Off-Page SEO & Links

Authority Score

Quick Definition

Authority Score is Semrush's 0–100 metric for domain strength, similar to Moz's Domain Authority and Ahrefs's Domain Rating.

In context

All authority scores are third-party metrics, not Google ranking factors. They're shorthand for backlink profile strength but don't reflect content quality, technical SEO, or actual ranking ability for specific keywords.

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Related terms

URL Rating (UR)

URL Rating is Ahrefs's per-page version of Domain Rating — a 0–100 score for individual page backlink strength.

Link Velocity Spike

A link velocity spike is a sudden increase in inbound links over a short period, sometimes triggered by viral content or PR coverage.

PBN (Private Blog Network)

A PBN is a network of websites built or acquired specifically to link to a target site for ranking manipulation.

Backlink Profile

A backlink profile is the complete set of links pointing to a domain, including their source, authority, anchor text, and topical relevance.

Backlink

A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Backlinks remain one of the top three ranking signals.

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