategy.
Focus on creating content that answers real questions, solves actual problems, and provides genuine value. A solid content marketing strategy is about creating and consistently posting resources people actually want to read and share.

Ongoing SEO.
SEO isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. You need to keep tabs on your progress and adjust your strategy based on what's working and what isn't. We use analytics for marketing to help you make data-driven decisions rather than just guessing what to do next.

Technical optimization.
This might sound boring, but it's the foundation everything else sits on. Your website needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy for search engines to understand. Think of it like the foundation of a house — your pretty decorations won’t matter much if your foundation topples over.

Always center the user experience.
If your site is confusing to navigate or doesn't work well on smartphones, people will leave — and search engines will notice. Focusing on user experience and SEO together creates a win-win situation. Remember who you’re creating for and how to make their interactions with your business online as seamless as possible.

Localized strategies.
Local SEO helps you dominate search results in your specific area, which can significantly boost your authority within your market. We offer localized SEO services to keep your brand top-of-mind and at the top of Google maps.

Okay, this all sounds great, but where do I start? We highly recommend starting with an audit. Figure out where you currently stand and identify the biggest opportunities for improvement. This is where having professional help pays off: we know exactly how to identify authority issues, and how to prioritize your efforts to effect change quickly.

There’s no way to game the system for long-term success, and increasing authority is therefore usually a comprehensive effort — but fear not. This is exactly the kind of comprehensive approach we take with our clients at Baal & Spots. We handle all the monitoring, strategy development, and implementation so you can focus on running your business while we grow your online presence.

Boost your authority score with Baal & Spots. Contact us today!

Understanding authority scores is one thing, but actually improving them? That takes expertise, time, and consistent effort. As a full-service digital marketing agency, Baal & Spots specializes in developing and implementing targeted organic SEO solutions that drive real results.

We handle everything from website monitoring and technical optimization to content creation and link-building strategies. Our team stays on top of algorithm changes, industry trends, and best practices so you don't have to. Whether you need help with SEO, content marketing, social media management, or complete digital marketing strategy, we've got you covered.

Don't let your competitors gain the upper hand while you're trying to figure out SEO on your own. Let Baal & Spots help you build the kind of domain authority that translates into more traffic, better rankings, and ultimately, more business.

Ready to get started? Let's talk about how we can help take your digital presence to the next level.

What Is a Website’s Authority Score? (And Why Does it Matter?)