Are you familiar with the MozBar Chrome Extension?
The blogging world was rocked on March 5, 2019, when Moz changed the way they calculate their Domain Authority Ranking metric.
Bloggers wondered, “Will I be affected? If so, how? Will my Domain Authority Ranking go up or down?”
From Quora:
Why did the domain authority of my 3 websites decrease suddenly?
Consider these comments:
Piyush Narayan: “I would love to use these extensions (referring to the MozBar Chrome extension and other Chrome extensions) to drive traffic to my website.” (Source: Here are the 10 Best Free Chrome Extensions.)
Happily, the Moz Chrome extension is designed to help you beat the competition and send traffic to your site.
What is the MozBar?
- A free tool to help you check Domain Authority
- A free tool to help you conduct competitive analysis
- A free tool to help you drive blog traffic
This post answers these questions in depth:
What is Moz?
What is the MozBar?
What is the value of the Domain Authority Ranking metric.
How to use MozBar Chrome extension to check your Domain Authority Ranking and other websites’ Domain Authority Rankings.
How to use MozBar Chrome to find search words to drive traffic to your blog.
How to use the MozBar Chrome to conduct competitor analysis.
People ask, “Is MozBar free?”
It’s true! The Moz SEO bar is free.
Let’s dive in and learn how to get into MozBar and other features of this SEO toolbar for Chrome and Firefox.
The Moz Chrome Extension helps with link prospecting, competitor research, and offers metrics such as the Domain Authority Ranking.
What is Moz SEO?
Updated Information: In June of 2021, Moz was acquired by the iContact Marketing Corporation.
According to Moz
“As part of the iContact family, Moz will be even better equipped to assist our subscribers with all of their SEO and digital marketing needs.”
Moz is an SEO analytics company started by Gillian Muessig and Rand Fishkin in 2004. Although Fishkin left Moz in 2014, his name is still synonymous with Moz and the MozBar.
The Moz team originally called the tool SEOmoz, but the name “Moz” stuck. In 2004, Moz began as a blog and SEO community.
The Moz team may not be together anymore, but their influence lives on in the world of online SEO tools. Since Moz does not have an iOS app like its competitor SEMrush, you need to use MozBar and Moz’s other SEO tools online. You can use Moz’s tools such as MozBar with the Chrome and Firefox browsers.
Here is Moz’s Mission Statement:
“At Moz, we believe there is a better way to do marketing… Our mission is to help people achieve it. We’re excited to simplify SEO for everyone through our software, education, and community.” (Source).
Moz’s analytics tools are used by bloggers and marketers worldwide.
Moz has a community of over 600,00 who use Moz’s tools to check their SEO analytics.
Moz SEO makes many tools to help SEOs analyze and capitalize on their metrics.
For instance, Moz’s Link Explorer helps SEOs know their Domain Authority Ranking and Moz’s Keyword Explorer helps website creators search for keywords that have high search volume but low online competition so their keywords can rank on Google and other search engines.
Here is a list of Moz SEO tools:
- Keyword Explorer
- Link Explorer
- MozBar
- My Online Presence
- Free Domain Analysis
- MozCast
Moz SEO tools help you conduct
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page) analysis
- Competitor research
- Link profile analysis
In addition to SEO tools, Moz is known for the Moz Academy which offers SEO instruction. In fact, the SEO subreddit recommends Moz for SEO help.
Note: The courses at the Moz Academy start at $49.00. Courses at the Mostly Blogging Academy offer the same instruction for affordable prices. Courses at the Mostly Blogging Academy begin at $7.99.
MozBar testimonials:
Podcaster Phil Adair, in his episode on keyword research tips, recommended Moz.
Also, in a recent survey, Moz was considered to have one of the best SEO tools in 2019.
Additionally, I polled a handful of Instagram followers using the hashtag #marketingdigital. I believed I’d generate attention from people familiar with SEO tools using the hashtag.
MozRank Vs MozTrust
You use the MozBar to check MozRank, your website’s Domain Authority Ranking.
What are MozRank and MozTrust?
MozRank:
MozRank is like Google’s Page Authority Rank. MozRank tells you how trustworthy the website page is.
MozTrust:
Moz also tells you how trustworthy links are. In other words, can you trust the link?
