I have completed my latest annual review of trade union websites and compiled the updated league table for 2026.

Previous results are available for 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

The 2026 league table ranks the Domain Authority of websites belonging to TUC-affiliated trade unions. Domain Authority continues to serve as a widely used benchmark for assessing the online influence and backlink strength of a website.

It reflects factors such as the volume, relevance, and quality of inbound links across the web and social media. Backlinks from high-authority sources — including major news outlets, academic institutions, and established organisations — remain the strongest contributors to improved scores.

As always, Domain Authority does not measure visual design, content quality, or usability. It is strictly an SEO indicator, estimating how likely a site is to rank well on search engines and to therefore be seen in search results.

Why this is important in the age of AI

Domain Authority has also become increasingly important in the age of AI. AI systems rely heavily on link‑based signals to decide which sites are trustworthy enough to surface, summarise or cite.

Unions with stronger backlink profiles are more likely to be corectly represented in AI‑generated answers, while weaker sites risk being overlooked or misinterpreted. In practice, a higher DA helps ensure a union’s information is visible, reliable and accurately reflected across AI tools as well as search platforms.

Source: Moz.com July 2026.

The trend has been to smaller changes over the last few years. For the eighth consecutive year, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) tops the league table. Unite remains in second place, while the National Education Union (NEU) holds third. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and UNISON complete the top five, both maintaining strong backlink profiles.

UCU and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) again share sixth place, followed by GMB and NUJ. Equity and PFA remain joint 10th, continuing their long-running stability in the upper tier of the table.

Biggest risers

Several unions saw meaningful improvements in 2026. The Musicians’ Union climbed two places, reflecting a steady increase in high-authority backlinks. BALPA also moved upward, benefiting from improved linking activity across aviation and professional sectors. The Royal College of Podiatry and NSEAD both saw modest gains, continuing their upward trend from previous years.

Biggest falls

Only one union experienced a positional drop in 2026: NAPO, which slipped by a single place. Several others saw small decreases in Domain Authority but retained their previous positions due to similar movements across the sector.

If you spot an anomaly or want to discuss trends in union web visibility, feel free to leave a comment below.