How is a page with low PA and DA and less backlinks ranked higher?

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Hello all,
Let me explain a bit in detail. I will not be able to reveal the exact keyword and the website. Sorry for it.

I googled for "xxxxx xx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx", and from the results, I found that the number one ranking has a lower PA, DA and less backlinks than the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 rankings. Also on page optimization is not great for the number 1 ranking page.

Am I missing something here? Are there other factors influencing the search result?
#backlinks #higher #low #page #ranked
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Originally Posted by evoluer View Post

    Hello all,
    Let me explain a bit in detail. I will not be able to reveal the exact keyword and the website. Sorry for it.

    I googled for "xxxxx xx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx", and from the results, i found that the number one ranking has a lower pa, da and less backlinks than the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 rankings. Also onpage optimization is not that for the number 1 ranking page.

    Am i missing something here?, are there other factors influencing the search result

    Yes. You are missing something. PA and DA are not ranking factors. They are metrics made up by Moz based on their link database. They have nothing to do with how Google sees your site.

    They also have nothing to do with relevancy. Facebook.com has a higher PA and DA than the #1 site in the rankings for whatever keyword you were looking at. Doesn't mean it is going to rank for that keyword.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsimms
    MOZ created DA/PA as a prediction to google algorithm and it is nothing more then a prediction; only google knows the true DA/PA and they are not going to tell you as yanking pagerank was an indication they do not want you to know what your true authority is.

    There could be many factors why that site is ranking number one; the site could also be a churn and burn site, and without actually analyzing the site, then it is simply impossible to say exactly why...

    from your description, the site does not deserve #1 ranking, and that maybe so, but google is not perfect either, so in the future, google may catch up to the site, and it will be toast, however, at the end of the day, it is googles call on what happens next...

    your only concern should be following google guidelines so you can avoid any such penalties, and not have to worry if you are going to wake up and find that google ghosted your site into google hell of darkness.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kritesh Abhishek
    Content is still the King. If that post is providing good value to the readers, and readers finding it useful, then google ranks that page higher.
    A high PA, DA and backlinks can help you to get on top. But to stay on top, you need to provide good quality content.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by Kritesh Abhishek View Post

      Content is still the King. If that post is providing good value to the readers, and readers finding it useful, then google ranks that page higher.
      A high PA, DA and backlinks can help you to get on top. But to stay on top, you need to provide good quality content.
      Ignore this. Content is not king. PA and DA do not help you rank on top.
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  • Profile picture of the author feebiar061
    Content is not king ? pbn working yet ?
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  • Profile picture of the author cbpayne
    Originally Posted by evoluer View Post

    I found that the number one ranking has a lower PA, DA?
    Since when has DA and PA got anything to do with the ranking of a site?

    They are NOT metrics that any search engine uses to rank sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author NickW816
    I would see what about the #1 ranking page is different than the 2nd-5th positions, and also try running it through another backlink checker- such as SEMrush, MajesticSEO, or Ahrefs (MOZ OSE can often be misleading).

    Some things to look for or ask regarding on-site SEO:
    • How many words does the page in the #1 spot have on it?
    • How many times does it mention the keyword or an LSI of the keyword in a Header, Alt Tag on A Photo, or in the first and last paragraph?
    • How fast is the #1 ranking site compared to the 2nd-5th positions?
    • What outbound links does the website have on the page?
    • Is the Keyword Phrase in the Meta Title shown on Google?

    Every SERP is going to be different, but if you run it through a different backlink analysis tool and they still have less quantity and QUALITY of links, I would assume it is one of the on-site metrics I listed above, hope this helps. Best of success!
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