You need to build links to your site to boost your Domain Authority Rank, but can you trust the links?
MozTrust answers this question. For instance, links from a .gov site or a .edu site are more trustworthy than sites from a .com site. The reason: a .gov site is a government agency and a .edu site is an educational institution.
Therefore, in order to boost your DA as reflected in the MozBar, try to build links with a higher MozTrust.
Moz vs SEMrush vs Ahrefs
Updated Information
Here is a simple explanation of the difference between the Moz Domain Authority Rank and Ahrefs Domain Ranking:
“Domain Authority from Moz and Domain Rating from Ahrefs are different metrics. DA predicts how well a given website will rank on the SERP. While DR shows the strength of a website’s backlink profile. These metrics can’t be put together.”
I asked marketers on Instagram which tool they prefer, Moz or SEMrush.
As you can see, 100% of respondents indicated they prefer Moz over SEMRush when given a choice.
Clearly, the Moz SEO toolbar is a powerful and necessary tool.
UPDATE May 2020:
In a surprising twist, when given a choice between Ubersuggest and Moz, the majority of respondents on Instagram chose Ubersuggest.
I find this surprising since Neil Patel, Ubersuggest’s developer, recently started charging to use Ubersuggest. In contrast, Moz is free for up to 10 queries a month.
What is the MozBar?
October 2021 Update
Since the wealth of information about the MozBar can be overwhelming, I took the information in this section explaining, “What is MozBar?” and put it in the form of a word cloud so you can see the most important information revealed in the largest words.
Let’s unpack information about the MozBar.
One important note though…
I found out subsequent to publication the tool is called “MozBar” although I refer to it as “the MozBar” all the way through this guide.
What is the MozBar?
The MozBar SEO tool is a free browser extension that became available to the public in 2014. Over 500,000 people have installed this extension.
This is the Moz toolbar.
When you use MozBar, you will see this SEO toolbar on your site so you can access important analytics by Moz.
For example, you can use the MozBar as an SEO keyword checker.
Do you see the highlighted pencil? This part of MozBar is a link analyzer. MozBar analyzes followed, nofollowed, external, and internal links.
As an excellent example, here’s this best free Minecraft server hosting post from my blogging friend Nikola Roza.
You can see in purple his affiliate links, which are nofollow, and his internal links are in green, as they’re followed.
UPDATE: Many SEOs write about the fluctuation in keyword metrics. Also, if you go after low search volume keywords, those numbers add up. These are important points to keep in mind when you research keyword data.
Periodically the SEO toolbar by Moz is updated, so the tool is in its current design.
You can also use the tool to see important metrics like your website’s Domain Authority ranking and other people’s Domain Authority Ranking.
If you look to the right of the screenshot, you’ll see the Number 44. That number indicates your Domain Authority Ranking.
As you can see from the screenshot, the MozBar is a domain authority Chrome extension.
Is there more than one MozBar extension? For instance, is the MozBar also available for other browsers like Firefox?
2016 research turned up information that the MozBar Firefox Extension was temporarily disabled. Therefore, clearly, there is indeed a MozBar Firefox extension.
You can also use the tool to check your Page Authority.
The MozBar SEO tool is easy to move to the top or bottom of your screen and is easy to turn off.
There are several misconceptions about how to spell “MozBar.” For example, people erroneously spell this Moz DA Checker Extension “Moz Bar.” “MozBar” is one word.
Would-be users have trouble spelling “extension” as well. If you try to find the MozBar “Extention,” as many do, you’ll have a spelling error and won’t find it.
Some potential users struggle so much with MozBar’s spelling, they type into their search bar, “SEOMoz Bar.”
MozBar Extension vs Moz
Moz | MozBar |
10 free queries a month | Unlimited queries a month |
To use: Sign in to the Moz.com website. | To use: Sign in to the Moz.com website. Then, click the M on your browser extension. |
Pricing: Prices start at $99.00 per month. | Pricing: Free |
MozBar Firefox
MozBar Firefox and the MozBar for Chrome are not the same SEO browser extensions. This is because Mozilla Firefox is different than Google Chrome.
In fact, in 2016, Moz had to disable the MozBar Firefox Extension while the company made improvements to the tool. When Firefox Version 48 was released, Moz reinstated the MozBar Firefox Extension.
