Semrush Authority Score: Quantify Your Brand’s Growth

Building brand authority is non-negotiable for any business aiming for sustained growth in 2026, yet many marketing teams struggle to quantify and strategically enhance it. How do you move beyond gut feelings to a data-driven approach that truly moves the needle?

I’ve seen countless agencies and in-house teams talk about authority, but few actually measure it with precision. My approach focuses on actionable data within tools you already use. Today, I’m going to walk you through setting up a comprehensive Brand Authority Scorecard using Semrush, my go-to platform for competitive intelligence and SEO. This isn’t just about throwing numbers at a wall; it’s about creating a living, breathing dashboard that dictates your strategic marketing moves.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Core Project in Semrush

Everything starts with a solid foundation. In Semrush, this means creating a dedicated project for your domain. This project will house all the data we need to track and analyze your brand’s authority.

1.1 Create a New Project

1. Log in to your Semrush account.
2. On the left-hand navigation bar, locate and click Projects.
3. In the top right corner of the Projects dashboard, click the large green button labeled + Create new project.
4. A pop-up will appear. Enter your Domain Name (e.g., yourbrand.com) and give your project a clear, descriptive name, such as “YourBrand – Brand Authority Scorecard 2026.”
5. Click Create project.

Pro Tip: Resist the urge to add every single tool to the project immediately. We’ll integrate specific tools as needed. Overloading a project can make it cumbersome and slow to load, especially if you’re tracking multiple competitors.

Common Mistake: Using a subdomain (e.g., blog.yourbrand.com) instead of the root domain. Your brand authority is tied to your entire digital footprint, so the root domain is essential for a holistic view.

Expected Outcome: A new project dashboard will load, displaying various Semrush tool widgets. Don’t worry if it looks busy; we’ll customize it.

Step 2: Configuring Key Authority Metrics in Your Project Dashboard

Once your project is set up, we need to customize the dashboard to display the most critical brand authority metrics. This involves adding and arranging specific widgets.

2.1 Adding the Domain Overview Widget

This widget is your quick glance at overall domain health and authority.

1. From your project dashboard, click the + Add widgets button, usually found at the top right or bottom of the page.
2. In the “Add widgets” modal, search for “Domain Overview” and click on it.
3. Click Add widget.
4. Once added, hover over the widget. You’ll see a gear icon (⚙️) in the top right. Click it to access settings.
5. Under “Metrics to display,” ensure Authority Score, Organic Search Traffic, and Referring Domains are selected. Deselect anything else for now to keep it clean.
6. Click Apply.

Pro Tip: The Semrush Authority Score is a proprietary metric, and while it’s not a direct equivalent to Google’s internal ranking factors, it correlates strongly with perceived authority and search performance. I’ve seen brands with a 50+ Authority Score consistently outrank competitors with lower scores, even for highly competitive terms. It’s a fantastic proxy.

Common Mistake: Ignoring the Referring Domains metric. A high Authority Score without a diverse, quality backlink profile is often unsustainable. Focus on the underlying factors.

Expected Outcome: A clear Domain Overview widget showing your current Authority Score, organic traffic, and referring domains, providing an immediate snapshot of your brand’s online strength.

2.2 Integrating Competitor Data for Benchmarking

Your authority means little in a vacuum. You need to know how you stack up against your rivals. This is where competitive analysis comes in.

1. Again, click + Add widgets.
2. Search for “Competitive Positioning” and add it.
3. Click the gear icon (⚙️) on the newly added Competitive Positioning widget.
4. In the settings, under “Competitors,” click + Add competitors manually.
5. Enter 3-5 of your primary competitors’ domains (e.g., competitor1.com, competitor2.com). Be strategic here – pick the ones truly vying for your audience’s attention.
6. Ensure Authority Score and Referring Domains are selected under “Metrics to display.”
7. Click Apply.

Pro Tip: Don’t just pick the biggest players. Include a mix of direct competitors and aspirational brands that have achieved significant brand authority in your niche. Learning from both ends of the spectrum is invaluable. According to a HubSpot report, 70% of marketers say competitive analysis is “very important” or “extremely important” for their content strategy.

Common Mistake: Setting and forgetting your competitor list. The competitive landscape shifts. Review and update your competitors quarterly, or whenever a new player emerges.

Expected Outcome: A dynamic widget comparing your Authority Score and Referring Domains against your chosen competitors, highlighting your relative position.

Step 3: Tracking Brand Mentions and Sentiment

Brand authority isn’t just about backlinks and traffic; it’s also about what people are saying about you. The Brand Monitoring tool is crucial here.

3.1 Activating Brand Monitoring

1. From your project dashboard, on the left sidebar, find and click on Brand Monitoring.
2. If it’s your first time, you’ll be prompted to set it up. Click Set up Brand Monitoring.
3. Enter your Brand Name (e.g., “YourBrand” or “Your Brand Inc.”). Add any common misspellings or variations.
4. Specify any Keywords to exclude if necessary (e.g., if “Brand” is a common word in a different context).
5. Click Start monitoring. Semrush will begin collecting data.

Pro Tip: Configure email notifications within the Brand Monitoring tool (under the “Settings” gear icon) to receive alerts for new mentions. This proactive approach allows you to address negative sentiment quickly or amplify positive mentions, directly impacting your brand authority.

Common Mistake: Only tracking your brand name. Track key product names, executive names, and even common campaign hashtags. I had a client last year, a fintech startup in Atlanta, who only tracked their primary brand name. We discovered a significant number of negative mentions about a specific product feature on industry forums, which they were completely missing. Broadening the scope here is critical.

