Google uses hundreds of factors to determine where websites should rank in the search engines. Some are more important than others. One factor that deserves our attention is the domain authority of a website. Believe it or not, this metric was developed by Moz, not Google. A higher domain authority gets you a higher ranking and more traffic. It’s also a great way to validate that your SEO efforts are working.
What is Domain Authority? Why Does it Matter?
Some people confuse domain authority and page authority, but they are two different things. Page authority measures the ranking strength of a single page, whereas domain authority measures the ranking strength of an entire domain.
Domain authority is measured on a scale of 1-100, with 1 being the worst and 100 being the best. Scores are determined by many factors, including backlinks, external links, social signals, content and more. A score of 40-50 is considered average, 50-60 is considered good and 60+ is considered excellent. Obviously, you don’t want to go below 40.
8 Strategies to Improve Domain Authority
Now that you know why domain authority is important, here are eight strategies to follow.
1. Select a Good Domain Name
If your website is new, start with a good domain name that is relevant to your business. It should be easy to remember so that visitors don’t forget where to find you!
2. Optimize On-Page Content
Optimizing on-page elements improves your domain authority. Be sure to optimize all title tags, image alt tags and your content. Don’t overstuff keywords, though. Include them naturally in your titles and text, and use variations of them.
3. Publish High Quality Content
High quality content is important for a couple of reasons. You want people to read it and find it useful, and you want to form positive associations between customers and your brand. Great content is also more likely to be linked to from other sources.
4. Improve Internal Linking
Internal linking is when you link one piece of content to another on the same site. This helps users find the information they’re looking for, stay on your site longer and improve their experience. Internal links also make it easier for Google to index your site.
5. Remove Bad Links
Not all links are treated the same. Low quality links (those that come from spammy sites) should be removed. Ask the original owner to remove them, or disavow them using Google’s disavow tool. Also remove any broken links from your own site.
6. Make Your Site Mobile Friendly
Your site should be optimized for mobile. If it’s not, it will lose traffic and decrease in the rankings. Test out your site using Google’s Mobile Friendly Test.
7. Establish Yourself as an Authority
By creating great content and interacting with others on social media, you can show that you are an expert in your field. This boosts traffic, links and the authority of your brand.
8. Increase Speed Times
A slow loading site will bounce users off your page. Use Google’s PageSpeed test to determine how fast your site is, as well as ways to make it faster.
Domain authority is just one of many ranking factors. By following the strategies above, you’re not just increasing your domain authority but also boosting brand awareness, credibility and trust.