SEOMoz Pro Overview
What is SEOMoz Pro?
This guide to the MozBar offers a review of MozBar, a free SEO Firefox and Chrome extension. However, if you do have a budget that affords you the opportunity to pay for SEO tools, Moz Pro features a suite of SEO tools.
Moz Pro comes with many of the functions of MozBar such as keyword research and more. For instance, Moz Pro all-in-one tool suite has link-building tools, a rank tracker, a website crawler, and on-site optimization tools.
SEOMoz Pro gives you analytics you can use to make future SEO decisions. For instance, SEOMoz Pro gives you data about your keyword rankings, link metrics, and optimization.
What is Moz Rank?
In addition to telling you your Domain Authority Ranking, Moz also gives your website a rank on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest. The MozRank is based on the quality of the links pointing to your website.
What is Domain Authority Ranking?
Moz developed the Domain Authority Ranking. For years, the Domain Authority Ranking, or DA, has served as a metric that tells the blogging world the quality of the website. The DA starts at 1 and goes up to 100.
A comparable metric is Ahref’s DR, Domain Rating. Ahrefs also has a UR, which shows the link profile of a target page such as the homepage. The DR shows the link profile for the site.
Another metric in SEO is the DS which stands for Domain Score. Sometimes the results take a long time, months or years, to show. Keep using the MozBar to check the DA which is known to fluctuate like these other metrics.
In addition to the DA, Moz has the PA which stands for Page Authority, an indicator of ranking ability.
Is the MozBar Domain Authority an accurate metric of how well you’ll rank in Google’s Search Engine Results Pages?
This question is controversial. I polled Instagrammers and asked them this very question. Although most responded, “No,” I believe the answer is “Yes.”
Although the merit of the Domain Authority Ranking has been questioned, my observation based on my experience serves to show that the MozBar Domain Authority Ranking is indeed a world-wide recognized metric as to the probability that your articles will rank on Google.
Experts on Quora agree as well that your DA is considered a predictor of how well your posts will rank on Google.
Update June 2020:
In answer to the question about the validity of the Domain Authority Rank, someone explained it to me recently this way:
Let’s say Facebook, or some other site, has a Domain Authority Rank of 100, and Moz believes their DA should go higher.
It’s not possible to go above 100 since 100 is the highest DA there is.
Therefore, Moz would have to lower everyone else’s Domain Authority Ranking.
Therefore, while the DA is an accurate predictor of how you’ll perform in the SERPs, your DA is relative compared to other sites’ DAs. This is an important perspective to consider.
How to Use the MozBar SEO Tool
How to use the MozBar SEO Tool to check your DA and other websites’ Domain Authority Rankings
There are times when you’ll need to know your DA and the Domain Authority Ranking of others.
For example, if you monetize your blog, the higher your DA, the more money you can ask for sponsored posts. Also, sometimes people might want you to publish a relevant link in one of your older articles.
How to Get into MozBar:
Step 1: Download the MozBar.
Step 2: Sign in to Moz.com. You need to be signed in to use Moz’s tool. Make an account if you don’t already have one to use the MozBar login.
Clicking the blue M will make the MozBar appear.
This is what the MozBar SEO toolbar looks like.
Starting from the left, you see metrics for the URL of the page you are on: If you click the first icon with the magnifying glass, the MozBar will actually do an on-site page audit for you that will boost your SEO.
The next icon, the pencil, is a link highlighter. The icon with KW is only available for the premium version. Paid versions of Moz will show you your Page Optimization Score.
Next, you see Page Authority Ranking, the number of links to your post, your MozBar Domain Authority Ranking, and your Spam Score.
People who pay for Moz get to see the Spam Score. This could determine your DA. However, when you use the MozBar, you get to see your Spam Score for free.
October 2020 Update: A member of Quora asked, “How important is the Moz Spam Score?”
Peter Su, a blogger and software engineer, explained, “It is only needed to see whether a site looks spammy or not based on their metrics. You may believe their score or not.”
Options
MozBar Location: You can decide if you want the SEO bar at the top or bottom of your screen. The bar moves with just a click of a button.
MozBar Alternative: If you don’t want to add the MozBar as a Chrome extension, sign in to Moz’s Link Explorer. When you use the Link Explorer, you only get 10 free queries a month. When you use the MozBar, your queries are unlimited.
