Why Use Moz Metrics?
PageRank has gone the way of the Dodo. In its heyday, it was a crutch for SEOs. It became an easy way of determining success and importance of a page. In the world without PageRank, what is the world to do?
Luckily, Moz Metrics exists. Moz’s scoring system is, in many ways, far superior to PageRank. It takes into account many factors and is subject to several protections against manipulations.
After all, that was the main problem with PageRank. SEOs were able to manipulate the score in an attempt to fool Google. While no metric system can be foolproof, Moz’s metrics do a decent job at attempting to weed out the spammers.
So what is the importance of Domain Authority, Page Authority, spam score, and MozTrust?
Page Authority
“Page Authority is a score (on a 100-point scale) developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific page will rank on search engines”- Moz.com
Page Authority is simple in its essence. Moz takes into account scores calculated through their many indexes and metrics. It is a means for judging a singular page’s authority or strength.
The score is a prediction, albeit an accurate one. It predicts the likelihood of popularity on Google. It assesses strength of a website based on several factors, many of which come straight from Google. 
Once an algorithm runs through a page, a score appears. Again, the score comes from an index designed by Moz’s teams of experts.
Unlike Google’s data collection, Moz runs at a higher frequency. Moz’s algorithm picks up important pieces of information quicker than Google. As a result, its scores are more accurate.
Domain Authority
“Domain Authority is a score (on a 100-point scale) developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engines” – Moz.com
That is the official definition given by Moz. To get more technical, Domain Authority calculates a score based off Moz’s indexes. The index consists of many factors. These factors form Moz’s algorithm. The algorithm is then applied to a domain name. The goal is to calculate the potential popularity of a domain on Google’s SERPs.
Domain Authority is a little different than Page Authority. Both function the same way except Domain Authority’s range is wider. Domain assesses domains and subdomains. Page Authority only covers single pages. 
This is why both a Domain Authority and a Page Authority score are important to look at, depending on your need.
Page Authority and Domain Authority are hard to fool due to their complicated nature. Metrics like MozRank and MozTrust are among several indicators of quality and trustworthiness. An attempted manipulation of one metric has little effect on both Page Authority and Domain Authority. This is why Moz’s metrics stand up amongst the rest.
Spam Score
Spam Score is a more recent rollout from Moz. Spam Score calculates the likelihood that a particular page has a higher spam content. In recent years, Google has tightened up their spam filters. Spammy behavior could land you in more trouble than ever before.
To create Spam Score, Moz’s team lead a full year expedition into the world of spammers. After scouring hundreds of potential spam factors, Moz identified 17 factors. These 17 factors showed a high correlation with penalization or banning by Google.
Labeling these factors as “spam flags”, Moz put them together to create a score. The score runs from 1-17. In general, 8 or more spam flags returns a red Spam Score (50% plus). The more spam flags, the higher the likelihood. The score is not a definite answer. Rather, it is an evaluation tool.
For now, Moz hopes to place Spam Score in several applications. In the future, Moz plans to install the tool into Page Authority and Domain Authority algorithms. As of right now, Spam Score has a few applications:
- Bad links to your site. Google takes into account spammy linking to your site, even if you did not drop them. Using this tool could clean things up.
- General link-cleaning projects. If your site is a mess, Google’s wrath could come down hard. Cleaning up links can take time and patience. Spam Score helps make the process less aggravating, if only by a little.
- Evaluating link opportunities. Neither your intuition nor Spam Score can catch every bad link. Putting the two together tightens the knowledge gap.
- If all else fails – disavow. Cleaning up bad links is a tough job. Luckily, Google knows that, too. Google allows you to disavow spammy links that you cannot get rid of yourself. It takes disavowed sites off the table. To help determining which sites to disavow, use Spam Score.
MozTrust
MozTrust is the last link for Moz’s metrics. MozTrust judges closeness. Links are still important in modern SEO. Likewise, Google’s spam filters are on the prowl. To judge the likelihood of spam, Google looks at the closeness of a site and a link.
If a page is about the automotive industry, a link from a pharmaceutical forum might be spam in Google’s mind. This is where Moz Trust comes into the flow. It measures the distance or closeness between a trusted site and a page on the Internet. If the “trusted” page likes your site, then so does Moz’s algorithms and in turn Google.
Google looks to trusted sites to establish importance. Take the automotive example. MozTrust looks favorable on links to your page from Popular Mechanic’s website. Furthermore, Moz suggests that links from official government websites and universities produce a better score.
How They Measure SEO Success
Moz built Page Authority and Domain Authority into many SEO hosting platforms. We use it for our clients. Together, these metrics form the basis of measuring SEO success. To understand how these metrics work, it is necessary to understand their goals.
Google’s guidelines disfavor spammy behavior. We know that much for certain. Even with the best intentions, alleged spammy behavior lands websites in hot water with Google. Bouncing back to SEO success is a long road if Google even lets the site return.
Likewise, Google trusts what it knows. If Google knows that a site is reputable, any site linked from it receives better treatment. Why? Google uses human behavior as a model. If you are looking for information on taxes, you want the experts. Who are you more likely to believe – the official IRS website or tax information located on a personal blog? A rational human trusts the IRS more, so Google follows suit.
Google tracks links and important pages. If you were to combine all four metrics: Page Authority, Domain Authority, Spam Score, and MozTrust, you create an effective means of tracking and monitoring SEO success. 
Page Authority and Domain Authority tell you the score. MozTrust measures your proximity to greatness (trusted websites). Finally, Scam Score is the remedy to smooth any rough edges of your success. The only thing missing is a little fairy dust on top to make everything perfect.
To maintain and track SEO success, Moz’s metrics are great tools to get you there. These metrics are not only useful to current domains, however.
Using Moz’s Metrics for Buying Domains
Buy high PR domains, like buying links, is a delicate process. Like any good business decision, you need to do research and analyze the risks. With PageRank gone (the only visible Google metric), there is little concrete evidence left to determine the strength of a domain.
A marketing campaign should steer toward sites that are the most valuable for a business. You want a site that will be easy to find, relevant, and, above all else, profitable.
Moz exists so that you are not forced to jump into domain buying blind folded. Moz says it best: “It’s best to use Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA) as comparative metrics when doing research in the search results and determining which sites/pages may have more powerful/important link profiles than others.”
While this quote is more relevant for linking campaigns, the same applies to domain buying marketing campaigns. For instance, you run a website that sells widgets. The company is launching a new widget with a fancy new name. Before the launch, you will want to buy up any domain name related to your new product.
Without going in blind, you decide to use Moz’s metrics to test the authority behind the site. Why? Domain purchasers are often caught unaware. 
Sites that appear reputable are actually cloaked in spammy practices. Always check the “health” of a domain before you buy. Buying a bad domain could be a costly marketing error. Use Moz’s metrics to test the health.
Domain names are sometimes purchased through auctions. If the scores are not provided, you should use them to know what you are buying. A good marketing campaign is only as good as the attention it draws in and the money it makes.
There you have it. Page Authority and Domain Authority are an effective tool when buying domains. Sure –anyone could strike it rich and find a great domain by accident. By that same logic, anyone can win the lottery. Either way, the odds are not in your favor. Using Page Authority and Domain Authority make the odds change in your favor.
Page Authority and Domain Authority scores are available on the best Phoenix SEO platforms. We use it for our clients. We trust the best, so we provide the best to our clients. Buying domains from us comes with high quality domains. Our domains have excellent Page Authority and Domain Authority scores. We suppose you could go elsewhere, but why play the lottery when you have sure jackpot waiting for you with us?