For years, SEO discussions have revolved around scores: Domain Authority, Domain Rating, Authority Score, spam score, trust flow. Many site owners treat these numbers as if they were grades handed out by Google. In June 2026, Google published a fresh page of guidance that draws a clear line: those scores are not Google's, Google does not look at them, and no outside tool can see how its ranking systems actually work.
This guide explains what Google said, why it said it, what the popular authority scores really measure, and what you should rely on instead.
Key Takeaways
- Google confirmed it does not use or endorse any third-party SEO tool.
- Third-party tools have no access to Google's internal ranking data and cannot guarantee performance.
- Authority and spam scores (Domain Authority, Domain Rating, Authority Score) are invented by the companies that sell them, not by Google.
- Google does not evaluate, approve, or certify any SEO service, so "Google approved" claims are a red flag.
- Google recommends its own first-party tool, Google Search Console, for data that actually comes from Google Search.
- These tools can still be useful for spotting issues, as long as you treat their numbers as estimates, not as a ranking grade.
What Google Actually Said
In June 2026, Google added a new page to its Search Central documentation, "Guidance on third-party SEO tools and advice," and updated its long-standing "hiring an SEO" document at the same time. The core message is direct.
On endorsement, Google wrote that it "doesn't evaluate third-party services, so be wary of such claims and those making them," and added that "using a service or tool doesn't guarantee ranking success."
On ranking data, Google was just as plain: "Third-party tools don't have access to our internal ranking data. They can't guarantee performance." It also warned that "some third-party services provide data that some users of those tools misinterpret as somehow being from Google."
On what to use instead, Google pointed to its own product: "We strongly encourage using our first-party tool, Google Search Console, which provides you with key information and data directly from Google Search itself."
This is not a brand-new opinion. Googlers such as John Mueller have said for years that Google does not use third-party scores and that site owners should not obsess over them. The June 2026 update simply moves that guidance into official documentation, where it carries more weight.
Why Google Doesn't Use These Scores
The reason is structural, not a matter of preference. Google ranks pages with hundreds of signals computed inside systems that no outside company can read. A third-party tool can only observe what is public: links it can crawl, pages it can index, and patterns it can model. It then runs that data through its own formula to produce a score.
That score is a guess about how well a site follows SEO best practices. It is not a measurement of anything Google calculates. Two tools looking at the same website routinely produce very different numbers, which is the clearest proof that these scores are opinions, not facts.
Because the score lives entirely inside the tool, Google has nothing to read from it even if it wanted to. There is no shared metric, no data feed, and no certification handshake between Google and these products.
What Domain Authority and Similar Scores Really Are
The popular "authority" scores are proprietary metrics owned by the companies that built them. They are useful for relative comparison, but they are not Google signals.
| Score | Who makes it | What it is | Does Google use it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | A 1–100 model predicting ranking ability | No |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | A 0–100 score based on backlink profile strength | No |
| Authority Score (AS) | Semrush | A composite of links, traffic, and spam signals | No |
| Spam Score | Various | An estimate of how "spammy" a profile looks | No |
These numbers can help you benchmark against competitors or watch a trend over time. The mistake is treating them as a target. This is why you constantly see sites with a lower Domain Authority outranking sites with a higher one: Google is ranking the page on relevance, quality, and helpfulness for a specific query, not on a vendor's score.
What Google Recommends Instead
Google's recommended source of truth is its own free, first-party tool, Google Search Console. Unlike a third-party estimate, Search Console reports real data measured by Google Search:
- The exact queries that show your pages and how often they appear.
- Real impressions, clicks, and average position for each query and page.
- Indexing status, so you know which pages Google has actually included.
- Core Web Vitals and mobile usability signals from real visits.
- Manual actions and security issues, reported directly by Google.
When Google's own documentation tells you to trust first-party data over an external score, that is the data it means. Everything else is a model built on top of public information.
What This Means for Your Website
The practical takeaway is to shift attention from scores to fundamentals. None of the following depend on a third-party number:
- Helpful, original content that answers the query better than the alternatives, in line with Google's people-first guidance and E-E-A-T expectations.
- Clean technical foundations: a page that loads fast, works on mobile, and can be crawled and indexed without friction.
- Clear on-page signals: accurate titles, descriptions, headings, and structured data that describe the page honestly.
- Genuine links and mentions earned because the content is worth referencing, not bought to inflate a score.
Free utilities can help with the on-page basics without pretending to predict rankings. You can write and preview your title and description with a meta tags generator, add valid structured data with a schema markup generator, sanity-check focus and repetition with a keyword density checker, and confirm length with a word counter. These tools improve how clearly your page communicates; they do not claim to grade you the way Google does.
How to Evaluate SEO Tools and Advice
Google's June 2026 update also covered how to judge SEO advice in general, not just tools. Its rule of thumb is worth repeating: good advice "either qualifies their claims as opinion based on data or experience, or backs up their claims by citing official Google Search guidance."
Use these checks before trusting a tool, an agency, or a blog post:
- Treat "Google approved" or "Google certified" as a warning sign. Google does not certify SEO services, so the claim is false by definition.
- Be skeptical of guaranteed rankings. No one outside Google can guarantee a first-place result.
- Watch the new wave of AEO and GEO claims. Google specifically cautioned that "AI optimization" services should align with its official generative AI guidance, not promise secret access to AI Overviews.
- Grant read-only access. During an audit, give an agency read access to Search Console rather than full control.
- Verify against the source. When a tool or expert makes a claim, check it against Google's official documentation before acting on it.
The Bottom Line
Third-party SEO tools are not useless. They are convenient ways to crawl a site, study competitors, and spot technical problems at scale. The error is believing their scores are Google's verdict. Google confirmed in June 2026 what its team had said for years: it does not use, endorse, or certify these tools, and their numbers never touch its ranking systems.
Build for people, fix the technical fundamentals, and measure with first-party data from Google Search Console. Use third-party tools for what they are good at, an estimate and a starting point, and stop chasing a score that Google never reads.
Sources and Further Reading
- Google Search Central: Guidance on third-party SEO tools and advice
- Google Search Central: How to hire an SEO
- Search Engine Land: Google adds guidance on third-party SEO tools, services, and advice
- Search Engine Journal: Google says it doesn't use third-party SEO tool scores for rankings
FAQ
Does Google use third-party SEO tools to rank websites?
No. Google confirmed it does not use or endorse third-party SEO tools, and those tools have no access to its internal ranking data. Scores such as Domain Authority, Domain Rating, and Authority Score are created by the companies that sell them, not by Google.
Does Domain Authority affect Google rankings?
No. Domain Authority is a Moz metric, not a Google signal. Google does not consider any external authority or spam score when ranking a page, which is why sites with a lower Domain Authority frequently outrank sites with a higher one.
What SEO tool does Google recommend?
Google recommends its own free first-party tool, Google Search Console, because it shows key information and data directly from Google Search, including real impressions, clicks, queries, and indexing status.
Can an SEO tool be approved or certified by Google?
No. Google does not evaluate, approve, or certify third-party services. Any tool or agency claiming to be "Google approved" or "Google certified" is making a claim Google does not support.
Are third-party SEO tools still worth using?
Yes, for the right reasons. They are good for crawling your site, studying competitors, and finding technical issues. Just treat their scores as estimates of SEO best practices, not as a ranking grade from Google.