Factors That Could Affect Your Domain Authority Ranking
To recap, the MozBar shows your website’s DA and the Domain Authority Rankings of other websites.
However, this number fluctuates.
Remember, the DA shows you the likelihood of Google showing its users your website posts and pages.
There are many factors that could affect your Domain Authority Ranking.
If Google has an algorithm change, for example, that adversely affects your website, your DA could go down.
On the other hand, if Google has an algorithm change that favors your website, your DA could go up.
In the fall of 2019, Google’s new algorithm, BERT, was designed to help users find more accurate search results.
How to use MozBar to Find Search Words to Drive Blog Traffic
Before you begin these steps, download MozBar for Chrome.
Step 1: Sign in to https://moz.com/.
Step 2: Click the blue M on the browser extension in order to bring up the MozBar.
In order to do keyword research, you need to know what content you want to write about.
One day, I’m planning to write about Slack. Follow these steps.
Step 3. Go to the site you’re planning on writing about and click the magnifying glass on the MozBar.
In this case, I’d go to Slack.com. I want to see the meta description and the other on-site information. Clicking the icon with the magnifying glass enables me to read the website’s meta description.
Look:
It’s true: I can see Slack.com’s on-page description. I can use these phrases as my SEO keyword phrases when writing about Slack so people looking for this type of information find my article.
Generally, the focus SEO keyword will be in the Page Title and the Meta Description. You should use these as possible keywords for your post.
Disadvantages of Using MozBar
I have used the MozBar happily for years, but there are disadvantages to using this SEO tool.
First, bloggers get obsessed with checking their metrics. Therefore, having a tool that blasts your current Domain Authority Ranking at all times can be distracting.
Solution: Turn off the MozBar.
Next, when you install a browser extension, you risk having your device effected such as having your desktop computer run slower.
Solution: Check to see how well your device runs with and without the MozBar.
Updates
June 2021
Is there a Moz plugin?
No. There is not a Moz plugin.
However, if you want to check your Domain Authority ranking with a plugin instead of the MozBar, you can.
Look:
The Website Authority Checker plugin tells you your DA, PA and Moz Rank. However, the plugin is not tested with WordPress and has not been updated in five years.
April 2021
There are times when the SEO toolbar by Moz isn’t working.
If your MozBar stops working, Moz tweets the status of the tool. Here is the link to Moz’s Twitter account so you can check the status of the SEO toolbar by Moz.
March 2021 Update 1
MozBar Testimonial:
In a podcast interview, full-time pro-blogger Shaun Marrs shared that he recommends using the free MozBar.
March 2021 Update 2
More SEO Toolbars
MozBar is my favorite SEO toolbar, but Moz doesn’t make the only SEO toolbar available to you.
Although this isn’t a complete list, these are the SEO toolbars I am familiar with and can recommend as MozBar alternatives:
Look at the last three icons in the toolbar before my image:
SEO Toolbars
- Ahrefs
- SEOQuake
- Alexa.com
- Keywords Everywhere
The screenshot shows these SEO extensions: Keywords Everywhere SEO Toolbar, the SEOQuake SEOToolbar, and the MozBar in that order.
Ahrefs: I use Ahrefs many times a day. I am used to going to the site, so I stopped using the Ahrefs SEO toolbar.
SEOQuake (this is a free SEMrush feature) and Keywords Everywhere: I know from first-hand experience that these are helpful tools, but my tools of choice are Ahrefs and KWFinder for keyword research.
Alexa.com: I use Alexa, but I go to the site to see the metrics, so I don’t use the Alexa SEO Toolbar.
UPDATE: January 2021
In her January 20, 2021 podcast, Search News You Can Use, Marie Haynes discussed Rand Fishkin’s Inferred Links Theory.
The theory states that if people merely mention you without linking to you, you can still reap SEO benefits. Google is getting that smart.
December 2020
After spending the year attempting to boost my Domain Authority, look what I woke up to:
What’s interesting is my DA went from 42 to 44 in a month!
Did you notice the discrepancy in the screenshots? When I started this this post, my DA was 44. When I finished this post, my DA was 43.
These may be normal fluctuations of the MozBar, but since the Domain Authority Ranking is still the industry standard, I’m pleased the DA rose.
