Check DA PA Before You Link: Smart SEO Decisions Made Easy
In the world of digital marketing, every backlink tells a story. That story can either boost your website’s authority or weigh it down. This is where Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) come into play. If you're trying to climb the ranks of search engine results, it's critical to check DA PA before you link—whether you’re building backlinks, evaluating guest post opportunities, or deciding whom to collaborate with. Let’s break it all down in simple, practical terms.
What is DA and PA?
Domain Authority is a score (from 1 to 100) developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engines. The higher the score, the greater the ability to rank. Similarly, Page Authority measures the ranking strength of a single web page.
Think of DA as your website’s overall reputation in the eyes of search engines, and PA as the credibility of a specific page. If your website has high DA and your internal pages have high PA, your chances of ranking for competitive keywords go up significantly.
Why Should You Care About DA and PA?
Because Google doesn't publicly share its exact ranking algorithms, marketers rely on DA and PA as proxies. High DA and PA often correlate with better search performance. But it's not just about rankings—these metrics also help you:
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Evaluate backlink opportunities.
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Avoid spammy or toxic sites.
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Build a healthier SEO profile.
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Prioritize outreach targets for guest posting.
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Compare your site against competitors.
In short, DA and PA scores act like a trust meter in the SEO world. If you’re serious about ranking on Google, ignoring these numbers is like playing chess blindfolded.
When to Check DA and PA?
Here are some specific use cases where checking DA and PA is crucial:
1. Before Building Backlinks
Not all backlinks are created equal. A backlink from a DA 80 site is far more valuable than from a DA 20 site. High DA backlinks pass more "link juice" and improve your site's authority faster.
2. Before Guest Posting
If you’re submitting a guest post, check the DA of the blog or site. Posting on a low-authority or spammy site may bring little to no SEO value—or worse, trigger penalties.
3. Before Accepting Sponsored Posts
Planning to monetize your site with sponsored content? Advertisers will often ask about your DA/PA before they consider your site. A higher score means better opportunities and higher rates.
4. During Competitor Analysis
Want to beat the competition? Compare your DA and PA against theirs. It helps you gauge how much SEO work you’ll need to outrank them.
5. Before Linking Out
Even when you're linking to external sites, it's smart to vet their authority. Linking to spammy or low DA sites can harm your credibility.
How to Check DA PA for Free?
Thankfully, there are multiple tools—many of them free—that let you check DA and PA quickly:
1. Moz Link Explorer
This is the official tool from Moz. Just enter a URL and it will show DA, PA, backlink data, and more.
2. Ahrefs Website Authority Checker
Though full features are premium, Ahrefs still provides a quick authority check and some link data without an account.
3. Small SEO Tools
Offers a bulk DA PA checker. You can check multiple domains at once—great for outreach or audits.
4. Prepostseo DA PA Checker
Another simple and free tool. Paste the URLs, solve a captcha, and get your results instantly.
5. SEO Review Tools
A clean interface and useful analytics. It shows DA, PA, and even social metrics.
6. Ubersuggest by Neil Patel
You get limited free usage per day. Includes a DA/PA-style metric known as Domain Score, plus lots of keyword insights.
Pro Tip:
If you’re managing multiple sites or campaigns, consider browser extensions like MozBar, which lets you see DA/PA on any page as you browse.
What Is a Good DA or PA Score?
Here’s a basic breakdown to give you an idea:
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1–20: New websites or low-authority blogs.
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21–40: Decent, especially for niche websites.
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41–60: Strong domain authority; likely to rank well.
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61–80: Highly authoritative, often media, educational, or big brand sites.
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81–100: Top-tier domains like Google, Facebook, or Wikipedia.
Keep in mind, DA is a relative metric—you should aim to have a higher DA than your direct competitors, rather than obsessing over hitting 100.
Tips to Improve Your DA and PA
If you check your scores and they’re not where you want them to be, don’t panic. Here are ways to improve:
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Earn High-Quality Backlinks
Get links from reputable, high-DA websites through guest posting, PR mentions, and collaboration. -
Create Link-Worthy Content
Long-form guides, infographics, research data, and tutorials often get more backlinks. -
Improve Internal Linking
Linking between your own pages boosts PA and distributes authority across your site. -
Fix Technical SEO Issues
Broken links, slow loading times, and poor mobile experience can negatively impact your scores. -
Promote Content Strategically
Don’t just publish—promote through email, social media, and outreach to attract natural links.
Conclusion
If you're serious about making smarter SEO decisions, using a da checker free tool before linking is not just helpful—it’s essential. In the crowded digital landscape, every backlink counts, and blindly linking without evaluating a site’s authority can harm your rankings and reputation.
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