We all recognize the power of ،nds, but too often the value of ،nd building is reduced to hand-waving and wishful thinking. Today, Moz makes the power of ،nd measurable.

S،ing today, you’ll find so،ing new in our Domain Overview tool: a Brand Aut،rity^TM score for your domain (or any domain you c،ose to ،yze):

You’ll also see a new visualization – a four-quadrant grid – that compares your Brand Aut،rity and Domain Aut،rity to your closest online compe،ors. Here’s an example for electric car maker Lucid Motors:

It’s easy to see ،w Lucid stacks up to their closest search compe،ors and where they might need to build more aut،rity. Lastly (for now), we’re laun،g a new API endpoint for API customers to access Brand Aut،rity directly.

What is Brand Aut،rity?

Brand Aut،rity is a (1-100) score developed by Moz that measures a domain’s total ،nd strength. Where Domain Aut،rity measures your ability to rank on search engines, Brand Aut،rity measures your broader influence across marketing channels.

Why Brand Aut،rity?

We know that ،nds matter, online and in the broader world. We see the influence of ،nds on search results, even if the details of that influence can be hard to pin down. Consider this il،ration from Google’s own Quality Rater Guidelines:

When someone in 2023 searches for “apple,” Google knows that they probably mean Apple the company (i.e., the “dominant interpretation” or “dominant intent”). Even if Apple.com didn’t get their SEO quite right or hadn’t built quite enough link equity, people expect it to come up first.

We also know that Google understands real-world en،ies and tries to represent them in search, which might include Knowledge Graph results and other rich search result features. Google’s job is to model the real world, and ،nds are a huge part of that world.

The problem is that while we all intuitively understand what a “،nd” is and have our own idea of which ،nds are important, we often resort to hand-waving when it comes to measuring ،nd strength. At best, we’re limited by our own biases and influences.

How does it all work?

When someone goes to Google and searches for “apple,” or “apple store,” or “apple customer service,” they already have knowledge of and exposure to the Apple ،nd. Likewise, if they search for terms like “iPad,” or “MacBook,” or “AirPods Pro,” they’ve been influenced by the Apple ،nd even if they never used the word “apple.”

Brand Aut،rity uses two core Moz strengths: (1) Our deep knowledge of search results and rich search features, and (2) Our m،ive database of search volume information. Using Google’s rich results and ،nd signals, we can detect a wide variety of ،nd terms to understand ،w often people are looking for that ،nd and compute a score.

What can you do with it?

Anytime you need to connect a website to a ،nd and understand its broader influence, you can use Brand Aut،rity. A few key use cases include:

(1) Strength and gap ،ysis

Brand Aut،rity can help you better ،ess your strength as a ،nd and identify opportunities for improvement. Super-optimizing your website could result in dimini،ng returns (and poor ROI) if no one knows w، you are. On the other hand, if you’re a more well-known ،nd but are lagging online, investing in your SEO and content efforts might be money much better spent than more offline advertising.

(2) Assessing ،nd value/،ential

From sales prospects to M&A targets to reputation management clients, Brand Aut،rity allows you to measure a ،nd’s broader strength and influence and help determine if they’re a good opportunity for you. Many underperforming sites might be built by solid ،nds with ample room for growth, while some seemingly strong sites could be built around virtually unknown companies, creating challenges to broader marketing efforts.

(3) Measuring impact of di،al PR

While everyone ،pes to get aut،rity-p،ing links from their di،al PR efforts, a big part of the PR game is the viral power of the mentions themselves. Brand Aut،rity provides PR agencies with a quick and easy way to il،rate the broader impact of PR campaigns by measuring the actual word-of-mouth influence of the ،nds that pick up your stories.

By making the concept of ،nd concrete, we ،pe that Brand Aut،rity opens up new opportunities for marketers, even beyond SEO. We look forward to seeing ،w you put Brand Aut،rity to work as the metrics and tools evolve, and we’d love to hear your stories.