November 2020 Update 1
Since the publication of this article, I recommend the MozBar more and more on places like Quora where SEOs search for information to help boost SEO.
Advantages to using the MozBar:
- Keyword Research
- Competitive Analysis
- Check the Domain Authority Ranking (DA) of any website
- Unlimited Search Queries
- A free tool
- Moz is a respected SEO company
November 2020 Update 2
When you sign up for Moz, which you need to do in order to be able to access the MozBar, you receive access to important SEO metrics.
Moz wants to make sure SEOs know how to rank. Moz updated its criteria for how to rank in search engines. You will find the new ranking criteria here.
When you sign up for the Moz Blog newsletter, you received these tips and other tips like these in your email inbox.
September 2020 1
Google’s May Core Update sent webmasters’ traffic reeling. What a plummet! Google decided it would give priority visibility to authority sites. This decision was made in response to the Coronavirus.
Although I have no supporting documentation, there seems to be a correlation with the Domain Authority Rating. Webmasters are spiraling to keep their DA’s up. Based on my observation and what I’ve read, the DA was hurt by the Core update along with website traffic.
September 2020 2
September 1, 2020, Moz announced that Page Authority 2.0 was coming. Although Moz acknowledged the PA (Page Authority) never achieved the high-profile scrutiny of the DA, the SEO company still plans on implementing a new manner of calculating PA.
For instance, Moz commented that the days of just counting backlinks to a site and assuming those links would result in high position in the Search Engine Results Pages is gone.
In the event your PA is adversely affected by these changes, be sure to compare your PA to your competitors’. The DA and PA are relative. Your competitors’ metrics may have fallen as well.
On September 30, 2020, Moz promises more changes. According to the company, the PA will receive new algorithms that improve its accurate predictions of posts’ ranking potential. In contrast, the DA which the MozBar reports checks the ranking potential of the entire site according to Quora.com.
June 2020
The Google Core update in May, a response to the Coronavirus, was damaging to search engine marketers whose search engine traffic plumetted. I even heard WordPress.com lost 30% of its Google traffic.
Since the DA is an indicator of how much Google traffic you’ll get, webmasters might have seen their DAs fall in May.
Some SEOs felt these were natural fluctuations by Moz. These might be natural fluctuations by Moz, but search engine marketers who have their income riding on the amount of their visibility in Google’s SERPs, might have felt a sting.
According to BlogSearchMetrics.com, the Google Core May Update was directly related to E-A-T, Expertise, Authority, and Trust, Google’s new ranking factors.
Since Google wants people to know they are getting medical advice about the Coronavirus from authority sites, experts they can trust, Google made the Core update that adversely affected blogs that were not .gov, .org, or .edu sites.
April 2020
In March of 2020, I published a post reviewing more SEO tools.
If you click the link and read the comments on the post, you’ll see bloggers recommending their favorite SEO tools for keyword research.
Moz is not mentioned. Bloggers recommend Ubersuggest which is now a paid tool and others.
I, myself, use the premium version of KWFinder for keyword research.
Don’t misunderstand me:
I use the MozBar constantly. However, I use Moz’s tool to check websites’ Domain Authority Rankings not primarily for keyword research.
I have never heard complaints about Moz or the MozBar. The bloggers I know seem to prefer other SEO tools for keyword research.
That is the beauty of the MozBar. It has many functions.
Frequently Asked Questions about the MozBar
What is my DA?
There are two ways you can discover your Domain Authority Ranking. Both ways require making an account at Moz.com. First, you can download the free MozBar when you use Google Chrome. MozBar is a Chrome Extension. You’ll get unlimited queries. Also, you can go to Moz.com and enter your URL. Using this method, you’ll be limited to 10 queries per month.
What is a good Domain Authority?
The higher the better! Under 40 is considered low. 40 to 50 is considered average. Higher than 50 is considered good, and 60 or up is considered excellent.
Where do I find Google Chrome Extensions?
When you’re using your Google Chrome browser, go to Settings by clicking the 3 dots in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Then, go to More tools/Extensions. Type the extension you need in the Search bar.
What are SEO tools?
SEO tools have a variety of functions. They help you rank better in Google’s Search Engine results pages, They do this by allowing you to perform queries that help you beat your competition for readership. They also give you information on keywords and backlinks.