Expected Outcome: Semrush will start populating data on brand mentions across the web, including sentiment analysis (positive, negative, neutral).

3.2 Integrating Brand Monitoring into Your Scorecard

While Brand Monitoring has its own dedicated interface, we want a quick sentiment snapshot on our main scorecard.

1. Return to your project dashboard (click Dashboard in the left navigation).
2. Click + Add widgets.
3. Search for “Brand Monitoring” and add it.
4. Click the gear icon (⚙️) on the Brand Monitoring widget.
5. Under “Metrics to display,” select Mentions, Positive Mentions, and Negative Mentions.
6. Click Apply.

Expected Outcome: A widget on your dashboard showing the total number of mentions, along with a breakdown of positive and negative sentiment, providing a real-time pulse on public perception.

Step 4: Advanced Backlink Analysis for Authority Growth

High-quality backlinks are the bedrock of organic brand authority. We need to monitor this diligently.

4.1 Adding the Backlink Analytics Widget

1. Go back to your project dashboard.
2. Click + Add widgets.
3. Search for “Backlink Analytics” and add it.
4. Click the gear icon (⚙️) on the Backlink Analytics widget.
5. Under “Metrics to display,” select Referring Domains, New Referring Domains, and Lost Referring Domains.
6. Click Apply.

Pro Tip: Don’t just chase any link. Prioritize links from sites with a high Authority Score (70+ in Semrush) and strong topical relevance. One link from a reputable industry publication is worth a hundred from spammy directories. A Statista survey from 2023 found that quality backlinks were considered the second most important SEO ranking factor by SEO professionals, just behind content quality.

Common Mistake: Neglecting lost links. Regularly review your “Lost Referring Domains” to understand why you’re losing valuable links and if they can be recovered. Sometimes, a simple outreach can restore a broken link.

Expected Outcome: A clear overview of your backlink profile’s growth and decline, crucial for understanding your domain’s authoritative trajectory.

4.2 Deep Dive into Referring Domains (Outside the Dashboard)

While the widget gives you a summary, the real insights come from diving into the full Backlink Analytics tool. Navigate to Backlink Analytics from the left menu.

1. Enter your domain in the search bar and click Analyze.
2. Go to the Referring Domains tab.
3. Use the filters:
   • Authority Score: Set a minimum threshold, say “70.”
   • New/Lost: Filter by “New” to see recent gains.
   • Follow/Nofollow: Focus on “Follow” links for direct SEO benefit.
4. Export this data regularly (e.g., monthly) by clicking the Export button (top right) to track trends and identify high-value acquisition targets.

Pro Tip: Analyze your competitors’ referring domains. Where are they getting links that you aren’t? This is a goldmine for your link-building strategy. We did this for a local law firm in Midtown Atlanta, discovering that their competitors were consistently featured in local news outlets and legal blogs that our client hadn’t even considered. It completely reshaped their PR and content strategy.

Expected Outcome: A detailed list of referring domains, allowing you to identify high-quality backlinks, track new acquisitions, and pinpoint link-building opportunities.

Step 5: Automating Reports and Setting Performance Goals

The best scorecard is one that’s regularly reviewed and acted upon. Automation ensures consistency, and clear goals drive progress.

5.1 Scheduling Custom Reports

1. From your project dashboard, locate the Reports tab in the top navigation bar (next to “Overview” and “Tools”). Click it.
2. Click + Create new report.
3. Choose Custom Report.
4. Give your report a name, like “Monthly Brand Authority Review – YourBrand.”
5. Drag and drop the specific widgets you configured on your dashboard into the report builder (Domain Overview, Competitive Positioning, Brand Monitoring, Backlink Analytics).
6. On the right side, under “Settings,” select your preferred Frequency (e.g., “Monthly”) and Day of the week (e.g., “First Monday”).
7. Add recipients by typing their email addresses into the Recipients field.
8. Click Schedule report.

Pro Tip: Include a brief executive summary in the report (you can add a text block widget) highlighting key changes and strategic implications. This adds context and makes the data more digestible for busy stakeholders. This is a practice I picked up during my time at a large agency; it drastically improved report engagement.

Common Mistake: Over-reporting. Sending daily or weekly reports for metrics that don’t change that frequently can lead to report fatigue. Monthly is usually sufficient for strategic authority metrics.

Expected Outcome: Stakeholders will receive a consistent, data-rich report on your brand authority, fostering accountability and informed decision-making.

5.2 Setting SMART Goals for Authority Growth

This isn’t a Semrush feature, but it’s critical. Based on your initial scorecard, set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals.

• “Increase Semrush Authority Score by 5 points within the next 6 months.”
• “Acquire 20 new referring domains from sites with an Authority Score of 70+ quarterly.”
• “Maintain brand mention sentiment at 80% positive or higher.”

Editorial Aside: Many marketers get caught up in the “vanity metrics” of social media likes or impressions. While those have their place, true brand authority is built on foundational elements like quality backlinks, positive sentiment, and organic visibility. These are the metrics that directly impact your bottom line, not just your ego.

Expected Outcome: A clear roadmap for your marketing efforts, driven by quantifiable goals that directly contribute to enhanced brand authority.

By meticulously setting up and monitoring this Brand Authority Scorecard in Semrush, you transform abstract concepts into tangible, actionable insights. This systematic approach ensures your marketing efforts are always aligned with genuine authority growth, not just fleeting trends. Implement this now, and watch your brand’s influence solidify.