Which is better, Moz or SEMrush?
Because of the MozBar extension, I find Moz more versatile. The Moz extension is available for both Chrome and Firefox. Since I consistently use the SEO toolbar by Moz, I choose Moz over SEMrush.
What are the benefits of the MozBar?
The MozBar gives you free unlimited queries, shares your DA and PA, is a keyword research tool, and helps you conduct competitive analysis.
How do I use Moz?
You need to use Moz online since Moz doesn’t have an iOS app. You can use Moz with the Chrome and Firefox browsers.
What is SEO MozBar?
MozBar is a free SEO browser extension. This SEO tool is available for Chrome and Firefox. Use MozBar for unlimited keyword searches and for competitive analysis. Also, use the tool to check the DA of any website.
Which do you prefer SEOQuake, the MozBar, or Keywords Everywhere? And why?
I prefer the MozBar. MozBar is free and is more versatile than the other tools. All are keyword checkers but MozBar also helps you conduct competitive analysis by seeing your competitors’ site metrics and meta descriptions.
What is the use of Moz.com?
Moz is a popular SEO company. Moz makes the MozBar and other SEO tools. In contrast to Moz’s premium tools, MozBar is free and offers unlimited queries.
What is a good Moz rank?
A Domain Authority Rank of 50 or higher is considered good.
What is Moz data?
Moz is an SEO company that provides many different types of data about your website. For instance, Moz provides data about keywords you research and the Domain Authority rank of your website and other websites.
More Updates
March 2020:
Ubersuggest, one of Moz’s main competitors when it comes to SEO tools, charges $10. monthly. Neil Patel, the brains behind Ubersuggest, gives 5 queries for free. Moz gives 10 queries for free.
I predict this will boost the popularity of Moz, the MozBar, and the many Ubersuggest Alternatives.
February 2020:
Almost a year has passed since Moz changed the way the company calculates the Domain Authority Ranking.
Despite the big announcement about the change in March of 2020, I will venture to write that nothing has changed.
The blogging and marketing worlds still consider the Domain Authority as the be-all and end-all when it comes to judging a website as worthy or unworthy.
If you need more intensive help in addition to what is offered in this MozBar guide, you find courses on all areas of online marketing at the Mostly Blogging Academy. SEO courses start at $7.95.
Enhance your knowledge of SEO and learn how to boost your search engine rankings and income. Click here to begin your training at the Mostly Blogging Academy.
Wrapping Up: How to Use the MozBar Extension
The MozBar for Chrome is an important SEO tool and should be part of your arsenal of blogging and marketing tools. I know other bloggers have reported success with the Moz toolbar as well.
Now you know how to use this SEO toolbar by Moz.
This post gave an overview of the SEO toolbar by Moz and explained
The value of the Domain Authority Ranking
How to use the MozBar Extension to check your DA and other people’s DA
How to use the MozBar to do competitive research to find search words to drive traffic to your blog.
Plus, since the MozBar is a browser extension and not a plugin, using the MozBar as your SEO toolbar won’t slow down your site.
If you need more SEO strategies, check out Craig Campbell SEO.
Readers, please share so other bloggers learn how to use the SEO toolbar by Moz.
Were you familiar with the MozBar extension before reading this review? If so, do you agree it’s user-friendly?
If not, do you think you might download the Moz toolbar? Do you have an alternative you prefer as your favorite SEO tool?
Related Reading
How to Use SERPRobot and 8 More Free Google Positioning Tools
Ubersuggest: This is the Free SEO Tool Guide You Need
Sources
https://moz.com/blog/announcing-mozbar-v3
https://moz.com/blog/tracking-your-link-prospecting-using-lists-in-link-explorer
This post was made possible by the support of our readers.
Janice Wald is the founder of MostlyBlogging.com and co-founder of the Mostly Blogging Academy. She is an ebook author, blogger, blogging coach, blogging judge, freelance writer, and speaker. She won the Best Internet Marketer Award and the Best Blogger Award at the 2021 Infinity Blog Awards. Wald was also nominated as 2019 Best Internet Marketer by the Infinity Blog Awards and in 2017 as the Most Informative Blogger by the London Bloggers Bash. She’s been featured on Small Business Trends, the Huffington Post, and Lifehack.
